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Historic  Rock  Island  County;  history  of  the  settlement  of  Rock 
sland  County  from  the  earliest  known  period  to  the  present  time  ... 
embracing  references  of  importance,  and  including  a  biography  of  Rock 
Island  County's  well-known  citizens.  Rock  Island,  111.  Kramer  &  Co., 
1908. 

230,  184  p.,  :59:  leaves  of  plates  28  cm.  | 

Contents:   Includes  indexes. 

Contents:  :Part  one:  Historic  Rock  Island  County.  Part  two:  i 
Biographical  history  of  Rock  Island  County's  early  settlers  and  leading  | 
business  men.  J 


) 


L  1  , 

977.339H6292       HISTORIC  ROCK  ISLAND  COUNTY$ROCK  ISLAND    20-16031      , 

1668400    1908        1    ADDED:   781201  i 

01      001  NOCIR  IHX  i 


INDEX  TO  GENERAL  HISTORY. 


Page 

EARLY   HISTORY— The  Sacs  and   Foxes— 

By  William  A.  Meese 7-51 

The  Sac  and  Fox  Indians 7 

Sac  and  Fox  Treaties 8 

Sac  and  Fox  Customs 10 

The  Homes  of  the  Sacs 10 

The  Rock  River  Village 11 

Name  of  the  Village 11 

Population  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes 12 

A  Revolutionary  Battle 12 

Black  Hawk  and  Keokuk 13 

The  Cause  of  Indian  Wars.. 14 

Sacs  and  Foxes  of  Today 15 

First  White  Explorers. 15 

First  Flag  in  the  Upper  Mississippi  Valley-_16 

The  War  of  1812 16 

The  First  Expedition 17 

Major  Campbell's  Expedition 17 

The  Battle  of  Campbell's  Island 18 

Black  Hawk  Celebrates 20 

The  Derelict 21 

Major  Tavlor's  Battle. 21 

First  Settlers 23 

Slavery 24 

The  Settlement  of  Lands 25 

The  Beginning  of  Trouble 25 

The  Rock  Island  Petition 26 

The  Indian  Agent  Reports 27 

Whiskey  the  Cause 27 

The  Second  Petition 27 

Benjamin  F.  Pike's  Affidavit 28 

Governor  Reynold's  Acts 29 

Gaines  (iocs  to  Fort  Armstrong 33 

The  Settlers  Affidavits 34 

The  Agent  Fears  Trouble 35 

The  Rock  River  Rangers 36 

The  Illinois  Soldiers 36 

General  Gaines  Makes  a  Demonstration 37 

Prepare  to  Attack 37 

The  Burning  of  Sac  Village 38 

The  Stampede ^      _   _.  38 

The  Black  Hawk  War 39 

The  Turkey  Scare 40 

Black  Hawk  Starts 41 

General  Atkinson  Conies  to  Fort  Armstrong. 41- 

The  Governor's  Proclamation 42 

A  Rock  Island  Company 43 

Other  Rock  Island  Soldiers 43 

Roswell  H.  Spencer 44 

James  Knefsar ; 44 


Page 

Reddish,  the  Tunnels  and  Eames 44 

The  Wells  Family 44 

Captain  Seth  Pratt's  Company 44 

Rock  Island  Settlers  in  1832 48 

Incidents  Concerning  Fort  Armstrong 48 

The  Powder  Plot 49 

The  Burning  of  the  Fort 50 

Roster  at  the  Fort "       _.50 

POLITICAL  DIVISIONS 51 

ROCK  ISLAND  ARSENAL 53 

Building  of  the  Fort 55 

Rock  Island  Armory  and  Arsenal 56 

Joint  Resolutions  of  the  Iowa  Legislature-_57 

Certificate  from  the  Government  Agent 57 

General  Rodman's  Plans 58 

TOPOGRAPHY  OF  ROCK  ISLAND  COUNTY. 64 

Geology 65 

Natural  Scenic  Beauty 67 

Coal  Measures 68 

ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  COUNTY 70 

Countv  Court  House 72 

The  Orations 74 

Edward  D.  Sweeney 74 

Charles  J.  Searle 79 

J.  M.  Gould 82 

The  Completed  New  Court  House  of  1897.. .84 

Address  of  Hon.  William  J.  Jackson 85 

Address  of  C.  L.  Walker 88 

COURT,  BENCH  AND  BAR 90 

ROCK  ISLAND  COUNTY  SOLDIERS'  MONU- 
MENT  92 

TOWNSHIP  ORGANIZATION 93 

Andalusia  Township 110 

Andalusia  Village 111 

Barstow .' 101 

Black  Hawk  Township 103 

Bowling  Township 107 

Buffalo  Prairie  Township.. 111 

Buffalo  Prairie 112 

Carbon  Cliff.  Village 101 

Canoe  Creek  Township 96 

Coal  Vallev  Township  and  Village 106 

Coaltown.". . 103 

Coe  Township 95 

Cordova  Township 94 


Page 

Cordova  Village, ^^ 

Driirv  Township Jj- 

Dnir'v's  Landing !^ti 

Kdgington  Township J"' 

Kdgington  Village -. J"^ 

East  Moline.  Village ^"^ 

Hampton  Township ^= 

Hampton.  Village ^"" 

Hillsdale.  Village '^° 

Illinois  City ^^^ 

josiin ::::io4 

Lowell ,f.. 

Milan  Village ^^^ 

Osborn q- 

Port  Bvron ^^ 

Port  Bvron.  Village ^° 

Rural  Township }"' 

Rapids  City.  Village J^^ 

Revnokls.  Village J"^ 

Rock  Island.  City JJJ'^ 

Sears.  Village „^ 

Silvis.  Village {"; 

South  Moline  Township.--- }"- 

South  Rock  Island  Township 1U|^ 

Tippecanoe ,„„ 

Taylor  Ridge.  Village ^^^ 

Zu'ma  Township ^ 

Zuma  Center ^^ 

CITY  OF  ROCK  ISLAND H^ 

Earlv  History— Farnhamsburg  and 

Stephenson J  J'! 

Town  of  Rock  Island-- JJ2 

Earlv  Names  of  Our  Streets --li' 

Some  Old-Time  Merchants  and  Citizens  in   ^ 

1855  and  Prior J-" 

Colleges :'i„ 

Banks tli 

Building  Associations j"'" 

Rock  Island  Mutual  Building,  Loan  and 

Savings  Association j 

Black  Hawk  Homestead  Building,  Loan  and 

Sa\-ings  Association 141 

BuFORD  Block 1^° 

Cemeteries 1^. 

Fire  Department J-^ 

Ferry .,„~ 

Hospitals  and  Homes J^° 

Industrial  Commission J*- 

Industrial  Home. 1^^ 

Library J^^ 

Manufacturies tfi 

Parks J-° 

Post  Office ^" 

Police  Department f^^ 

Public  Schools J^" 

Rock  Island  Club }^^ 

Tri-City  Press  Club 1^^ 

Water  Works J-' 

Young  Men's  Christian  Association --14D 

CITY  OF  MOLIXE_..- -I-IS 

^r  Events  of  Early  Days 1^9 

Business  Men's  Association 1»« 

Cemetery 1?^ 

Fire  Department J^- 

Health  Department 1?^ 

Hospital ]f] 

Library i^* 


Page 

Manufactories ]2q 

Moline  Plow  Co 1^^ 

Moline  Wagon  Co {".^ 

Velie  Carriage  Co J"- 

Mutual  Wheel  Co J^^ 

Wright  Carriage  Body  Co Jo4 

Moline  Furniture  Works l^J* 

Deere  &  Co J°* 

.\rgillo  Works --. -■ \^ 

Moline  Club \Ci 

Post  Office {?" 

Public  Schools tZ* 

Retul  Merchants'  Association wi^ 

Tri-City  Manufacturers'  Association lb/ 

Water  Works J2, 

WoMANs'  Club  of  Moline J^J 

Y^ouNG  Men's  Christian  Association m 

ROCK  ISLAND  COUNTY 173 

First  Entries  of  Land 173 

Illinois  and  Mississippi  Canal I'-i 

Pioneer  Days  on  the  Mississippi 

Canal !'•' 

Illinois  Western  Hospital  for  the 

Insane l'-* 

Rock  Island  County  Infirmary  and 

Poor  House -,on  ,no 

Churches  of  Rock  Island leo 

Broadwav  Presbyterian {©a 

Edgewood  Baptist  Church la^ 

First  Church  of  Christ  (Scientist) la^ 

First  Baptist  Church..-- 193 

First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church IsU 

German    Evangelical    Lutheran    Im- 

manuels  Congregation 19b 

German    Evangelical    Friedens    Con- 

oreffiition ~-  ^"-^ 

German  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 189 

Hebrew  Congregations 191 

St.  James  Catholic  Church-..    .-.-- js^ 

Sf.  Pauls  (Belgian^  Catholic  Church 193 

Sacred  Heart  Catholic  Church  193 

Spencer  Memorial  Methodist  Church 19U 

Trinitv  Episcopal  Church 18* 

United  Presbvterian  Church ",00107 

Churches  of  Moline 193  19/ 

Christ  Church \l° 

First  Congregational  Church 193 

First  Baptist  Church 1^'* 

First  Swedish  Baptist  Church.         -. 194 

Sacred  Heart  Belgian  Catholic  Church 19/ 

Second  Congregational  Church 190 

Second  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 195 

Swedish  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 19-1 

Swedish  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church l.t-l 

St.  Anthonv's  (.Roman  Catholic) 

Church 194 

St.  Marv's  Catholic  Church...   19^ 

Plvmouth  Congregational  Church ;o7"9n9 

Churches  of  Townships 900 

Andalusia ;t--. Toe 

Bethesda.  Canoe  Creek  Township 198 

Cordova ,qq 

Coe  Township }^° 

Coal  Valley --l^^ 

Drury  Township ^"J 

Edgington -"gg 

Hampton I59I2OO 

Milan 


Page 

Port  Bvron 197-198 

Rapids  City 198 

Zuma -■ 198 

Fraternal  Organizations 202-212 

Fraternal  Tribunes 202 

B.  P.  O.  of  Elks 203 

Arsenal  Council.  Xo.  171' 203 

The  Turn  Verein 203 

Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles 204 

Modern  Woodmen  of  America 204 

Royal  Neighbors  of  America 210 

Secret  Societies 212-215 

Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows 215 

Royal  Arcanum 215 

Patriotic  Societies 215 

The  Press  of  Rock  Island  County 217-225 

Argus.  The 218 

American  Law  Reporter,  The 222 

Beobachter  am  ilississippian,  The 224 

Commercial,  The 220 

Chronik  Des  AVestens 224 

Daily  Dispatch,  Moline 222 


Page 

Liberty  Banner,  The 218 

Liberty  League.  The 222 

Mail,  Moline 223 

Northwestern  Advertiser,  The 218 

News,  The 220 

Neue  Volks  Zeitung 224 

Port  Byron  Globe. 223 

Reynolds  Press,  The 224 

Rock  Island  Register,  The 220 

Rock  Island  L^nion 220 

Upper  Mississippian.  The 218 

Weekly  Review-Dispatch 222 

Additional  Publications 225 

First  Ferries 226 

First  Hotel 226 

First  Marriages 227 

Old   Settlers   Association   of   Rock 

Island  County 227 

Famous  Crimes  of  Rock  Island 

County 228 

Port  Byron  Academy 230 


INDEX  TO  ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  GENERAL  HISTORY. 


Facing 
Page 

Illinois  Western  Hospital  for  the  Insane 180 

Main  Buildings  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 

America 204 

Port  Bvron  Academy 230 


INDEX  TO  BIOGRAPHIES. 


Page 

A 

Ainsworth,  Harry 20 

Ainsworth,  Henry  A 18 

Anderson.  O.  Frederick 143 

Arp.  A.  H.,  Doctor 176 

Ashdown.  Mark 175 

B 

Beal,  Albert  M 167 

Bean,  William  H 140 

Beardsley,  Ezra  M.,  Colonel 101 

Beardsley.  James  M.,  Major 99 

Beardslev,  James  M 102 

Bernhardi.  Carl 150 

Bernhardi.  Carl  O..  M.  D 149 

Blanding,  Virgil  ilarion 145 

Blunt,  Stanhope  E.,  Colonel 11 

Boyer,  John  A.,  Deacon 47 

Bracket t.  James 160 

Brown.  Henry  E 163 

Browning,  John  H -.164 

ButTum,  Almon  A 107 

C 

Campbell,  Thomas 21 

Carter,  Charles  Crawford 147 

Casteel,  Herbert  E 181 

Chapman,  Harrv  Landon,. 175 

Chase,  Henry  Howland,  M.  D 130 

Connelly,  Henry  Clay,  Major 33 

Coryn.  Edward 106 

Covne.  Alexander  \V 155 

Coyne.  Edward  S 156 

Coyne .  Francis 156 

Covne.  James 155 

Coyne.  William  T 155 

Coyne.  William,  Senior 154 

Curtis,  Henry,  Colonel 37 

D 

Dade,  Myrtle  E..  Miss 144 

Davenport,  Oeorge,  Colonel 3 

Davis,  John  Burgess,  Captain . 118 

Davis,  Samuel  Sharpe 28 

Deere,  Charles 177 

Deere,  John 92 

Denkmann,  Frederick  C,  A 69 

Dimock,  DeWitt  Clinton 103 

Durham,  Charles  William,  Colonel 97 


Page 
E 

Eastman,  William  Fisk 82 

Eddy,  Warner  L.,  M.  D 156 

Edgington.  John 8 

Entriken,  Walter  Judson 172 

Eyster,  George  Longhead,  M.  D 163 

F 

Frick,  Henry  J 41 

Fries,  Peter 16 

G 

Gardner,  F.  H..  Doctor 174 

Geismar,  Morris 61 

Gould,  J.  M.,  Judge 57 

Greenawalt,  Presley 108 

Gue,  George  W.,  Reverend 112 

Guyer,  Edward  Holmes 15 

Guyer,  Samuel  S 159 

H 

Hall.  Douglas  E 161 

Harper,  Benjamin 85 

Hartz,  Ben  C 20 

Hawes,  Charles  W.,  Major 90 

Hawes.  David,  Senior 64 

Hawes.  Frank  B 141 

Hawes,  Marv  Fav,  Mrs. 139 

Hayden,  Herbert  B 135 

Heagv,  Samuel 98 

Heck^  Josiah  G 170 

Hemenway,  Charles  F 87 

Hemenway,  Luke  E 87 

HoUingsworth,  ilaurice  A 169 

Hubbard,  Henry  B 134 

Huber,  Ignatz 42 

Huber,  Otto 43 

Huntoon.  Joseph ,170 

Hurst,  Elmore  W 38 

J 

Jackson,  William 32 

Johnson,  George  W 171 

Johnson,  Walter 123 

Juhl.  Nicholai 132 

Junge,  Julius 105 

K 

Kelly,  Frank  H 148 

Kittilsen,  Edward,  Colonel 52 


Page 

Knox,  Benjamin  Franklin 120 

Knox,  Charles  Bishop 171 

Knox,  Edwin  B 121 

L 

Landee,  Frank  A 94 

Larkin,  Charles  J 133 

Leas,  J.  Silas 63 

Liekefett,  Frederick  C 159 

Little,  Robert  E 161 

M  f  ■  i 

McCabe,  L.  S 51 

McConochie,  William 59 

McDonald,  Hugh  A.  J 84 

McEnirv,  Matthew  J 46 

McEnirv,  William 151 

McEniry,  William,  Honorable 44- 

McGlynn,  Patterson  S 97 

McHvigh,  Charles 131 

McMaster,  Sylvester  Washington 127 

Mackin,  Thomas,  Reverend 116 

Marshall,  William  H 152 

Matthews,  David  W 129 

Medill,  T.  J 10 

Meese.  William  A 183 

Mennicke,  Christopher  A 40 

Metzgar.  Judson  D 107 

Mitchell.  Philemon  L 7 

Mixter,  Frank 83 

Mixter.  George 84 

Montgomery,  Alexander  E 31 

Montgomery,  Robert  J 157 

Montgomery,  Robert  S 79 

Montgomery,  Samuel  H 49 

Morgan.  Elmer  B 164 

Myers,  James  F.,  Doctor 173 

N 

Negus,  Isaac 17 

Nessler,  Thomas 166 

Nourse,  Charles  R 128 

O 

Olmsted,  Robert  Ward 110 

Ostrom,  Louis,  Doctor 138 

Owens,  Alexander 158 

P 

Parker,  John  W._ 153 

Parmenter,  Elwin  Elbert 50 

Payne,  William 111 


Page 

Pettit,  Guv  V 138 

Potter,  John  W 62 

R 

Robinson,  James  Franklin 65 

Robinson,  Thomas  J.,  Captain 67 

Roche,  John  W 168 

Rosenfielil,  Max  Daniel 15 

Rosenfield.  Morris 13 

Rosenfield,  Walter  A 14 

Rudgren,  Martin  Theodore 165 

S 

Schaffer,  Henry  C 80 

Schoonmaker .  Martin 108 

Scott.  John  Kimberland 104 

Searle,  Charles  J 136 

Searle,  Elhanan  John,  Colonel 26 

Sechler,  Daniel  M 113 

Sechler,  Thomas  M 114 

Simpson.  Harry  P 117 

Spencer.  John  W.,  Judge 5 

Stelck.  Henry 126 

Stephens.  George  W 88 

Sturgeon.  Mansfield  M 22 

Sweet.  R.  F.,  Reverend,  D.  D 99 

T 

Tappendorf,  H.  W.  C 143 

Taylor.  W.  E..  M.  D 30 

Thornton.  John  H 169 

Tipton,  David  M.,  Captain 96 

Titterington,  Charles 141 

Titterington.  Fred 142 

Titterington,  James  B 129 

Trenkenschuh.  Peter  F 157 

V 

Velie,  Stephen  Henry 24 

Vinton,  George  W 146 

W 

Wagner,  George 54 

Wagner.  Robert 55 

Walker,  Charles  L..  Colonel -__103 

Walker.  Rufus 56 

Wendell,  James  A 120 

Weyerhaeuser,  Frederick 74 

Wilson,  Edgar  H 107 

Wilson,  (ieorge  T 133 

W^ilson.  John  H 162 


INDEX  TO  ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  BIOGRAPHIES. 


Facing 
Page 

Ainsworth.  Henry  A 18 

Anderson.  O.  Frederick 142 

Arp.  A.  H.  Dr 176 

Bean.  J.  L 140-141 

Blunt.  Stanhope  E.  Col 12 

Boyer.  John  A 46-47 

Bover.  John  A.  Mrs 46-47 

Campbell.  Thomas  Mrs 20-21 

Campbell.  Thomas 20-21 

Casteel,  H.  E 180 

Connellv.  Henrv  C.  Major 34 

Deere.  Charles  H 179 

Deere,  John 92 

Denkmann,  F.  C.  A 69 

Fries.  Peter . 16 

Gould.  J.  M 57 

Que,  Rev 112-113 

Guver.  Samuel  S 158 

Greenawalt,  P 108 

Hawes.  Chas.  W.  Major 90 

Hawes,  Frank  B 140-141 

Huber,  Ignatz 42 

Hurst.  Elmore  W 38 

Jaekson,  William 32 

Johnson.  Walter 122 

Knox,  Charles  B 120-121 

Kittilsen,  Edward  Col 52 

Marshall,  William  H 152 


Facing 
Page 

Mackin,  Thomas  Rev 116-117 

Meese,  William  A 182 

Medill,  Thomas  J 10 

Montgomery.  Roberts 78 

Montgomery,  Alexander  E 30 

Mitchell,  Philemon  L 7 

McCabe,  L.  S 50 

McConochie,  William 58 

McHugh.  Chas 130 

McEnirv,  William 150 

Potter.  J.  W 62 

Robinson.  J.  F.  Mrs.,  Residence 64-65 

Robinson,  J.  F 64-65 

Robinson,  T.  J 67 

Rosenfield,  Morris 14-15 

Rosenfield,  W.  A 14-15 

Searle,  C.  J 136 

Searle.  Elhanan  John  Col..-. 26 

Sechler.  D.  M 112-113 

Schaffer,  Henrv  C 80 

Simpson,  H.  P". 116-117 

Sweet.  Richard  F.,  Dr 98 

Sturgeon,  M.  M 22 

Titterington,  James  B 128 

Velie.  S.H 24 

Wagner,  George 54 

Wendell,  J.  A_ 120-121 

Weyerhaueser,  Frederick 74 


HISTORIC 
ROCK  ISLAND  COUNTY 


History  of  the  Settlement  of  Rock  Island  County  From  the 
Earliest  Known  Period  to  the  Present  Time 


ILLUSTRATED 


Embracing  References  of  Importance,  and  Including  a  Biography  of 
Rock  Island  County's  Well-Known  Citizens 


ROCK  ISUND,  ILLINOIS 
KRAMER  &  COMPANY,  PUBLISHERS  AND  ENGRAVERS 

igo8 


J^/l  -^^^  J^'^^p^ 


977.  :=^ 

M  6Z92 


T'"^ 


FOREWORD 


TWVj  work  iiiulf'rtiikcn  by  the  publishers  of  Historic  Rock  Island  County  is  mani- 
festly a  work  in  the  interest  of  posterity  and  the  historian  of  the  future.  Much 
that  has  perinan(>nt  value  in  history-making  for  this  section  of  the  Mississippi 
\'alley  is  here  presented  in  concise  form  and  is  written  within  the  memory  of  people 
who  largely  contributed  to  its  social,  political  and  industrial  development.  It 
needs  no  prophetic  vision  to  forecast  the  future  of  this  community  as  one  of 
greater  prosperity,  greater  achievement  and  greater  potentiality,  anil  the  mighty 
river  flowing  past  our  door — destined,  it  is  believed,  to  bear  upon  its  bosom  the  commerce  of  the 
inland  seas — is  vocal  with  the  message  it  carries  to  the  southland  on  its  way  to  join  the  waters 
of  the  Ciulf.  Amid  scenes  of  quiet,  beauty  in  prairie  groves,  on  the  undulating  slopes  of  wooded 
hillsides,  and  within  the  shadow  of  Inisy  and  growing  cities,  "the  rude  forefathers  of  the 
hamlet  sleep,"  but  their  work  lives  after  them,  ami  their  years  of  toil  and  hardship,  not  un- 
mixed with  the  dangers  of  frontier  life,  are  glorified  in  the  annals  of  Historic  Rock  Island 
County.  Carlyle  tells  us  that  the  study  of  biography  is  the  most  universally  pleasant  and 
profitable  of  all  studies.  The  present  volume,  therefore,  is  rich  in  biographical  information 
brought  down  to  date,  and  the  publishers  confidently  believe  that  the  history  of  men  and 
women,  no  less  than  the  record  of  successful  business  enterprises  makes  for  value  and  perpetuity 
in  a  work  of  this  kind.  In  this  connection,  also,  they  wish  to  express  their  gratitude  to  all 
who  have  in  any  way  aided  in  its  preparation.  Historic  Rock  Island  County,  as  its  name 
implies,  is  an  integral  part  of  the  story  of  a  great  state;  and  if,  when  the  larger  history  of 
Illinois  shall  be  written,  the  historian  finds  within  these  pages  aught  that  adds  lustre  to  the 
glory  of  the  commonwealth,  then  indeed  will  the  realization  of  the  hope  that  prompted  their 
publication  be  complete. 


THE  PUBLISHERS. 


THE  SACS  AND  FOXES 


Our  County  in   the   Revolution,   the  War    of   1812    and   the   Black   Hawk   War 
Early  Settlers  and  Other  Historic  Events 


WILLIAM  A.   MEESE 


THE  first  pt'oplc  wild  iiili;il)itcil  the 
coiititrv,  iinw  Hock  Island  ('(lunt/. 
were  redmcii.  What  tril^es  first  occupied 
this  ground  is  not  known,  hut  in  tlie  first  part 
of  the  seventeenth  ccntiirv,  it  was  the  huntina; 
grounds  of  the  once  powerful  tribes  known  as 
the  Ilb'ni,  or  Illinois,  who  were  a  confederation 
of  several  tribes,  the  Taniaroas,  Michigamies, 
Kaskaskias,  Cahokias,  and  Peorias,  and  with 
whom  were  also  classed  the  Mascoutins, 
sometimes  called  the  Sixth  Tribe.  These 
tribes  all  were  of  the  great  Algonquin  nation. 
Marquette  in  his  journal  speaks  of  meeting 
the  mini  in  107.3,  when  he  stopped  at  the  Des 
Moines  River,  and  afterwards  when,  on  his 
return,  he  came  by  way  of  the  Illinois  River 
from  its  mouth  to  Lake  Michigan.  The  scene 
of  the  Illinois'  main  residence  was,  however, 
in  the  central  and  southern  parts  of  the  state. 

THf:  SAC  AND  FOX  IXDIAXS. 

About  1722  northwestern  Illinois  became 
the  home  and  the  hunting  ground  of  the  Sacs 
and  Foxes,  The  word  "Ou-Sakis"  or  ''Sau- 
Kee,"  now  written  Sac  and  Sauk,  is  derived 
from  the  compound  word  "  A-Sau-we-Kee " 
signifying  yellow  earth,  and  "  Mus-qua-Kcc," 
the  original  name  of  the  Foxes,  means  red 
earth.  The  early  French  named  this  tribe, 
Renards  and  the  Americans  called  them 
Foxes.  These  tribes  originally  lived  on  the 
St.  Lawrence  River  near  Quebec  and  Montreal. 
The  Foxes  were  the  first  to  migrate  west. 
They  settled  along  the  river  that  bears  their 


name  and  which  empties  into  Green  Bay. 
The  Sacs  after  a  long  ;ind  bloody  war  with 
the  Iroquois  were  driven  from  the  St.  Law- 
rence River  westward.  They  wore  next 
engagctl  in  war  with  the  Wyandottes,  and 
again  were  they  compelled  to  hurry  towards 
the  setting  sun,  until  at  length  they  reached 
Green  Bay  on  Lake  Michigan,  near  where 
the  Foxes  had  made  their  habitation.  Hero 
it  seems  both  tribes  were  frequently  attacked 
by  other  tribes  of  Indians,  until  at  last  they 
united,  forming  an  offensive  and  defensive 
union,  each  however,  retaining  its  tribal 
name.  Through  intermarriage  and  long 
residence  they  became  substantially  one 
people,  an  alliance  lasting  to  this  day.  Both 
the  Sacs  and  Foxes  belong  to  the  Algonquin 
family. 

At  what  time  these  two  tribes  came  to 
Green  Bay  is  not  known.  Marquette's  map 
of  1673  locates  the  Foxes  on  the  Fox  River 
between  the  present  Green  Bay  and  Lake 
Winnebago.  Father  Claude  Allouez,  when 
he  established  the  mission  of  St.  Francis 
Xavier  in  1669,  found  them  located  near,  and 
in  1(172  he  commenced  preaching  the  gospel 
to  them.  Early  in  the  eighteenth  centui'y 
they  were  driven  from  Green  Bay  and  the  F(  x 
River  by  the  Menominees,  who  were  aided  by 
the  Ottawas,  Chippewas  and  the  French. 

The  Sacs  and  P\)xes  made  depredations  on 
the  French  traders  and  exacted  trib^ite  from 
them,  whereon  the  French  commandant  of 
the  post  at  Green  Bay  took  a  party  of  his  men 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


in  covered  boats,  and  while  distracting  the 
attention  of  the  Indians,  opened  fire  on  them 
from  the  water,  at  the  same  time  that  his 
Menominee  allies  attacked  their  vilhige  from 
the  banks  in  the  rear.  Those  who  survived 
the  slaughter  removed  to  the  Mississippi 
River.  On  arriving  there  they  found  that 
country  inhabited  by  the  Sauteaux,  a  branch 
of  the  Chippewa  tribe.  Upon  these  they 
commenced  war,  finally  driving  them  out  of 
the  country,  which  they  then  took  possession 
of  and  occupied.     This  was  about  1722. 

These  tribes  next  waged  war  upon  the 
Mascoutins  and  in  a  battle  opposite  the  moutli 
of  the  Iowa  River  defeated  and  almost  exter- 
minated this  tribe.  They  then  formed  an 
alliance  with  the  Pottawattomies,  Menom- 
inees  and  Winnebagoes,  and  together  attacked 
the  Illinois  and  gradually  drove  these  people 
further  southward. 

The  Sacs  and  Fo.xes  have  warred  with  the 
Sioux,  the  Pawnees,  Osages  and  other  Indians, 
and  their  record  shows  that  they  ranked 
among  the  fiercest  and  most  warlike  tribes. 
Drake  said  of  them:  "The  Sacs  and  Foxes 
are  a  truly  courageous  i)eople,  shrewd,  politic 
and  enterprising,  with  not  more  of  ferocity 
and  treachery  of  character  than  is  common 
among  the  tribes  by  whom  they  were  sur- 
rounded." 

S.\C  .\\D  FOX  TnE.\TlES. 

Tlie  first  recognition  b}-  our  government  of 
the  Sacs  and  Foxes  was  in  the  treaty  made 
at  Ft.  Harmar,  January  9,  17S9,  which  guar- 
anteed: "The  individuals  of  said  nations 
shall  be  at  liberty  to  hvmt  within  the  territory 
ceded  to  the  United  States,  without  hindrance 
or  molestation,  so  long  as  they  demean  them- 
selves peaceably  and  offer  no  injury  or  aimoy- 
ance  to  any  of  the  sulijects  or  citizens  of  tlie 
said  United  States." 

In  1804  William  Henry  Harrison,  governor 
of  Indiana  Territory,  and  afterwards  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  was  instructed  by 
President   Jefferson  to  institute  negotiations 


with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  to  purchase  their 
lands.  At  this  time,  Black  Hawk  had  risen 
to  the  position  of  war  chief  of  the  Sac  tribe. 
Four  chiefs  or  headmen  of  the  Sacs  and  two 
chiefs  of  the  Foxes  went  to  St.  Louis,  and 
November  3,  1804,  made  a  treaty  with  Govern- 
or Harrison.  By  this  treaty  the  Indians 
ceded  all  their  lands,  comprising  the  eastern 
third  of  the  present  State  of  Missouri  and  the 
territory  lying  between  the  Wisconsin  River 
on  the  north,  the  Fox  River  of  Illinois  on  the 
east,  the  Illinois  on  the  southeast,  and  the 
Mississippi  on  the  west,  in  all  fifty  million 
acres.  For  this  grant  the  United  States 
guaranteed  to  the  Indians  "friendship  and 
]irotection,"  paid  them  $2, 234. .50  in  goods, 
and  guaranteed  them  goods  each  year  there- 
after to  the  amount  of  .$1,000,  1600  of  which 
was  to  be  paid  to  the  Sacs  and  $400  to  the 
Foxes.  By  this  treaty  it  was  iiro\idcd  in 
Article  7: 

"As  long  as  the  lands  which  are  now  ceded 
to  the  United  States  remain  their  property, 
the  Indians  belonging  to  the  said  tribes  shall 
enjoy  the  privilege  of  living  and  hunting  upon 
them."  This  article  in  the  treaty  caused 
much  trouble  between  the  government  and 
the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  and  was  the  main  cause 
of  the  Black  Hawk  War.  lilack  Hawk  was 
not  present  at  its  making,  and  always  denied 
the  right  of  the  headmen  of  the  Sac  tribe  to 
sign  such  a  treaty  for  his  people. 

In  the  spring  of  1804  a  white  person  (a  man 
or  boy)  was  killed  in  Cuivre  settlement  by  a 
Sauk  (Sac)  Indian.  A  party  of  United  States 
troops  was  sent  from  St.  I,ouis  to  the  Rock 
River  village  to  demand  the  murderer.  The 
Sacs  surrendered  and  delivered  him  to  the 
soldiers  and  he  was  conveyed  to  St.  Louis  and 
turned  over  to  the  civil  authorities.  During 
the  latter  part  of  October,  1804,  Quash- 
quame,  one  of  the  Sac  chiefs,  together  with 
others  of  his  tribe  and  some  of  the  Foxes,  went 
to  St.  Louis  to  try  and  secure  the  release  of 
the  Sac  murderer  who  was  a  relative  of 
Quash-quame.     It  is  an  Indian  custom  and 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


9 


usage  that  if  one  Indian  kills  another,  the 
matter  is  generally  compromised  with  the 
murdered  man's  relatives  for  a  property  con- 
sideration, as  Black  Hawk  said:  "The  only 
means  with  us  for  saving  a  person  who  killed 
another  was  by  paying  for  the  person  killed, 
thus  covering  the  blood  and  satisfying  the 
relatives  of  the  murdered  man,"  and  the  Sacs 
believed  that  by  the  giving  of  ponies  and 
peltries  to  the  whites  they  could  secure  the 
Indian's  release. 

Thomas  Forsyth,  for  many  years  an  Indian 
trader,  and  from  1816  until  1S30  the  agent  of 
the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  in  a  manuscript  written 
in  1832  says  of  this  matter:  "Quash-quamc, 
a  Sauk  chief,  who  was  the  headman  of  this 
party,  has  repeatedly  said,  'Mr.  Pierre  Cho- 
teau.  Sen.,  came  several  times  to  my  canij), 
offering  that  if  I  would  sell  the  lands  (ui  the 
east  side  of  the  Mississippi  River,  Governor 
Harrison  would  liberate  my  relation  (meaning 
the  Sauk  Indian  then  in  prison  as  aliove 
related),  to  which  I  at  last  agreed,  and  sold 
the  lands  from  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois  River 
up  the  Mississippi  River  as  high  as  the  mouth 
of  Rocky  River  (now  Rock  River),  and  east  to 
the  ridge  that  divides  the  waters  of  the  Miss- 
issippi and  Illinois  Rivers,  and  I  never  sold 
any  more  lands.'  Quash-quame  also  said  to 
Governor  Edwards,  Governor  Clark  and  Mr. 
Auguste  Chouteau,  commissioners  appointed 
to  treat  with  the  Chippewas,  Ottawas  and 
Pottawattomies  of  Illinois  River,  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1816,  for  lands  on  the  west  side  of 
Illinois  River,  '  You  white  men  may  put  on 
paper  what  you  please,  but  again  I  tell  you, 
I  never  sold  my  lands  higher  up  the  Mississip])i 
than  the  mouth  of  Rock  River.' " 

It  is  claimed  that  the  Indians  were  drunk 
most  of  the  time  they  were  in  St.  Louis,  a 
thing  not  unlikely.  Forsyth  said  the  Indians 
always  believed  the  annuities  they  received, 
were  presents,  and  when  he  in  1818  informed 
them  it  was  a  part  of  the  purchase  price  of 
their  lands,  "they  were  astonished,  and 
refused  to  accept  of  the  goods,  denying  that 


they  ever  sold  the  lands  as  stated  by  me,  their 
agent.  The  Black  Hawk  in  particular,  who 
was  present  at  the  time,  made  a  great  noise 
about  this  land,  and  would  never  receive  any 
part  of  the  annuities  from  that  time  forward." 

When  it  became  known  that  certain  chiefs 
and  headmen  had  without  authority  sold 
their  lands,  Quash-quame  and  his  companions 
were  degraded  from  their  ranks,  Tiama,  the 
son-in-law  of  Quash-qvuime,  being  elected  to 
his  father-in-law's  place. 

In  1815  a  part  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  had 
migrated  to  the  Missouri  River,  and  Septem- 
ber 13,  1815,  these  Indians  sent  representa- 
tives to  the  Portage  des  Sioux,  where  each 
tribe  made  a  separate  treaty  with  the  govern- 
ment, agreeing  to  ratify  the  treaty  of  Novem- 
ber 3,  1804,  and  to  remain  separate  from,  .and 
render  no  assistance  to,  the  Sacs  and  Foxes 
then  living  on  Rock  River. 

On  the  13th  day  of  May,  181G,  another 
treaty  was  entered  into  at  St.  Louis.  This 
treaty  was  between  the  "Sacs  of  Rock  River" 
and  the  government.  It  reaffirmed  the 
treaty  of  1804  and  all  other  contracts  hereto- 
fore made  between  the  parties.  To  this  treaty 
is  attached  the  mark  of  Ma-Ka-tai-me-She- 
Kia-Kiak,  or  "Black  Sparrow  Hawk,"  as 
Black  Hawk  was  also  called.  Yet  Black 
Hawk  said  in  1832:  "Here,  for  the  first 
time,  I  touched  the  goose  quill  to  the  treaty  not 
knowing,  however,  that  by  the  act  I  consented  to 
give  away  my  village.  Had  they  explained  to 
me  I  should  have  opposed  it  and  never  would 
have  suined  their  treaty  as  my  recent  conduct 
will  clearly  prove." 

In  the  treaty  of  1804  the  government  had 
agreed,  in  order  to  put  a  stop  to  the  abuses 
and  impositions  practiced  upon  the  Indians 
by  private  traders,  to  establish  a  trading 
house  or  factory  where  these  Indians  could  be 
supplied  with  goods  cheaper  and  better  than 
from  private  traders.  This  the  government 
concluded  it  was  best  not  to  continue,  and  a 
new  treaty  was  made  by  which  the  United 
States  paid  the  Indians  $1,000  to  be  relieved 


10 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


from  this  obligation.  l?l:ick  Hnwk  sijiiiod 
this  treaty.  Another  treaty  was  made  .Aug- 
ust 4,  1824,  which  reaiFirmed  and  recognized 
all  former  treaties.  Each  treaty  left  the  Sacs 
and  Fo.xes  with  less  lainl  .-intl  I'ewer  rights. 

For  years  there  had  existed  a  bitter  feeling 
between  the  Sioux  and  the  Sacs  and  Foxes, 
and  .\iigust  19,  1S2."),  Willi;im  t'lark  and  Lewis 
Case  on  behalf  of  the  government  assembled 
these  tribes,  together  with  the  Chi]3pewns, 
Meiiominees,  Winnebagoes,  lowas,  Ottawas 
and  Pottawattomies  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  and 
entered  into  a  treaty  whose  object  was  to 
end  the  wars  t)ctween  these  nations.  In  this 
treaty  it  was  agreed  that  the  I'nited  States 
should  run  a  boundary  line  between  the  Sioux 
and  the  Sacs  and  Foxes.  It  seems  that  this 
treaty  proved  \msatisfactory  to  the  Indians, 
for  .July  30,  1830,  another  treaty  was  entered 
into  at  Prairie  du  Chien  in  which  the  Sacs  and 
Foxes  ceded  to  the  United  States  a  tract  of 
land  twenty  miles  in  width  lying  south  of  the 
line  established  by  the  treaty  of  August  li), 
1825.  The  Sioux  also  ceded  a  strip  twenty 
miles  wide  along  the  north  line  of  said  bound- 
ary. This  forty  mile  strip  was  neuti'al  terri- 
tory, open  to  all  for  himting  and  fishing,  and 
was  along  the  Iowa  River. 


their  parents.  The  husband  could  at  any 
time  di\'orce  his  wife  or  add  another  if  lie 
deemed  best,  and  although  the  marriage  ties 
were  not  strong,  the  ties  of  consanguinity 
were  I'isidl)-  preserved.  Hereditary  rights 
were  tracetl  through  the  female  line.  This 
was  accomiilished  by  means  of  the  Totem,  an' 
institution  or  emblem  which  ser\-ed  as  a 
distinction  for  the  different  clans  or  families. 
The  family  surname  was  represented  by  some 
l)ird  or  animal,  such  as  Eagle,  Hawk,  Heron, 
Deer,  Bear,  etc.  Each  Indian  was  proud  of 
his  Totem—  in  fact  it  represented  a  fraternity 
or  secret  society.  As  the  different  members 
of  a  clan  were  connected  by  ties  of  kindred, 
they  were  prohibited  from  intermarriage.  A 
Hear  might  not  marry  a  Bear,  liut  cotdd 
marry  an  Eagle,  Hawk,  or  member  of  any 
other  clan.  This  Totem  system  furnished  the 
means  of  tracing  family  lineage  thrcjugh  all 
their  >'ears  of  wandeiing  and  preserved  their 
hereditary  rights. 

The  Sacs  and  Foxes  had  from  the  early 
part  of  the  eighteenth  century  occupied  the 
banks  of  the  Mississippi  between  the  mouth 
of  the  Missouri  and  the  Wisconsin,  the  Sacs 
occupying  the  eastern  side  of  the  river,  and 
the  Foxes  its  western  banks. 


S.VC  AXD  FOX  CUSTOMS. 

The  Sacs  and  Foxes  had  many  peculiar  cus- 
toms, one  being  that  eacli  male  child  was 
marked  at  bii-th  with  either  white  or  black 
color,  the  Indian  mother  alternating  the  colors 
so  that  the  nation  was  evenly  di\ided  between 
black  and  white.  This  distinction  was  kept 
alive  during  life,  the  object  being  to  create 
ri\'alrv  and  ,-i  spii'il  of  eiunlation  between  the 
members  of  tlu^  tribe.  Tims  black  was  the 
competitor  of  white  in  their  games  and  .social 
customs,  and  earh  side  tried  to  outdo  llie 
other,  and  in  wai-  to  take  more  scalps.  lilack 
Hawk  belongetl  to  the  "Black"  party  and 
Keokuk  to  the  "White"  party. 

Marriage  among  the  Sacs  and  Foxes 
required  only  the  consent  of  the  parties  and 


THE   HOMES  OF  THE  SACS. 

The  Sacs'  house  or  wigwam  was  made  by 
setting  posts  in  the  ground  and  siding  it  with 
bark.  On  top  of  the  posts  small  poles  were 
laid  for  rafters  upon  which  strips  of  bark  were 
laid.  These  wigwams  were  about  eight ei-n 
feet  wide  and  from  twenty  to  sixty  feet  long. 
West  of  the  Rock  River  village  the  Indians 
cultivated  aljout  one  thousand  acres,  raising 
corn,  beans,  sc[uashes  and  melons.  The  Sacs 
and  Foxes  planted  their  corn  in  the  same  hill 
year  after  yeai'.  They  would  ilig  up  the  hill 
each  year  and  plant  the  corn  in  the  middle, 
cultivating  it  with  a  primitive  hoe  and  hoeing 
it  three  or  four  times  during  a  season.  These 
corn  hills  were  quite  large,  many  of  them  be- 
ing still  visible  a  few  years  ago.     The  farming 


HISTORIC    ROC  K    ISLAND    COUNTY 


11 


was  doiip  principally  by  the  women  assisted  by 
the  old  men  and  children.  From  the  years 
1780  to  about  1820,  the  traders  at  Prairie  dii 
Chien  came  to  the  Sac  village  for  all  the  corn 
they  used.  After  the  crops  were  harvested, 
the  Sacs  wo\ild  prepare  to  leave  for  their  win- 
ter hiuit.  Before  going  they  would  dig  a 
round  liolc  in  the  ground  alxiut  eighteen 
inches  in  diameter.  Carefully  removing  the 
sod  and  digging  five  or  six  feet  they  wovdd 
enlarge  it  so  that  it  would  hold  many  bushels. 
These  holes  they  would  line  with  l)ai-k  and 
dry  grass  and  then  fill  up  with  tlicir  grains 
and  vegetables.  When  full  they  would  re- 
place the  sod  and  remove  all  traces  of  earth, 
often  building  a  fire  over  it  so  ihai  im  cuciny 
could  find  the  jilace  and  steal  the  supply  they 
had  laid  u])  for  the  next  spring  and  siiinnicr. 
When  this  was  done  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  would 
go  off  into  Iowa  and  Missouri  where  they 
would  liuiil.  In  the  winter  their  houses  wei'e 
made  bv  sticking  poles  in  the  ground  ami 
bending  tliem  over  so  as  to  form  a  luilf  circle 
about  twelve  feet  in  diameter.  These  were 
covereil  with  r\igs  woven  of  grass  and  with 
hides. 

THE  ROCK  RIVER  VILL.\GE. 

The  chief  Sac  village  was  located  on  the 
north  bank  of  Rock  River  about  two  miles 
from  its  uio\itli.  It  was  built  about  1780, 
west  of  where  the  Rock  Island  and  Peoria 
Railway  crosses  the  river,  and  it  extended 
down  along  the  bank  in  a  straggling  form. 
It  was  one  of  the  largest  Indian  towns  on  the 
continent,  the  oldest  and  longest  inhabited, 
and  had  a  population  often  as  high  as  three 
thousand.  It  was  the  summer  home  of  the 
Sacs.  Here  was  located  the  tril)al  l)nrying 
ground,  a  spot  more  revered  by  an  Indian 
than  anything  else  on  earth.  Here  reposed 
the  bones  of  a  century  of  the  Sai'  warriors, 
their  wives  and  children,  and  here  each  Sac 
came  once  each  year  to  commune  with  his 
friends  and  family  who  had  departed  to  the 
"happy  hunting  grounds,"  On  these  occa- 
sions  all   vegetation   was   removed   from    the 


moimd  and  the  mourner  addressed  words  of 
endearment  to  the  dead,  inquiring  how  they 
fared  in  the  laud  of  spirits,  and  placed  food 
upon  the  graves.  The  Sacs  were  particular 
in  their  demonstrations  of  grief.  They  dark- 
ened their  faces  with  chai'coal,  fasted  and 
abstained  from  the  use  of  vermilion  and 
ornaments  of  dress. 

Black  Hawk  said:  "With  us  it  is  a  custom 
to  visit  the  graves  of  oiu-  friends  and  keep 
them  in  repair  for  many  years.  The  mother 
will  go  aliuie  to  weep  over  the  grave  of  her 
child.  After  he  has  been  successful  in  war, 
the  brave,  with  ple.nsure,  visits  the  grave  of 
his  father,  and  repaints  the  post  that  marks 
where  he  lies.  There  is  no  place  like  that 
wher(>  the  bones  of  oiu-  forefathei's  lie  to  go  to 
when  in  grief.  Here,  prostrate  liy  the  tombs 
of  iiur  forefathers,  will  the  (Ireat  Spirit  take 
pitv  on  us." 

X.\ME  OF  THE   VILL.VdlO. 

The  old  Indian  town  has  by  some  been 
called  "Saukenuk."  How  tins  name  origi- 
nated is  not  known.  The  first  to  use  it  was 
Armstrong  in  his  "Sauks  and  the  Black  Hawk 
War,"  published  in  1SS7.  Catlin  refers  to  it 
in  1837  as  "Saug-e-nug,"  yet  none  of  our 
pioneer  settlers  mention  it  except  as  the  "Sac 
Village,"  or  "Black  Hawk'.s  Village."  Judge 
Spencer  in  his  "  Reminiscenses,"  in  speaking 
of  the  year  1829,  says:  "We  were  here  but  a 
few  days  when  two  Indians  came,  the  first  we 
had  .seen.  One  of  them  connnenced  talking 
in  a  loud  voice  in  the  Iiulian  language  of 
which  we  could  not  understand  a  word.  By 
])ointing  to  the  wigwam,  saying,  'Saukie 
Wigeop,'  then  ])ointing  to  the  ground  saying, 
'Saukie-Aukie,'  and  rep(^ating  this  many 
times  we  understood  he  claimed  the  land  and 
the  wigwam  belonged  to  the-Indians."  Caleb 
Atwater,  who  was  the  commissioner  employed 
bv  the  United  States  to  negotiate  with  the 
Indians  of  the  upper  Mississippi  for  the 
purchase  of  their  mineral  lands  in  1829,  was 
unable  to  learn   the  luune    of  the  Sac  town 


12 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


whether  because  it  liad  iiono  or  because  the 
ludians  did  not  care  to  name  it,  is  not  known. 
Major  Morrill  Marston  who  was  stationed 
at  Ft.  Armstrong  from  August  1819  to  June 
1821,  in  a  letter  dated  November  1820,  in 
speaking  of  the  Sac  village  said  they  call  it 
Sen-i-se-pp  Ke-he-sau-Kee  (Rock  River  penin- 
sula). When  the  Major  spoke  to  one  of  the 
chiefb-  about  removing  his  people  west  of  the 
Mississippi,  the  Indian  replied,  that  his  people 
were  not  willing  to  leave  Ke-bc-sau-Kee  because 
their  chiefs  and  friends  were  buried  there. 

POPUL.\TION    OF   THE    SACS    AND    FOXES. 

In  1S05  Lieutenant  Zebulon  Pike  on  behalf 
of  the  United  States  government  made  an 
expedition  from  St.  I.ouis  to  the  sources  of 
tlie  Mississippi  River.  He  says  that  the  Sacs 
had  three  villages,  one  at  the  head  of  the  Des 
Moines  Rapids,  the  second  on  a  prairie  about 
two  miles  from  the  Mississippi  at  Oquawka. 
and  the  third  on  Rock  River  about  three 
miles  from  its  mouth.  The  Foxes  or  Rey- 
nards also  had  three  villages,  one  on  the 
Illinois  side  above  the  Rock  Island  Rapids, 
one  at  Dubuque  and  one  near  Prairie  du  Chien. 
Pike  estimated  that  the  Sacs  numbered  2,850 
souls,  of  whom  1 ,400  were  children,  750 
women  and  700  warriors.  The  Foxes  num- 
bered 1,750  of  whom  400  were  warriors,  850 
children,  500  women.  In  1825  the  secretary 
of  war  estimated  the  entire  number  of  Sacs 
and  Fo.xes  at  4,600,  an  increase  of  over  one 
thousand  in  twenty  years.  In  1831,  at  the 
commencement  of  Indian  hostilities  preced- 
ing the  Black  Hawk  War,  there  were  twenty 
families  of  whom  twelve  were  Sacs  and  eight 
were  Foxes,  and  their  total  nvmiber  is  esti- 
mated to  ha^■e  been  five  thousand  souls,  this 
number  including  those  living  in  Iowa  and 
Missouri. 

A  REVOLUTIONARY  BATTLE. 

In  the  spring  of  1780  Captain  Hesse,  a 
former  British  soldier,  then  Indian  trader, 
assembled   at   the   portage   of   the   Fox   and 


Wisconsin    Rivers,    a    body    of    Menominees, 
Winnebagoes  and  Sacs  and  Foxes,  in  all  about 
six  hundred  and  fifty  Indians,  and  with  fifty 
white  traders  came  down  the  Wisconsin  River 
in    canoes   and   thence   down   the   Mississippi 
River  to  St,   I.ouis,  and  attacked  that  then 
Spanish  post.     The  British  and  their  Indian 
allies  on  May  26th,  made  their  attack,   but 
were   repulsed    b_v   the    inhabitants    and    the 
small  Spanish  garrison.     They  then   crossed 
the  Mississippi  River  and  attacked  the  Amer- 
ican post  at  Cahokia,     Colonel  John   Mont- 
gomery   was   American   commandant    of   the 
Illinois,  and  he  having  heard  of  the  enemy's 
movements,   was  prepared.     General  George 
Rogers  Clark  had  while  at  the  Falls  of  the 
Ohio  learned  of  the  threatened  British-Indian 
invasion,  and  hurried  to  the  Illinois,  arriving 
on  the  night  of  the  25th,  and  assisted  in  the 
defense.     The     British     and     Indians     were 
repulsed  although  one  American  was  killed. 
General  Clark  now  ordered  Colonel  ilont- 
gomery  to  pursue  the  enemy,  and  Montgomerj' 
at  the  head  of  an  armj'  of  tliree  hundred  and 
fifty  soldiers,  mo.stly  Virginians,  including  a 
company  of  Illinois  French  Militia  and  some 
Spanish,  marched  to  where  Peoria  now  is  and 
destroyed  the  Indian  village  on  the  Illinois. 
He  then  took  up  his  march  across  the  prairies 
to  the  Sac  village  near  the  mouth  of  Rock 
River.     It  was  in  the  first  part  of  June,  early 
accounts  do  not  mention  the  day  of  the  month, 
but  it  was  during  the  season  that  the  Sacs  and 
Foxes  were  alwaj's  at  their  village  cultivating 
their  fields  of  corn.     Black   Hawk   does   not 
mention  this  American  visit,  due  probabh-  to 
the  fact  that  an  Indian  seldom  if  ever  men- 
tions   defeat.     Colonel    Montgomery    himself 
makes  scant  mention  of  his  journej^  save  in  a 
letter  WTitten  in  1783  to  the  Board  of  Com- 
missioners for  the  Settlement  of  Western  Ac- 
counts in  which  he  defends  his  actions  while 
in  the  Illinois.     He  speaks  of  desiring  a  leave 
of  absence  and  says,  "  It  was  then  he  (General 
George  Rogers  Clark)  informed  me  of  his  reso- 
lution;  and  that  the  Public  Interest   would 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    C 0 U  X  T  Y 


13 


not  permit  of  my  request  beins  granted,  that 
I  must  take  command  of  the  expedition  to 
Rock  River."  He  then  says:  "After  giving 
me  instructions,  he  (Clark)  left  Kohos  (Caho- 
kia)  the  4th  of  Jmie  with  a  small  escort  for 
the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  on  his  route  to  Ken- 
tucky. I  immediately  proceeded  to  the 
Business  I  was  order'd  and  march'd  three 
hundred  and  fifty  men  to  the  lake  open  on  the 
Illinois  River,  and  from  thence  to  the  Rock 
River,  Destroying  the  ToNrtis  and  Crops 
proposed.  The  Enimy  not  Dareing  to  fight 
me  as  they  had  so  lately  Been  Disbanded  and 
they  could  not  raise  a  sufficient  force  " 

James  Aird,  an  early  British  trader,  speak- 
ing of  this  matter  in  1805,  said  that  the  Sac 
village  was  burnt,  "by  about  three  hundred 
Americans,  although  the  Indians  had  assem- 
bled 700  warriors  to  give  them  battle."  Aird 
from  1778  on  was  engaged  in  trade  with  the 
Sacs  and  Foxes  made  annual  visits  to  their  vil- 
lage and  for  weeks  maintained  on  Credit  (now 
Suburban)  Island  a  trading  post  or  station. 

The  French  Militia  who  accompanied  Mont- 
gomery undoubtedly  expected  to  capture 
rich  booty  from  the  Indians  and  were  greatly 
disappointed.  In  a  lengthy  declaration  to 
M.  Mottin  de  la  Balme,  pensioner  of  the 
King  of  France  and  French  Colonel,  etc..  the 
inhabitants  of  Cahokia  complain  grieviously 
of  the  Virginians.  They  say  in  speaking 
of  the  Rock  River  Expedition:  "Oh,  Colonel 
Clark,  affecting  always  to  desire  our  public 
welfare  and  tmder  pretext  of  avenging  us, 
soon  formed  with  us  and  conjointly  with 
the  Spaniards  a  party  of  more  than  three 
hundred  men  to  go  and  attack  in  their  own 
village  the  savages  who  had  come  to  our 
homes  to  harass  us,  and  after  substituting 
Colonel  Montgomery  to  command  in  his 
place,  he  soon  left  us. 

"It  is,  then,  well  to  explain  to  you,  sir,  that 
the  Virginians,  who  never  employed  any 
principle  of  economy,  have  been  the  cause  by 
their  lack  of  management  and  bad  conduct,  of 
the  non-success  of  the  expedition  and  that  our 


glorioiis  projects  have  failed  through  their 
fault :  for  the  savages  abandoned  their  nearest 
villages,  where  we  have  been,  and  we  were 
forced  to  stop  and  not  pu.sli  on  fiu'ther,  since 
we  had  almost  no  more  provisions,  powder 
and  balls,  which  the  Virginian.s  had  under- 
taken to  furnish  us." 

Thus  at  the  Sac  village  at  the  mouth  of 
Rock  River  was  fought  a  battle  during  the 
War  of  the  Revolution.  How  long  it  lasted, 
were  there  any  killed  or  wounded,  or  if  British 
soldiers  took  part,  our  early  records  do  not 
state,  but  in  this  farthest  west  of  the  Revo- 
'utionary  engagements,  American  soldiers 
like   tlieir   brothers    in    the   east,   triumphed. 

BLACK    H.\WK    AND    KEOKUK. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  nineteenth 
century  and  up  to  the  Black  Hawk  War,  the 
principal  and  central  figtu-e  of  the  redmen  in 
the  upper  Mississippi  A'alley  was  the  Sac 
chief.  Black  Hawk,  who  was  born  at  the 
Indian  village  on  Rock  River  in  1767.  Black 
Hawk  was  of  middling  size  and  as  Catlin  says, 
"with  a  head  that  would  excite  the  envy  of 
a  phrenologist;  one  of  the  finest  that  heaven 
ever  let  fall  on  the  shoulders  of  an  Indian." 
Another  Sac  chief  who  had  risen  from  the 
ranks  was  Keokuk.  His  advancement  was 
due  to  his  raising  a  war  party  to  defend  his 
nation  from  an  expected  attack  of  the  Amer- 
icans during  the  War  of  1812,  but  which 
attack  never  occurred.  Although  polygamy 
was  practiced  among  the  Sacs  and  Foxes, 
Black  Hawk  had  but  one  wife  while  Keokuk 
had  seven.  Keokuk  w-as  also  born  at  the  Sac 
village  on  Rock  River  in  1783,  and  died  in 
April,  1848,  at  the  Sac  and  Fox  Agencj'  in 
Kansas. 

Early  in  the  nineteenth  century  there  seems 
to  have  arisen  a  difference  between  the  Sacs 
and  Foxes.  Lieutenant  Pike,  writing  in  1805, 
says: 

"But  recently  there  appears  to  be  a  schism 
between  the  two  nations,  the  latter  (Foxes) 
not  approving   of  the   insolence  and   ill   will 


14 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


which  lias  marked  the  ccndiict  of  the  former 
(Sacs)  towards  the  United  States  on  many 
late  occurrences."  This  disagreement  con- 
tinued to  grow,  and  while  some  of  the  Foxes 
lield  with  the  Sacs,  most  of  the  Foxes  were 
inclined  to  be  well  disposed  to  the  Americans, 
as  were  some  of  the  Sacs,  and  these  friendly 
Indians  arrayed  themselves  under  Keokuk's 
standard  while  the  war  party  held  to  Black 
Hawk.  Black  Hawk  and  Keokuk  were  thus 
rival  chiefs.  Keokuk  had  never  done  any- 
thing that  entitled  him  to  leadership.  The 
Indian  standard  of  character  and  honor  made 
it  the  dtity  of  an  Indian  to  be  foremost  in  the 
ranks  of  the  war  party.  Keokuk  had  few 
victories  to  his  credit,  but  he  was  diplomatic. 
In  1828  he  moved  with  his  following  across 
the  Mississippi  and  built  a  village  on  the  Iowa. 
Black  Hawk,  like  Keokuk,  was  not  an 
hereditary  chief,  but  had  risen  to  the  position 
of  chief  of  the  war  party  through  the  native 
vigor  of  his  character  and  his  great  success  in 
war.  Black  Hawk  had  never  stiffered  defeat. 
His  band,  which  w'as  much  the  larger,  com- 
prised the  chivalry  of  the  Sac  and  Fox  nations. 
At  the  beginning  of  the  War  of  1812,  he 
offered  the  services  of  his  nation  to  the  Amer- 
icans, which  from  motives  of  humanity  they 
declined.  Yet  the  British  were  not  loth  to 
accept  them,  for  dii'ectly  after  this  we  find 
that  La  Guthre,  an  agent  of  Great  Britain, 
was  at  the  Rock  River  village  to  enlist  the 
Sacs  and  Foxes  on  the  British  side  and  against 
the  Americans,  and  we  find  them  fighting  us 
in  the  War  of  1812.  From  this  fact  and  from 
this  time,  Black  Hawk's  band  was  known  as 
the  "British  Band."  A  study  of  Black 
Hawk's  life  discloses  that  he  possessed  those 
qualities  which  in  a  white  man  would  raise 
him  to  power  and  position.  Black  Hawk 
was  the  great  Indian  commoner.  Keokuk 
was  noted  as  an  Indian  orator;  Black  Hawk 
as  an  Indian  warrior. 

THE     CAUSE     OF    INDIAN     WAKS. 

Every  so  called  Indian  war  in  this  country 
originated  in  a  desire  on  the  part  of  the  white 


man  to  ]3().ssess  the  home  and  the  hunting 
grounds  of  his  red  brother.  Discovery  by  the 
European  nations  was  considered  a  right  to 
extinguish  the  redman's  title.  England's 
policy  then  as  now  was  to  claim  that  all  title 
to  land  was  vested  in  the  crown,  that  her 
subjects  might  occupy  the  soil,  but  could  not 
alienate  it  except  to  her  own  people.  Eng- 
land treated  the  Indians  as  she  did  her  own 
subjects.  When  the  United  States  at  the 
close  of  the  Revolutionary  War  succeeded  to 
this  country  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Mississ- 
ippi, the  same  principles  regarding  the  title 
to  the  Indian  lands  were  carried  out,  and 
while  in  every  instance  our  government  had 
secured  title  and  extinguished  Indian  rights, 
by  treaty  or  purchase,  we  must  admit  that 
the  consideration  was  the  most  trivial,  and 
too  often  acceptance  on  the  part  of  the  red- 
man  was  influenced  by  the  force  of  arms. 

"Did  the  red  man  foresee  his  impending 
doom,  his  forced  retreat  towards  the  setting 
sun,  the  gradual  breaking  up  of  his  power 
and  the  final  extinction  of  his  race?"  Careful 
study  of  Indian  history  leads  us  to  believe 
that  among  the  Indians,  as  well  as  among  the 
white  men,  there  were  those  who  saw  the 
coming  storm,  "who  saw  the  threatening 
cloud  coming  from  the  east,  small  at  first, 
scarce  a  shadow,  but  gradually  becoming 
more  distinct  and  greater  as  it  traveled  west- 
ward, and,  when  it  reached  the  summit  of 
the  Alleghanies,  it  assumed  a  darker  hue; 
deep  murmurs,  as  of  thunder,  were  heard; 
it  was  impelled  westward  by  strong  winds 
and  shot  forth  forked  tongues  of  lightning." 
On  the  plains  of  Abraham,  when  French  sti- 
premacy  west  of  the  Alleghanies  was  forever 
lost,  and  Pontiac  stood  before  the  British 
officer  who  was  to  proceed  westward  to  secure 
the  fruits  of  victory  and  said,  "I  stand  in  thy 
path,"  he  realized  the  impending  conflict, 
and  his  note  of  warning  to  the  chiefs  of  his 
nation  to  "Drive  the  dogs  who  wear  red 
clothing  into  the  sea  "  was  his  last  appeal  to 
save  his  race.     Fifty  years  later  Tecumseh 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


15 


fell  a  martyr  to  the  Indian  cause,  and  his 
efforts  to  stem  the  westward  march  of  the 
white  man  failed.  For  three  years  after  that 
Tuscaloosa  strove  in  vain  to  save  his  nation, 
and  in  1S32  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  on  Rock 
Island  soil,  under  the  leadership  of  their 
great  chief,  Black  Hawk,  made  the  last 
determined  Indian  defense  of  their  homes  and 
the  resting  place  of  their  forefathers. 

SACS  AND  FOXES  OF  TODAY. 

After  their  removal  to  Iowa,  they  by  trea- 
ties in  1836  and  1S42  ceded  all  their  lands  up 
to  the  Missouri  River,  and  in  June,  188.5, 
these  people  were  distributed  as  follows:  On 
Sac  and  Fox  Resen-ation  in  Iowa  (Tama 
Count}')  about  380;  on  Pottawatomie  and 
Great  Nemaha  Agency  Reservation,  near 
the  northeast  corner  of  Kansas,  the  Sacs  and 
Foxes  of  Missouri  about  187;  on  Sac  and  Fox 
Reservation  in  Indian  Territory,  457,  and 
Mohoko's  band,  wandering  in  the  west,  about 
350— a  total  of  1,374.  Almost  all  but  the 
last  named  band  are  farmers  and  herders. 
The  agent  at  Sac  and  Fox  Agency,  Iowa, 
writing  in  1884,  said:  "For  honesty  and 
truthfulness  our  Indians  stand  above  the 
average  white  man  with  the  merchants  with 
whom  they  deal."  Yet  in  spite  of  all  at- 
temjits  to  civilize  them,  the  Sacs  and  Foxes 
still  li\-e  in  rude  huts  like  their  ancestors, 
cooking  their  food  at  a  fire  made  on  the 
ground,  the  smoke  escaping  from  an  opening 
in  the  roof;  sleeping  on  bunks  of  boards 
arranged  on  the  sides  of  their  huts,  wearing 
blankets,  painting  their  faces,  shaving  and 
decorating  their  heads,  as  did  their  ancestors 
who  lived  at  the  old  Rock  River  village. 
They  lack  thrift,  industry  and  a  spirit  of 
progress.  They  still  offer  prayers  and  hold 
feasts  before  planting  their  crop.s,  and  another 
series  of  prayers  and  thanksgiving  when  their 
crops  are  gathered.  Notwithstanding  the 
efforts  of  Christian  missionaries,  holy  or  con- 
secrated tobacco  is  still  l)vu'ned  on  certain 
occasions  as  incense,  and  as  of  yore  they  still 


have  "Me-sham,"  a  something  that  profane 
eyes  have  never  been  allowed  to  see.  The 
modern  Sacs  and  Foxes,  while  quiet  and 
peaceful,  are  averse  to  work  and  seem  at  their 
best  visiting  the  neighboring  towns,  lounging 
about  smoking,  chatting  and  playing  the 
white  man's  game — cards. 

FIRST    WHITE    EXPLORERS. 

Undoubtedly  the  first  white  men  to  cast 
their  eyes  upon  Rock  Island  soil  were  Louis 
Joliet  and  Father  Jacques  Marquette,  when 
they  and  their  five  French  canoemen,  in  June 
1673,  floated  from  the  mouth  of  the  Wiscon- 
sin River  down  the  broad  Mississippi.  We 
do  not  know  that  they  landed  at  any  spot  in 
the  boundary  of  what  is  now  Rock  Island 
County,  but  as  they  came  over  the  Rock 
Island  rapids,  gliding  down  the  swift  flow- 
ing water,  they  could  not  fail  to  notice  the 
Island  of  Rock  Island  with  its  rocky  shores 
and  beautiful  groves,  for  their  canoes  must 
needs  take  the  channel  on  the  north  shore  of 
the  island.  All  early  voyagers  remarked 
upon  this  locality,  and  it  was  generallv  con- 
sidered "the  handsomest  and  most  delightful 
spot  of  the  same  size  on  the  whole  globe." 

We  have  no  record  of  the  first  white  man 
who  stepped  on  Rock  Island  soil.  We  know- 
that  as  early  as  1690  Nicholas  Perrot,  French 
commandant  of  the  west,  built  a  post  oppo- 
.site  to  where  Dubuque,  Iowa,  now  is  and  that 
in  1695  Pierre  Le  Sueur  built  a  fort  on  a  large 
island  in  the  Mississippi  River  between  Lake 
Pepin  and  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Croix,  which 
Charlevoix  says  became  "the  centre  of  com- 
merce for  the  western  parts."  Le  Sueur  dis- 
covered lead  mines  on  both  sides  of  the  Miss- 
issippi River  (at  Dubuque  and  Galena),  and 
Penicault,  his  reporter  and  companion,  speaks 
of  the  rapids  at  Rock  Island.  We  know  that 
agents  of  Anthony  Crozat  at  some  time  be- 
tween the  years  1712  and  1717  worked  the 
lead  mines  around  Dubuque  and  Galena;  that 
as  early  as  1792  printed  maps  of  this  country 
show  the  Rock  Island  Rapids,  naming  them 


16 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


"Nine-mile  Rapids,"  and  we  fnrllier  know 
that  from  17S8  to  ISlO.Iuiien  ])u  Biique  with 
a  force  of  Spanish,  French  and  Indian  miners 
operated  tlie  lead  mines  near  where  l)nbiique. 
Iowa,  now  is,  and  floated  his  lead  down  the 
Mississippi  to  St.  Louis  and  New  Orleans,  and 
it  is  not  impossible  that  some  of  these  people 
may  have  explored  this  co\inty  and  even  lived 
here;  but  the  first  record  we  have  of  a  white 
man  stopping  at  this  locality  is  when  Lieu- 
tenant Pike  in  1805  made  his  trip  u]i  the  Miss- 
issippi. 

FIRST  FLAG  IN  THE  UPrER   MISSISSIPPI   VALLEY. 

On  August  9,  1805,  Lieutenant  Zebulon 
M.  Pike,  an  officer  in  the  fnited  States  Army, 
in  command  of  twenty  soldiers,  left  St.  Louis 
under  instructions  from  the  government  to 
trace  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi  River. 
ascertain  the  condition  of  the  Indians,  create 
a  better  feeling  between  them  and  the  Amer- 
icans and  to  select  certain  sites  upon  which 
to'  erect  forts.  The  party  made  the  voyage 
in  a  keel  boat  seventy  feet  long,  and  on  August 
27,  1S05,  the  party  arrived  at  the  mouth  of 
Rock  River. 

Black  Hawk  in  his  autobiography  says: 
"Some  time  afterwards  a  boat  came  up  the 
river  with  a  young  American  chief,  at  that 
time  lieutenant,  and  afterwards  General  Pike, 
and  a  small  party  of  soldiers  aboard.  The 
boat  at  length  arrived  at  Rock  River  and  the 
young  chief  came  on  shoi  e  with  his  interpreter. 
He  made  us  a  speech  and  gave  us  some  pres- 
ents, in  return  for  which  we  gave  him  meat 
and  such  other  provisions  as  we  could  spare. 

"We  were  well  pleased  with  the  speech  of 
the  yoimg  chief.  He  gave  us  good  advice 
and  said  our  American  father  would  treat  us 
well.  He  presented  us  an  American  flag 
which  we  hoisted.  He  then  requested  us  to 
lower  the  British  colors,  which  were  waving 
in  the  air,  and  to  give  him  our  British  medals, 
promising  to  send  us  others  on  his  return  to 
St.  Louis.  This  we  declined  to  do,  as  we 
wished  to  have  two  fathers," 


The  event  related  by  Black  Hawk,  and 
occm-ring  at  the  old  Sac  village  on  Rock  River, 
in  August,  1S05,  was  the  first  raising  and 
unfurling  of  the  United  States  flag  in  the 
valley  of  the  upper  Mississippi  River.  All 
the  country  west  of  the  Mississippi  had  until 
October,  1803,  belonged  to  Spain,  and  Lieu- 
tenant Pike  was  the  first  American  represen- 
tative to  navigate  the  Mississippi  north  of 
St.  Louis. 

THE    W^AR    OF    1812. 

The  Louisiana  Purchase  in  1803  gave  the 
United  States  control  of  both  banks  of  the 
upper  Mississippi  River.  Previous  to  this 
time,  but  little  was  known  of  our  upper  river 
by  the  Americans,  and  not  imtil  Lieutenant 
Zebulon  M.  Pike  under  orders  from  our  gov- 
ernment in  1805  came  up  the  river  from  St. 
Louis,  to  discover  its  source,  and  to  select 
locations  for  future  United  States  posts,  did 
our  government  have  any  definite  knowledge 
concerning  this  country. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1814  the  war 
with  England  was  still  in  progress  and  though 
the  warfare  was  carried  on  mostly  on  the 
lakes,  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  and  among  the 
eastern  states,  the  west,  and  especially  the 
upper  Mississippi  River,  were  the  scenes 
of  important  events,  which  owing  to  their 
distance  from  civilization,  the  lack  of  means 
and  the  length  of  time  to  transport  news, 
were  overlooked,  and  have  failed  to  receive 
that  recognition  in  American  history  that 
events  of  less  importance,  but  happening  in 
the  east  were  accorded. 

St.  Louis,  the  American  headquarters  for 
the  upper  Mississippi  River,  Cap  au  Oris,  a 
small  French  hamlet  a  few  miles  north  of  the 
mouth  of  the  Illinois  River,  the  deserted  old 
post  at  Ft.  Madison,  the  mines  at  Dubuque 
and  the  small  French  settlement  and  British 
post  at  Prairie  du  Chien  were  the  only  settle- 
ments on  the  upper  river. 

Colonel  Robert  Dickson,  a  British  trader 
during  the  years  1811-1813  had  been  active 
in  inciting  the  Indians  of  the  northwest,  his 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


17 


object  being  to  secure  their  aid  in  an  attack 
on  the  American  settlements  at  St.  Tvonis, 
Kaskaslcia  and  Peoria. 

On  March  27th,  1813,  Ninian  Edwards, 
territorial  governor  of  Illinois,  wrote  the  secre- 
tary of  war:  "If  the  British  erect  a  fort  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Wisconsin,  and  should  be 
able  to  retain  it  two  years,  this  and  Missouri 
territory  will  be  totally  deserted,  in  other 
words,  conquered." 

In  the  beginning  of  the  year  1814  our  gov- 
ernment decided  to  build  a  fort  on  the  upper 
river  at  Prairie  du  Chien  (the  mouth  of  the 
Wisconsin  River),  where  the  British  had  the 
preceding  year  fortified  the  house  of  the  Mac- 
inac  Fur  Company  and  stationed  a  company 
of  Michigan  fencibles  (militia). 

THE   FIRST   EXPEDITION. 

On  May  1,  1814,  William  Clark,  governor 
of  Missouri  Territory,  with  a  detachment 
consisting  of  sixty  United  States  regulars  of 
the  Seventh  Infantry,  and  one  hundred  and 
forty  Illinois  and  Missouri  rangers  or  volun- 
teers, left  Cap  au  Gris  in  five  fortified  keel 
boats  for  the  mouth  of  the  Wisconsin  River 
there  to  erect  a  United  States  fort.  At  the 
mouth  of  the  Rock  River  they  had  a  slight 
skirmish  with  a  party  of  Sauk  (Sac)  braves. 

About  the  middle  of  April.  Colonel  Dickin- 
son left  Prairie  du  Chien,  taking  with  him 
most  of  the  British  forces,  together  with  about 
three  hundred  Indian  allies.  Captain  Deace 
was  left  in  charge  of  the  post.  His  command 
consisted  of  a  company  of  Michigan  fencibles;) 
and  a  body  of  Sioux  and  Fox  Indians.  When 
it  was  learned  that  an  American  force  was 
nearing  the  Prairie,  the  Indians  refused  to 
fight  the  Americans,  and  Captain  Deace  and 
his  British  soldiers  fled. 

Lieutenant  Joseph  Perkins,  who  was  in 
command  of  the  United  States  regulars,  on 
his  arrival  at  the  Prairie,  took  possession  of 
the  place  and  immediately  began  the  erection 
of  a  fort,  which  he  named  Fort  Shelby  in  hon- 
or of  Governor  Shelby  of  Kentucky.     As  soon 


as  the  fort  was  completed  Captain  John  Sulli- 
van's company  of  fifty  rangers,  thirty-two 
rangers  from  Captain  Yeizer's  company,  to- 
gether with  Governor  Clark,  left  Fort  Shelby 
and  returned  to  St.  Louis,  arriving  there  the 
last  of  June. 

On  the  17th  of  July  Fort  Shelby  at  Prairie 
du  Chien  was  attacked  by  Colonel  William 
McKay  in  command  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
British  soldiers  and  four  hundred  Sioux, 
Winnebago,  Menominee  and  Chippewa  Indi- 
ans, and  on  the  evening  of  July  19th,  the 
same  day  Campbell's  expedition  was  defeated, 
Lieutenant  Perkins  surrendered  Fort  Shelby. 
The  British  renamed  the  fort,  calling  it  Fort 
McKay. 

M.\JOR   CAMPBELL'S    EXPEDITION. 

When  General  Howard,  commandant  of 
the  American  forces  in  the  west,  learned  of 
the  return  of  the  troops  from  Prairie  du  Chien, 
he  immediately  organized  another  expedition 
to  be  sent  uj)  the  river  to  reinforce   Fort  Shel- 

by. 

On  July  4,  1S14,  the  second  expedition 
left  Cap  au  Gris.  It  consisted  of  three  forti- 
fied barges,  or  keel  boats,  each  with  a  cabin 
and  all  having  sails.  There  were  thirty-three 
regular  soldiers  and  sixty-five  rangers  (mili- 
tia), some  of  the  latter  being  Frenchmen  from 
Cahokia.  The  expedition  including  the  sut- 
lers' establishment,  boatmen,  and  women  and 
children,  making  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
three  persons.  This  expedition  was  com- 
manded by  Lieutenant  (acting  Brigade  Ma- 
jor) John  Campbell  of  the  First  Regulars 
(infantry),  who  with  the  regulars,  contractors, 
sutlers,  women  and  children,  occupied  one 
boat.  The  two  other  boats  being  occupied 
by  the  rangers  and  were  commanded  by 
Lieutenant  Stephen  Rector  and  Lieutenant 
Jonathan  Riggs.  The  n\unber  of  regulars  in 
this  expedition  has  been  repeatedly  given  as 
forty-two;  Major  Campbell,  however,  reports 
that  he  had  but  thirty-three. 

On  the  thirteenth  of  the  month,  about 
eighty  miles  below  the  mouth  of  Rock  River, 


IS 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


they  met  a  party  of  Indians  from  Prairie  du 
Chien.  with  a  packet  directed  to  Governor 
Clark.  These  Indians  informed  Campbell 
that  everything  was  quiet,  and  that  the  gar- 
rison at  .the  Prairie  (Prairie  du  Chien)  had 
been  completed.  The  same  day  T.ieu tenant 
Rector,  of  the  rangers  found  a  canoe  which 
had  a  considerable  quantity  of  Indian  pro]i- 
erty  in  it.  and  which  had  just  been  abandoned. 
On  the  18th  of  July,  about  twenty  miles 
below  the  mouth  of  Rock  River,  the  ex- 
pedition was  met  by  a  party  of  nine  Indians 
in  canoes,  bearing  a  white  flag,  who  informed 
Major  Campbell  that  they  had  heard  of  the 
American's  approach  and  had  come  to  conduct 
them  to  their  o^nti  town,  and  to  inform  them 
that  the  Sacs  and  P'oxes  were  friend!}^  dis- 
posed. The  Indians  left  the  keel  boats  a 
few  miles  below  the  mouth  of  Rock  River, 
at  the  mouth  of  which  the  boats  were  met  by 
five  other  Indians  in  canoes,  who  informed 
the  commander  that  the  Indians  at  the  vil- 
lage on  Rock  River,  about  a  mile  above  its 
mouth,  wished  to  hold  a  council  with  him. 
The  keel  boats  proceeded  up  the  river  and 
landed  on  the  Illinois  shore  opj)osite  the  lower 
end  of  the  Island  of  Rock  Lsland.  In  a  short 
time,  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  warriors, 
besides  women  and  children  of  the  Sac  and 
Fox  nation  appeared.  Black  Hawk  was  at 
the  head  of  the  party.  He  approached  Ma- 
jor Campbell  and  asked  if  he  had  brought 
any  presents  for  him  from  his  fnther.  Major 
Campbell  told  Black  Hawk  he  had,  provided 
he  fulfilled  the  pr:;mises  he  had  made  his 
father  in  the  spring,  which  was  to  go  to  war 
with  the  Peaus  OVinnebagoes.)  Black  Hawk 
replied  that  he  had  made  his  father  no  such 
promises,  and  that  his  "father  was  drunk 
when  he  said  so,"  but  that  he  was  ready  to  go 
to  war  with  the  Peaus  if  the  government 
would  furnish  him  with  the  means.  He  fur- 
ther said:  "The  Mississippi  is  a  broad  and 
straight  road  and  the  people  of  the  United 
States  shall  meet  with  no  ot)structions  in 
traveling." 


During  the  evening  the  Indians  were  very 
friendly,  recognizing  many  old  friends  among 
the   Frenchmen   from   Cahokia. 

THE    B.\TTLE    OF    C.\MPBELL'S   ISLAND. 

On  the  morning  of  July  19,  before  break- 
fast, the  boats  all  set  sail  and  started  up  the 
river,  with  a  fine  breeze.  During  the  night 
a  part}^  of  Indians  arrived  at  the  Sac  village 
from  Prairie  du  Chien,  coming  down  Rock 
River,  Black  Hawk  said  they  brought  the  Sacs 
si.Y  kegs  of  powder  and  told  them  that  the 
fort  at  Prairie  du  Chien  had  been  captured 
by  the  British.  These  messengers  also  told 
the  Sacs  that  the  British  wished  them  to  again 
join  them  in  the  war  against  the  Americans, 
which  the  Indians  agreed  to  do. 

Black  Hawk's  memorj'  is  at  fault.  He  does 
not  state  exactly  what  these  Indian  messen- 
gers told  him.  Colonel  McKay,  whose  armj' 
of  British  and  Indians  had  attacked  Prairie 
du  Chien.  in  a  letter  to  his  superior  officer,  un- 
der date  of  July  27,  1S14.  says  that  on  the 
17th  of  July,  about  three  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  after  the  gunboat  "Governor 
Clark ''  had  been  driven  from  its  position  by 
the  British  cannon  and  had  started  down  the 
river,  that  he  immediately  sent  off  a  canoe 
with  three  men:  an  lowan.  who  had  come 
from  Mackinac  with  him,  and  two  of  the  six 
Banks,  who  had  joined  him  on  the  Fox  River. 
that  he  gave  them  four  kegs  of  gun  powder  and 
ordered  them  to  pass  the  "Governor  Clark" 
and  get  as  soon  as  possible  to  the  rapids  at 
the  Rock  River,  where  he  believed  the  gun- 
boat would  run  aground:  that  they  should 
collect  all  the  Sauks  and  annoy  the"  Govern- 
or Clark"  and  prevent  their  landing  to  get 
fire  wood,  etc. 

Early  in  the  morning,  Black  Hawk  col- 
lected his  warriors  .and  determined  to  attack 
the  boats,  which  had  now  started  up  the 
river.  As  Black  Hawk  says:  "I  collected  my 
warriors  and  determined  to  pursue  the  boats. 
I  immediately  started  with  my  party  by  land 
in  pursuit,  thinking  that  some  of  their  boats 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


19 


might  get  aground,  or  that  the  Grc.it  Spirit 
would  put  them  in  ovu"  power,  if  he  wished 
them  taken." 

The  boats  had  just  passed  the  head  of  Rock 
IsLand  when  the  boat  commanded  by  Major 
Campbell  was  grounded  on  the  rocks,  and  he 
was  compelled  to  discharge  and  put  off  part 
of  her  loading  into  the  other  boats  before  he 
could   release  his  boat. 

After  proceeding  about  six  miles  the  wind 
increased  to  a  hurricane.  Campbell's  boat 
being  still  heavily  loaded,  he  says:  "I  was 
afraid  of  her  dashing  to  pieces  on  the  rocks, 
and  ordered  her  to  be  put  shore,  which  in  do- 
ing from  the  severe  gale  of  wind  which  was 
blowing,  and  the  roughness  of  the  water, 
dashed  her  so  hard  on  shore  it  was  impossible 
to  get  her  off  while  the  storm  lasted."  The 
boat  was  driven  on  the  north  shore  of  an 
island  lying  about  six  miles  east  of  Moline 
and  which  since  that  day  has  been  known  as 
Campbell's  Island.  It  lies  near  the  eastern 
shore  in  Rock  Island  Coimty  and  belongs  to 
the  State  of  Illinois. 

Black  Hawk  says:  "About  half  way  up  the 
rapids  I  had  a  full  view  of  the  boats,  all  sailing 
with  a  strong  wind;  I  soon  discovered  one  boat 
badly  managed  and  was  suffered  to  be  driven 
ashore  by  the  wind:  they  landed  by  running 
hard  aground,  and  lowered  their  sail,  the 
others  passed  on." 

The  ground  where  the  boat  landed  was 
covered  with  high  grass,  hazel  and  willow 
bushes  for  a  considerable  distance  up  and 
down  the  shore.  Campbell  immediately  placed 
two  sentinels  about  sixty  yards  from  the  boats 
and  the  men  then  commenced  getting  their 
breakfast. 

They  had  not  been  on  the  island  more  than 
twenty-five  or  thirty  minutes  when  the  Indi- 
ans commenced  their  attack,  both  sentinels 
were  killed  the  first  fire,  and  one  other  man  on 
shore.  Campbell  ordered  the  cable  cut  and 
the  boat  to  be  gotten  ofT,  in  doing  of  which 
two  men  were  killed  and  three  wounded. 
Finding   the   gale    blowed    directly    on    land. 


and  that  it  was  impossible  to  get  her  off,  he 
ordered  his  men  to  defend  the  boat  to  the 
last  extremity. 

The  boats  of  Lieutenants  Rector  and  Riggs 
were  about  three  miles  up  the  river  at  this 
time.  Lieutenant  Riggs'  being  in  advance. 
He  heard  the  report  of  the  firing  and  saw 
the  smoke  rising  from  where  Campbell's  boat 
lay.  He  tacked  his  boat  and  signaled  Rector, 
who  also  tacked  and  both  sailed  for  Campbell's 
boat.  Rector's  boat  being  the  first  to  reach  the 
scene  of  the  battle.  Savages  were  seen  among 
the  trees  and  bushes,  and  a  large  number  of 
Indians  were  seen  coming  in  canoes  from  the 
eastern  shore.  It  was  estimated  that  about 
four  hundred  Indians  surroimded  them.  The 
savages  commenced  giving  their  war-whoop 
and  pouring  in  on  them  a  fire  of  musketry 
and  arrows.  Major  Campiiell's  right  wrist 
was  fractured  by  a  musket  ball  during  the 
first  onslaught,  and  he  was  carried  into  the 
cabin  of  his  boat  and  laid  on  a  bunk,  while 
his  men  gallantly  returneil  the  fire  of  the 
Indians. 

Campbell's  boat  was  so  near  the  bank  that 
the  Indians  were  able  to  fire  in  at  the  port  oar 
holes.  The  storm  had  now  become  so  vio- 
lent that  it  was  fully  an  liour  before  the  other 
boats  were  able  to  come  to  Campbell's  assist- 
ance. 

Riggs'  boat  was  driven  ashore  about  one 
hundred  yards  below  Campbell's  boat,  and 
Rector  to  avoid  a  similar  fate,  had  let  go  an 
anchor,  and  lay  about  twenty  yards  above 
Campbell's  boat.  The  rangers  from  both 
barges  kept  up  a  brisk  fire  on  the   Indians. 

This  unequal  contest  waged  for  several 
hours,  when  the  firing  from  Campbell's  boat 
becoming  less  frequent,  led  Lieutenant  Rec- 
tor to  believe  that  most  of  Campbell's  men 
were  either  killed  or  wounded. 

Riggs'  boat  was  the  best  fortified,  but  his 
crew  had  been  weakened.  When  Campbell's 
boat  was  stranded  on  the  rocks  he  sent  a  ser- 
geant and  ten  men  to  help  him  off,  and  Camp- 
bell did  not  return  the  men. 


20 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


Rector's  boat  had  among  its  crew  many  of 
the  French  from  (^ahokia  who  were  experi- 
enced sailors.  Tlip  wind  was  still  a  raging 
tempest,  and  the  fire  of  the  Indians  was  be- 
coming more  destructive  to  the  boats.  ''At 
this  time."  Black  Hawk  siiys.  "I  prepared  my 
bow  and  arrows  to  throw  fire  to  the  sail,  which 
was  laying  on  the  boat,  and  after  two  or  three 
attempts  succeeded  in  setting  the  sail  on  fire." 
Campbell's  boat  was  soon  in  flames.  lieu- 
tenant Rector  could  not  remain  inactive  and 
witness  the  horrible  death  of  Campbell  and 
his  companions.  In  the  face  of  the  tempest 
and  the  galling  fire  of  the  foe,  he  cut  his  an- 
chors, a  number  of  his  men  got  out  into  the 
water,  keeping  the  boat  between  them  and 
the  Indians,  they  jnished  their  boat  against 
the  fire  of  the  Indians  uj)  to  Campbell's  boat. 
The  wounded  in  Campbell's  boat  were  first 
transferred  to  Rector's  boat,  and  then  those 
who  were  unhurt;  so  loaded  was  Rector's 
boat  that  the  water  was  nmning  in  at  the  oar 
holes  and  almost  all  of  the  provisions  were 
thrown  overboard  to  lighten  the  boat.  The 
Indians  all  the  time  kept  up  a  murderous  fire. 
In  taking  the  men  from  Campbell's  boat  the 
Major  was  shot  through  the  body.  Black 
Hawk  in  his  autobiography  states  at  this 
time:  "We  wounded  the  war  chief." 

Rector's  men  still  in  the  water,  and  keeping 
the  boat  between  them  and  the  Indians, 
hauled  their  boat  out  into  the  stream,  swim- 
ming alongside  of  the  boat  until  the  channel 
was  reached  and  the  boat  had  been  carried 
out  of  gunshot,  when  they  climbed  into  the 
boat.  Rector's  boat  was  crowded,  but  the 
men  took  to  their  oars  and  rowed  night  and 
day  until  they  reached  St.  Louis. 

The  casualties  were:  killed  on  Campbell's 
boat,  ten  regulars,  one  woman  and  one  child; 
on  Rector's  boat,  one  ranger,  and  on  Riggs' 
boat,  three  rangers;  a  total  of  sixteen. 

Wounded  on  Campbell's  boat,  ten  regulars 
and  one  woman;  on  Rector's  boat,  four  rang- 
ers,  and  on   Riggs'  boat   four    rangers;  also 


Major  Campbell  and  Dr.  Stewart,  the  garri- 
son surgeon,  who  was  shot  in  the  breast:  a 
total  of  twenty-one.  making  the  total  casual- 
ties thirtj'-seven.  All  fought  with  the  cour- 
age of  heroes.  Rector  and  his  men  risked 
their  lives  to  save  their  comrades,  and  the 
battle  at  Campbell's  Island  has  no  equal  for 
daring  and  heroism  during  the  War  of  1812 
in  the  west. 

Lieutenant  John  Weaver,  of  the  regulars, 
who  was  second  in  command  on  Campbell's 
boat  acted  bravely;  it  was  largely  by  his 
exertions  that  the  wounded  were  safely 
transferred  to  Rector's  boat. 

Almost  all  of  the  ammunition  for  the  e.xpe- 
dition  and  the  supi^lies  for  Fort  Shelby,  ex- 
cept a  box  of  musket  balls,  was  on  Campbell's 
boat  and  captured  by  Black  Hawk,  nothing 
being  saved.  The  regulars  fought  with 
their  shirts  off.  and  saved  only  their  arms 
and   fatigue   overalls. 

BL.\CK    HAWK    CELEBRATES. 

After  Riggs'  boat  had  gone.  Black  Hawk's 
warriors  began  to  plunder  Campbell's  boat. 
The  first  thing  that  the  chief  did  was  to 
knock  the  head  in  of  .several  barrels  of  whis- 
key, which  he  termed,  "bad  medicine"  and 
emptied  their  contents  on  the  ground.  He 
says,  "I  next  found  a  box  full  of  small  bottles 
and  packages,  which  appeared  to  be  bad 
medicine  also:  such  as  the  medicine  men  kill 
the  white  people  with  when  they  get  sick, 
this  I  threw  into  the  river."  The  re.st  of  the 
plunder,  which  consisted  of  guns,  clothing, 
provisions,  powder,  etc.,  was  loaded  into  their 
canoes  and  taken  to  the  Fox  village  opposite 
the  lower  end  of  Rock  Island,  where  Daven- 
port now  is.  Before  leaving,  the  Indians 
took  the  scalp  from  Campbell's  five  dead  reg- 
ulars, and  as  Black  Hawk  said  when  he  got 
to  the  Fox  village,  "We  commenced  dancing 
over  the  scalps  we  had  taken." 

Black  Hawk's  opinion  of  whiskey  as  a  med- 
icine must  have  changed  over  night,  because 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COU  NIT  Y 


21!^ 


he  does  not  complain  at  the  soldiers  giving 
his  men  whiskey  the  evening  before,  yet  the 
next  day  he  thought  it  "bad  medicine." 

While  Black  Hawk  and  his  Indians  were 
dancing  over  their  scalps,  several  boats  passed 
down  the  river,  among  them  a  large  boat, 
"carrying  big  g\ms."  These  boats  were  the 
"Governor  Clark"  and  the  contractor's  and 
sutler's  barges  from  Prairie  du  Chien,  which 
garrison  Campbell's  expedition  was  intending 
to  strengthen,  but  which  had  been  attacked 
by  the  British  under  Colonel  McKay,  on  the 
seventeenth,    two    days    previous. 

Captain  Yeizer  and  his  gunboats  leaving 
Prairie  du  Chien  during  the  afternoon  on  the 
first  day  of  the  attack  and  started  for  St. 
Louis,  lea\-ing  Lieutenant  Perkins  and  his 
command,  which  consisted  of  sixty  men,  to- 
gether with  two  women  and  one  child,  to  hold 
the  fort  which  surrendered  July  19th,  after  a 
three  day's  siege. 

THE  DERELICT. 

Lieutenant  Campbell's  boat  lay  for  many 
years  on  the  north  shore  of  Campbell's 
Island,  where  the  State  Monument  now  stands. 
Benjamin  Goble,  an  old  settler  often  told  of 
seeing  the  hull  imbedded  in  sand.     He  says: 

"Soon  after  Stephens  left,  two  men  named 
Smith,  took  possession  of  his  claim,  there 
were  two  cabins  on  it,  but  neither  had  a  floor. 
The  river  was  low,  so  that  the  hull  of  the  barge 
burned  by  the  Indians  at  the  time  of  Camp- 
bell's defeat  in  1812,  (a  mistake,  it  was  1S14) 
was  plainly  visible.  The  Smiths  got  the  hull 
ashore,  found  the  planks  in  a  good  state  of 
preservation  and  floored  their  cabins  with 
them."  This  was  in  1829.  The  Stephens 
whom  he  mentions  was  a  planter  from  the 
south,  who  located  where  Walker  Station, 
two  miles  east  of  Moline,  now  is." 

MAJOR  Taylor''*  battle. 

After  the  capture  of  Fort  Shelby  by  the 
British,  Colonel  William  McKay  left  for  Maci- 
nac  and  Captain  Thomas  G.  Anderson  was  in 


command.  The  British  had  great  influence 
witli  the  northwest  Indians,  and  it  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at  as  they  made  the  Indians  be- 
lieve that  the  Americans  would  drive  out  the 
Indian,  while  the  British  wanted  the  Indian 
to  retain  his  lands.  In  a  letter  dated  August 
21,  1814,  Colonel  R.  McDonall,  British  com- 
mandant, wrote  Captain  Anderson:  "Assure 
them  (Sacs  and  Foxes')  that  great  efforts  are 
being  made  by  the  king  in  their  behalf,  and 
that  the  ministry  are  determined  to  make  no 
peace  till  the  lands  plundered  from  the  In- 
dians are  restored.  To  attain  this  purpose, 
great  reinforcements  of  troops  are  coming 
out." 

On  August  14th,  Lieutenant  Duncan  Gra- 
ham with  six  men  and  an  interpreter,  left 
Fort  McKay  for  the  Sac  village  near  the  mouth 
of  Rock  River,  his  mission  being  to  enlist  the 
Sacs  in  an  expeditiim  tn  firing  up  an  American 
gunboat  which  had  been  abandoned  at  a 
point  a  short  distance  above  the  unoccupied 
Fort  Madison. 

On  August  21st,  the  British  at  Fort  McKay 
were  apprised  by  the  Fox  Indians  that  a  third 
American  expedition  was  on  its  way  up  the 
Mississippi  River  from  St.  Louis,  and  Cap- 
tain Anderson,  commanding  Fort  McKay, 
sent  a  dispatch  to  fjieutenant  Graham  at  the 
Sac  village  on  Rock  River,  requesting  him  to 
learn  all  about  the  Americans  and  to  inform 
him.  At  this  time  there  were  about  800 
braves  at  the  Rock  River  village.  Graham 
returned  to  Fort  McKay,  and  on  the  27th  was 
again  sent  to  the  Sac  village  near  the  mouth 
of  Rock  River.  This  time  he  had  with  him 
a  company  of  British  soldiers  numbering 
thirty  men,  also  one  brass  three-pounder  and 
two  swivels,  his  object  being  to  annoy  and 
harass  the  American  expedition  and  if  possi- 
ble defeat  them  and  drive  them  back  to  St. 
Louis. 

The  American  expedition  was  formed  at 
Cap  au  Gris,  and  consisted  of  eight  large  for- 
tified keel  boats,  carrying  a  detachment  of 
334  soldiers,  and  started  on  August  23d.     It 


22 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


was  commanded  by  Major  Zachary  Taylor, 
afterwards  President  of  the  United  States. 
On  the  afternoon  of  September  5th,  the  Amer- 
ican fleet  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  Rock  River. 
Lieutenant  (jraham  on  his  return  to  the  Rock 
River  village  found  that  the  Indians  now 
numbered  about  fifteen  hundred,  several 
bands  of  Winnebagoes  and  Sioux  having 
joined  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  who  he  said 
■'would  stand  by  us  to  the  last  man."  Gra- 
ham wrote  that  he  would  take  his  position  on 
Rock  Island  at  the  rapids,  which  was  the  best 
place  for  defense  that  he  knew  on  the  Miss- 
issippi. On  September  5th  the  British  sol- 
diers moved  their  guns  and  planted  them  on 
the  west  side  of  the  island  at  the  narrowed 
part  of  the  channel,  about  where  the  present 
bridge  rests  on  the  island.  At  4  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon  the  American  fleet  appeared  in 
sight  of  the  British.  A  storm  of  rain,  thtm- 
der  and  lightning  came  on  which  compelled 
the  American  boats  to  land  at  the  small  Wil- 
low' Island,  about  sixty  yards  above  Credit 
Island  (now  Suburban  Island,  Davenport). 
Here  the  Americans  decided  to  pass  the  night. 
Large  numbers  of  Indians  appeared  on  the 
Illinois  and  Iowa  shores  as  well  as  on  Credit 
Island,  but  not  a  gtm  was  fired.  Early  the 
morning  of  the  6th  the  British  and  Indians 
crossed  the  Mississippi  River  to  the  Fox  vil- 
lage on  the  west  bank  and  went  as  quickly  as 
possible  through  the  prairie  to  the  beach 
op])osite  the  American  boats,  where  they  had 
a  close  view  of  them.  Lieutenant  Graham 
selected  the  Sioux  to  guard  the  cannon  be- 
cause he  said  "as  they  promised  they  would 
rather  be  killed  to  the  last  man  than  give  up 
the  guns."  The  British  planted  their  guns 
on  an  elevated  spot,  where  the}'  commanded 
a  view  of  the  Willow  Island  as  well  as  the 
upper  part  of  Credit  Island.  This  place  is 
about  where  the  dam  commences  that  leads 
to  Subiu'ban  Island.  The  night  before  Gra- 
ham had  cautioned  the  Indians  not  to  fire 
without  orders  from  him,  but  a  Sauk  warrior 
during  the  night  shot  a  corporal  on  one  of  the 


American  boats  commanded  by  Captain 
Whiteside.  At  daj'light  Major  Tajdor  or- 
dered his  men  to  attack  the  Indians  and 
drive  them  from  the  Willou-  Island,  where 
they  had  appeared  in  large  numbers.  The 
American  soldiers  charged  the  enemj',  who 
retreated,  wading  to  Credit  Island.  Major 
Taylor  then  ordered  Captain  Nelson  Rector 
to  drop  his  boat  down  to  Credit  Island  and 
rake  the  island  with  artillery  and  drive  the 
Indians  off.  Rector  did  so,  the  Indians  re- 
treating unto  cover. 

Of  Rector's  charge  an  early  ^Titer  said" 
"Captain  Rector  was  dressed  richly,  with  a 
splendid  military  uniform  and  a  large  red 
feather  in  his  hat.  Thus  equipped,  he  drew 
his  sword  and  walked  deliberately  on  an  open 
sand  beach,  a  short  distance  from  the  enemy, 
and  ordered  his  company  to  follow  him. 
Many  Indian  guns  were  fired  at  him,  which  he 
disregarded  as  if  Ihey  were  popguns.  He 
escaped,  but  it  was  miraculous,  as  he  was 
alone  in  advance  of  his  company." 

Captain  Nelson  Rector  was  a  brother  of 
Lieutenant  Stephen  Rector,  who  on  July 
19th  so  heroically  rescued  Lieutenant  Camp- 
bell and  his  ill-fated  boat's  crew  at  Camp- 
bell's Island. 

At  this  time,  about  7  o'clock,  the  British 
guns  began  to  play  on  the  American  boats. 
The  first  shot  passed  through  Lieutenant 
Hempstead's  boat.  Lieutenant  Graham  in 
his  report  dated  September  7th  said:  "In 
about  three-quarters  of  an  hour  the  largest 
of  their  boats,  which  was  ahead  of  the  others, 
after  having  about  fifteen  shots  through  her, 
began  to  push  off,  and  dropped  astern  of  the 
rest,  and  made  her  way  down  the  ctirrent. 
The  others  soon  followed  her.  We  kept  firing 
at  them  along  the  bank  as  far  as  the  ground 
would  permit  us  to  drag  the  guns,  but  thej' 
soon  got  out  of  our  reach."  The  engagement 
lasted  about  one  hour.  Major  Taylor  in  his 
report  said:  "I  was  compelled  to  drop  down 
about  three  miles  before  a  proper  place  pre- 
sented itself  for  landing,  as  but   few  of  the 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


23 


boats  had  anchors  sufficient  to  stop  them  in 
the  river.  Here  I  halted  for  the  purpose  of 
having  the  wounded  attended  and  some  of 
the  boats  repaired,  as  some  of  them  had  been 
injured  by  the  enemy's  artillery."  The  land- 
ing was  on  the  Illinois  shore. 

The  British  and  Indians  had  no  losses, 
while  the  Americans  had  eleven  men  badly 
wounded,  three  mortally.  Taylor's  fleet  re- 
turned to  St.  Louis.  An  early  writer  said: 
"I  saw  in  the  harbor  at  St.  Louis  the  boats 
that  were  in  Taylor's  battle  at  Rock  Island, 
and  they  were  riddled  with  the  cannon  iialls. 
1  think  the  balls  were  made  of  lead — at  any 
rate    they   pierced   the   boats    considerably." 

This  was  the  third  American  expedition  up 
the  Mississippi  River  in  the  year  1814,  all 
ending  in  defeat  and  disaster.  The  British 
and  Indians  had  possession  of  the  country 
until  December  24th,  when  the  peace  of  Ghent 
ended  the  war. 

In  his  autobiography,  Black  Hawk  says: 
"The  Briti-sh  landed  a  big  gun  and  gave  us 
three  soldiers  to  manage  it."  Writers  of 
Western  History  have  differed  regarding 
Taylor's  engagement,  some  accepting  Black 
Hawk's  version,  have  credited  the  battle  as 
solely  an  Indian  victory,  saying  the  Indians 
were  re-inforced  by  only  three  British  sol- 
diers and  one  cannon.  Others  have  said 
that  there  were  present  a  large  number  of 
British  soldiers.  Neither  Taylor  or  (iraham 
knew  who  was  in  command  of  the  other  party. 
and  nowhere  was  I  able  to  learn  the  details, 
until  during  the  winter  of,  1906  and  1907,  I 
found  in  the  Canadian  archives  the  corre- 
spondence between  the  British  officers  relat- 
ing to  the  part  they  took  in  this  early  western 
event.  From  these  archives.  I  learned  that 
Black  Hawk  had  a  company  of  British  sol- 
diers with  three  cannons.  That  the  cannon 
were  first  planted  on  the  Island  of  Rock 
Island  two  years  before  the  erection  of  Fort 
Armstrong,  on  ground  afterwards  occupied 
by  Fort  Armstrong  and  that  Subiirban  Island 
as  early  as  1S14  was  known  as  Credit  Island. 


FIRST  SETTLERS. 

The  first  white  settler  in  this  county  was 
CJeorge  Davenport,  who  came  to  the  Island  of 
Rock  Island  in  the  spring  of  1816  with  Colo- 
nel William  Lawrence  and  the  Eighth  Regi- 
ment of  LTnited  States  regulars  at  the  time 
Fort  .Armstrong  was  built.  In  1817  Daven- 
port built  a  double  log  cabin  on  the  Island  of 
Rock  Island  at  the  place  where  the  "Old  Dav- 
enport House"  now  stands,  one  part  of  which 
he  used  as  a  store  in  which  he  carried  on  the 
business  of  an  Indian  trader.  The  old  ruin 
now  standing  on  the  north  shore  of  the  island 
was  built  in  1833  and  was  for  many  years  the" 
most  pretentious  residence  above  St.  Louis, 
the  timbers  in  the  old  Trading  House  being 
used  in  constructing  the  new  dwelling.  In 
1824  Russell  Farnham  came  from  Warsaw 
and  entered  into  partnership  with  Davenport 
under  the  firm  name  of  Davenport  &  Farn- 
ham. In  1826  Davenport  and  Farnham  built 
the  house  on  the  main  land  just  west  of  the 
P.  L.  Cable  residence  and  afterwards  occu- 
pied by  John  Barrel.  This  house  was  used 
for  many  years  as  the  seat  of  justice  for  this 
county  and  in  our  coiuity  records  is  referred 
to  as  the  "House  of  John  Barrel." 

In  1828  the  country  along  Rock  River  had 
not  been  surveyed  and  consequently  was  not 
open  to  entry.  Yet  the  fame  of  the  fertility 
of  the  soil  and  the  beauty  of  the  coimtry  had 
attracted  the  pioneer  who  is  always  in  ad- 
vance of  the  settler,  and  who  often  is  termed 
the  squatter,  and  these  people  relying  upon 
the  protection  of  Fort  Armstrong  began  to 
select  homes  in  this  valley.  During  the  year 
1828  there  were  eight  settlers  to  arrive — Cap- 
tain B.  W.  Clark,  an  old  soldier  named  Haney, 
Judge  Pence,  \\ho  settled  on  Rock  River, 
and  John  Kinney,  Thomas  Kinney,  George 
Harlan,  Conrad  Leek  and  Archibald  .Allen, 
the  last  five  settling  where  Rapids  City  now  is. 

The  j-ear  1829  brought  a  number  of  new- 
comers— Judge  John  ^^'.  Spencer,  who  had 
been  here  the  year  before;  Louden  Case,  Sr., 
and  his  tlii'ee  sons,  Jonah,  Louden,  Jr.,  and 


24 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


Charles,  who  settled  on  what  is  now  known 
as  the  Case  place  on  Rock  River:  Rinah  Wells 
and  his  four  sons,  Rinah,  Jr.,  Lucius,  John 
and  Samuel,  who  also  settled  on  Rock  River; 
Joel  Wells,  Jr.,  who  settled  near  Hampton; 
Joel  Wells,  Sr.,  Levi  and  Huntington  Wells, 
who  settled  at  Moline;  Joseph  Danforth  a 
*  mile  above  Moline;  IMichael  Bartlett  where 
Deere  tV:  Mansur's  factor}',  Moline,  now  is; 
George  Goble  and  his  son,  Benjamin,  about 
two  miles  above  Moline;  William  Brashar, 
who  settled  south  of  the  present  city  of 
Rock  Island;  Joshua  ^'andruff  and  his  sons, 
who  settled  on  \'andruff's  Island;  Charles  H. 
Case  and  Benjamin  F.  Pike. 

SLAVERY. 

At  this  time  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
the  state  negroes  were  held  in  bondage,  under 
what  was  known  and  recognized  as  the  inden- 
tured or  registered  servant's  act.  This  was 
contrary  to  the  ordinance  of  1787  which 
governed  the  admission  of  Illinois  into  the 
union  as  a  state,  but  our  Legislature  enacted 
laws  which  our  courts  upheld,  by  which 
slavery  existed  in  Illinois.  In  May,  1829, 
a  man  named  Stephens  from  St.  Louis  settled 
on  the  Mississippi  where  Walker  Station  now 
is,  two  miles  east  of  Moline,  bringing  with  him 
twenty  black  slaves,  and  built  two  cabins. 
There  were  but  few  settlers  in  this  locality, 
but  this  new  departure  was  not  in  accord  with 
their  ideas,  and  in  October  Joseph  Danforth 
traveled  to  the  nearest  justice  of  the  peace, 
who  resided  at  Galena,  and  secured  from  him 
a  warrant  for  Stephens'  arrest  for  holding 
slaves.  George  Goble,  the  father  of  Benjamin 
Goble,  knowing  Danforth's  intention,  warned 
Stephens,  who  immediately  started  south 
with  his  slaves.  Stephens'  two  cabins  were 
afterwards  taken  by  two  brothers  named 
Smith,  who  floored  the  cabins  with  planks 
taken  from  the  hull  of  Major  Campbell's  keel 
boat,  which  had  burned  only  to  the  water's 
edge,  and  which  had  lain  imbedded  in  the 
sand  on  Campbell's  Island  where  it  stranded 


on  that  ill  fated  July  19,  1814.  No  one  after 
this  ever  tried  to  own  slaves  in  this  county, 
although  some  of  the  officers  at  Fort  Arm- 
strong had  negro  servants,  some  of  whom 
were  held  as  indentured  blacks,  a  few  as 
slaves.  One  of  the  latter  afterwards  gained 
national  prominence. 

Dred  Scott  was  a  negro  slave  owned  by  Dr. 
John  Emerson,  a  surgeon  in  the  United  States 
Army,  and  in  the  year  1834  came  with  the 
doctor  from  Missouri  to  Fort  Armstrong  on 
Rock  Island,  where  the  doctor  was  stationed. 
Scott  remained  at  Fort  Armstrong  until 
May,  1836,  when  he  went  with  the  doctor  to 
Fort  Snelling  (now  Minnesota)  where  he 
married  Harriet,  a  slave  of  his  master,  and 
had  two  children.  Slavery  was  illegal  in 
both  places;  in  Illinois  by  our  constitution; 
in  Minnesota  (Upper  Louisiana  Purchase)  by 
the  Missouri  Compromise. 

In  1838  Scott  was  taken  to  Jefferson  Bar- 
racks, a  military  post  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
and  here  an  action  was  brought  in  the  cir- 
cuit court  of  the  state  by  Scott  to  test  the 
question  of  his  freedom.  The  St.  Louis  court 
held  that  Scott's  residence  on  free  soil  had 
made  him  Frp;e.  The  case  was  appealed  to 
ths  supreme  court  of  Missouri  which  court 
reversed  the  decision  of  the  St.  Louis  cir- 
cuit court  and  held  Scott  was  a  slave.  In 
the  meantime  Dr.  Emerson  had  sold  Dred 
and  his  family  to  John  F.  A.  Sanford  of  New 
York  and  suit  was  brought  against  Sanford 
in  the  LTnited  States  court  for  Scott's  freedom. 

This  case  was  tried  at  St.  Louis  on  May 
1 5th,  before  the  court  and  a  jury,  and  the 
latter  found  that  "Dred  Scott  was  a  negro 
slave,  the  lawful  property  of  the  defendant." 
A  new  trial  was  refused,  and  Scott  carried  his 
case  to  the  supreme  court  of  the  United  States. 

The  final  decision  in  the  Dred  Scott  case 
was  the  longest,  and  up  to  that  period,  the 
most  interesting  one  ever  given  by  the  su- 
preme court  of  the  United  States.  It  is  re- 
ported in  the  19th  Howard.  The  substance 
of  the  decision  was: 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


25 


"Scott  was  not  made  free  by  being  taken  to 
Rock  Island  in  the  State  of  Illinois.  As  Scott 
was  a  slave  when  taken  to  Fort  Armstrong 
into  the  State  of  Illinois  by  his  owner,  and  was 
then  held  as  such,  and  brought  back  into 
Missouri  in  that  character,  his  status,  as  free 
or  slave,  depended  on  the  laws  of  Missouri, 
and  not  of  Illinois,  He  and  his  family  were 
not  free,  but  were,  by  the  laws  of  Missouri, 
the  property  of  the  defendant." 

THE   SETTLEMENT  OF   L.VND.S. 

In  1828  and  the  early  part  of  1829  George 
Davenport  and  Russell  Farnham  entered 
the  lands  upon  which  the  old  fair  grounds 
were  located,  and  which  extended  from  there 
about  one  mile  east.  William  T.  Rrashar 
entered  the  lands  upon  a  portion  of  which  is 
now  located  Chippianock  Cemetery.  Tliese 
and  other  pre-emptions  were  upon  lauds  that 
had  for  nearly  a  century  been  the  village  and 
the  cornfields  of  the  Sacs.  These  entries 
were  within  the  letter,  but  contrary  to  the 
spirit  of  the  treaty  of  1804.  These  lands 
were  not  open  to  settlers,  nor  brought  into 
the  market  until  the  latter  part  of  1829,  and 
one  authority  says:  "Consequently  all  who 
had  settled  on  them  previous  to  this  were 
trespassers,  having  violated  the  laws  of  con- 
gress and  the  pre-existing  treaties.  The 
most  advanced  settlements  at  that  time  did 
not  approach  nearer  than  fifty  or  sixty  miles 
of  Rock  Island,  and  the  lands  for  even  a 
greater  distance  had  not  been  offered  for  sale, 
yet  the  government  disposed  of  a  few  quar- 
ter sections  at  the  mouth  of  this  stream,  em- 
bracing the  site  of  the  village  and  fields  c\il- 
tivated  by  the  inhabitants.  The  manifest 
object  of  this  advanced  movement  upon  the 
Indian  settlements  was  to  evade  the  provisions 
of  the  treaty,  by  having  the  governmental 
title  to  the  lands  pass  into  the  hands  of  the 
individuals,  and  thus  obtain  a  pretext  for 
removing  its  owners  west  of  the  Mississippi. 


ESTABLISHMENT      OF      ROCK      ISLAND      COUNTY. 

By  an  act  of  the  Illinois  Legislature  en- 
titled "An  act  to  establish  Rock  Island  Coun- 
ty," approved  and  in  force  February  9,  1831, 
it  was  provided  by  Section  1  thereof  what  the 
boundaries  of  this  county  shall  be.  Section 
2  provided  that  whenever  it  shall  be  made  to 
appear  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  presiding 
judge  of  the  circuit  coiirt  of  Jo  Daviess  Coun- 
ty, to  which  this  county  was  then  attached, 
that  the  said  County  of  Rock  Island  con- 
tains three  hundred  and  fifty  inhabitants, 
it  shall  be  his  duty  to  grant  an  order  for  the 
election  of  three  commissioners,  one  sheriff 
and  one  coroner  to  serve  in  and  for  said  coun- 
ty until  they  be  superseded  by  the  persons 
elected  at  the  next  general  election,  which 
shall  take  place  after  the  special  election  here- 
in jjrovided  for.  The  act  then  states  that 
after  such  election  the  said  County  of  Rock 
Island  shall  be  considered  as  organized  and 
entitled  to  the  same  rights  and  privileges  as 
the  other  counties  in  this  state.  Owing,  how- 
ever, to  the  Black  Hawk  War  no  effort  was 
made  to  organize  the  county  until  183.'^,  when 
on  Monday,  July  .'5,  in  pursuance  of  due  notice 
the  legal  voters  of  this  county  to  the  number 
of  sixty-five  met  at  the  "House  of  John 
Barrel."  and  elected  county  officers. 

THE  BEGINNING  OF  TROUBLE. 

In  the  spring  of  1831,  when  Black  Hawk 
and  his  people  returned  from  their  winter 
hunt,  they  found  the  few  white  settlers  whom 
they  had  left  the  fall  before  increased  by  naany 
new  comers.  They  found  the  Indian  homes 
occupied  by  pale  faces,  and  among  their  corn 
hills  they  found  the  white  man's  wagon. 
But  more  aggravating  yet,  they  found  the 
bones  of  their  ancestors  disturbed  and  laid 
bare  upon  the  ground  by  the  white  man's 
plow.  Bhick  Hawk  and  his  people  had  borne 
much  the  past  few  years  but  this  seemed  too 
much.  He  protested,  and  was  told  the  white 
man   had   bought   the    land   from   his    white 


26 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


father  in  Washington.  He  could  not  under- 
stand this.  Judge  John  W.  Spencer  in'  his 
"Reminiscences"  says:  "Black  Hawk  gave 
the  settlers  to  understand  that  after  this 
season  they  must  go  south  of  Rock  River, 
or  above  Pleasant  Valley.  *  *  *  This 
move  on  the  part  of  the  Indians  made  it 
necessary  for  the  settlers  to  look  about  and 
see  what  they  could  do  for  their  protection." 
and,  Judge  Spencer  says,  "We  had  petitioned 
the  governor  of  the  state  in  the  summer  of 
1829  without  his  taking  any  notice,  but  now 
we  concluded  to  try  it  again.  We  made  a 
statement  of  our  grievance,  and  of  the  order 
of  Black  Hawk  for  our  removal,  anil  for- 
warded it  with  all  possible  haste  to  the  gov- 
ernor.    This  had   the  desired   effect." 

THE    ROCK    ISLAND    PETITION. 

The  following  is  the  petition  sent   to  the 
governor  by  citizens  of  Rock  Island: 

"April  30,  1831. 
"His  Excellency,  the  Governor  of  the  State  of 
Illinois: 
"We,  the  undersigned,  being  citizens  of 
Rock  River  and  its  vicinity,  beg  leave  to 
state  to  your  honor  the  grievances  which  we 
labor  under  and  pray  your  protection  against 
the  Sac  and  Fox  tribe  of  Indians  who  have 
again  taken  possession  of  our  lands  near  the 
mouth  of  Rock  River  and  its  vicinity.  They 
have,  and  now  are,  burning  our  fences,  des- 
troying our  crops  of  wheat  now  growing  b}' 
turning  in  all  their  horses.  They  also  threat- 
en our  lives  if  we  attempt  to  plant  corn,  and 
say  they  will  cut  it  up;  that  we  have  stolen 
their  lands  from  them,  and  they  are  deter- 
mined to  exterminate  us,  provided  we  don't 
leave  the  country.  Your  honor,  no  doubt, 
is  aware  of  the  outrages  that  were  committed 
by  said  Indians  heretofore.  Particularly  last 
all,  they  almost  destroj-ed  all  our  crops,  and 
made  several  attempts  on  the  owners'  lives 
when  the}'  attempted  to  prevent  their  depre- 
dations, and  actually  wounded  one  man  by 


stabbing  him  in  several  places.  This  spring 
they  act  in  a  much  more  outrageous  and 
menacing  manner,  so  that  we  consider  our- 
selves compelled  to  beg  protection  of  you, 
which  the  agent  and  garrison  on  Rock  Island 
refuse  to  give,  inasmuch  as  they  say  they  have 
no  orders  from  government:  therefore,  should 
we  not  receive  adequate  aid  from  your  honor, 
we  shall  be  compelled  to  abandon  our  settle- 
ment, and  the  lands  which  we  have  pur- 
chased of  the  government.  Therefore,  we 
have  no  doubt  but  vour  honor  will  better 
anticipate  our  condition  than  it  is  represented, 
and  grant  us  immediate  relief  in  the  manner 
that  to  you  may  seem  most  likely  to  produce 
the  desired  effect.  The  number  of  Indians 
now  among  us  is  about  six  or  seven  hundred. 
They  say  there  are  more  coming,  and  that  the 
Pottawattomies  and  some  of  the  Winnebagoes 
will  help  them  in  case  of  an  irruption  with 
the  whites. 

"The  warriors  now  here  are  the  Black 
Hawk's  party,  with  other  chiefs,  the  names 
of  whom  we  are  not  acquainted  with.  There- 
fore, looking  up  to  you  for  protection,  we  beg 
leave  to  remain,  yours,  etc." 
(Signed) 

John  Wells  Thomas  Lovitt 

B.  F.  Pike  William  Heans 

H.  McNeil  Charles  French 

Albert  Wells  M.  S.  Hulls 

Griffith  Ausbury        Eli  Wells 
Thomas  Gardiner      Asaph  Wells 
J.  VandrufT  G.  V.  Miller 

S.  A'andruff  Edward  Burner 

John  L.  Bain  Joel  Thompson 

Horace  Cook  Joel  Wells,  Jr. 

David  B.  Hail  J.  W.  Spencer 

John  Barrel  ■  Joseph  Danforth 

William  Henry  William  Brazher 

Erastus  Kent  Jonah  H.  Case 

Levi  Wells  Samuel  Wells 

Joel  Wells  Charles  French 

Michael  Bartlet  Benjamin  Goble 

Huntington  Wells     Gentry  McCall 
Thomas  Davis 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


27 


THE  INDIAN   AGENT  REPORTS. 

The  settlers  not  hearing  from  Governor 
Reynolds  and  receiving  no  aid  from  the  offi- 
cials at  Fort  Armstrong,  applied  to  the 
Indian  agent,  and  he  wrote  the  following 
letter: 

"Rock  Island,   May   15,   1S31. 

"Respected  Sir:  I  have  again  to  mention 
to  you  that  the  Black  Hawk  (a  Sac  chief)  and 
his  party  are  now  at  their  old  village  on  Rock 
River.  They  have  commenced  planting  corn 
and  say  they  will  keep  possession.  I  have 
been  informed  that  they  have  pulled  down  a 
house  and  some  fences  which  they  have 
burned.  They  have  also  turm^d  their  horses 
in  wheat  fields  and  say  they  will  destroy  the 
wheat  so  that  the  white  people  .shall  not  re- 
main among  them. 

"This  is  what  I  expected  from  their  man- 
ner of  acting  last  fall,  and  which  I  mentioned 
to  you  in  my  letter  of  the  Sth  October  last. 
I  would  not  be  at  a  loss  were  it  not  for  the 
seventh  article  of  the  treaty  with  the  Sacs 
and  Foxes  of  3d  November,  1804. 

"I  respectfully  ask,  would  it  not  be  better 
to  hold  a  treaty  with  those  Indians  and  get 
them  to  remove  peaceably,  than  to  call  on  the 
military  to  force  them  off?  None  of  this 
band  has  as  yet  called  on  me  for  information- 
A  few  ha\-e  been  at  my  agency  to  have  work 
done  at  the  smith's  shops.  I  have  the  honor 
to  be, 

"Your  obedient  servant, 

"Felix  St.  Vrain,  Indian  Agent. 
"Gen.  William  Clark,  Supt.  Ind.  of  St.  Louis." 

WHISKEY   THE    CAUSE. 

One  of  the  settlers  living  on  what  is  now 
Vandruff's  Island,  kept  a  sort  of  tavern  where 
whiskey  was  sold,  and  here  the  Indians  came 
to  barter  for  fire  water.  Black  Hawtk  saw 
his  people  bartering  off  their  peltries  and 
game  for  whiskej'  and  he  saw  the  ruin  that 
the  white  man's  "fire  water"'  was  creating 
among  them.     He  protested  and  begged  the 


white  man  to  stop  selling  the  Indians  whiskey, 
but  the  sale  went  on.  One  day  he,  with 
some  five  or  six  of  his  braves,  paddled  in  their 
canoes  from  their  village  to  Vandruff's 
Island.  Silently  the  old  chief  marched  up  to 
the  cabin  followed  by  his  braves.  They  did 
not  stop  to  knock,  but  entered  the  door  and 
silently  rolled  the  barrel  of  whiskey  outside 
the  cabin,  knocked  in  the  head  with  their 
tomahawks  and  allowed  the  pale  faces'  "fire 
water"  to  run  on  the  ground.  Then  thej' 
rowed   back  to  their  village. 

This  last  act  of  the  Indians  greatly  excited 
the  whites  and  Benjamin  F.  Pike,  a  settler, 
afterwards  our  first  sheriff,  was  sent  to  Belle- 
ville in  St.  Clair  County  to  personally  ask  the 
governor  for  assistance.  He  took  with  him 
the  following  petition  from  the  settlers. 

THE    SECOND     PETITION. 

"Farnhamburg,  May  19,  1S31. 
"To  his  Excellency,  the  Governor  of  the  State 
of  Illinois: 
"We.  the  undersigned,  citizens  of  Rock 
River  and  its  vicinit}-,  having  previously  sent 
a  petition  to  your  honor,  praying  your  pro- 
tection against  the.se  Sac  Indians  who  were 
at  that  time  doing  every  kind  of  mischief  as 
was  set  forth  and  represented  to  your  honor; 
but  feeling  ourselves  more  aggrieved  and  our 
situation  more  precarious,  we  have  been  com- 
pelled to  make  our  distress  known  to  you  by 
sending  one  of  our  neighbors  who  is  well 
acquainted  with  our  situation.  If  we  do  not 
get  relief  speedily  we  must  leave  our  habita- 
tions to  these  savages  and  seek  safety  for  our 
families  by  taking  them  down  into  the  lower 
counties  and  suffer  our  houses  and  fences  to  be 
destroyed,  as  one  of  the  principal  war  chiefs 
has  threatened  if  we  do  not  abandon  our 
settlement  his  warriors  should  burn  our  houses 
over  our  heads.  They  were,  at  the  time  v/e 
sent  our  other  petition,  destroying  our  crops 
of  wheat,  and  are  still  pasturing  their  horses 
in  our  fields,  burning  our    fences,    and    have 


28 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


thrown  the  roof  off  one  house.  They  shot 
arrows  at  our  cattle,  killed  our  hogs,  and  every 
mischief. 

"We  have  tried  every  argument  to  the 
agent  for  relief,  but  he  tells  us  they  are  a 
lawless  band,  and  he  has  nothing  to  do  with 
them  until  further  orders,  leaving  us  still  in 
suspense,  as  the  Indians  say  if  we  plant  we 
shall  not  reap,  a  proof  of  which  we  had  last 
fall;  they  almost  entirely  destroyed  all  our 
crops  of  corn,  potatoes,  etc.  Believini;  we 
shall  receive  protection  from  3'our  excellency 
we  shall  go  on  with  our  farms  until  the  return 
of  the  bearer;  and  ever  remain  your  humble 
supplicants,  etc." 

This  petition  was  signed  by  almost  all  the 
persons  who  signed  the  first  petition.  On 
his  way  to  Belleville  in  St.  Clair  County,  where 
Governor  Reynolds  lived,  Mr  Pike  stopped 
over  in  Fulton  County  where  he  secured  the 
following  affidavit: 

"State  of  Illinois,  Fulton  County. 

"Personally  appeared  before  me,  Stephen 
Dewey,  an  acting  justice  of  the  peace  in  and 
for  said  County  of  Fulton,  and  State  of  Illi- 
nois, Hiram  Sanders  and  Ammyson  Chapman, 
of  the  aforesaid  count}-  and  state,  and  made 
oath  that  some  time  in  the  month  of  April 
last  they  went  to  the  old  Indian  Sac  town, 
about  thirtj'  miles  up  Rock  River,  for  the 
purpose  of  farming  and  establishing  a  ferry 
across  said  river,  and  the  Indians  ordered  us 
to  move  awav  and  not  to  come  there  again 
and  we  remained  there  a  few  hours. 

"They  then  sent  for  their  chief  and  he  in- 
formed us  that  we  might  depart  peaceabl}' 
and  if  we  did  not  that  he  would  make  us  go. 

"He  therefore  ordered  the  Indians  to 
throw  our  furniture  out  of  the  house;  they 
accordingly  did  so  and  threatened  to  kill  us 
if  we  did  not  depart.  We  therefore  discov- 
ered that  our  lives  were  in  danger,  and 
consequently  moved  back  again  to  the  above 
county. 


"We  then  supposed  them  to  be  principally 
Winnebagoes. 

"H.  Sanders. 
"A.  Chapmax. 
"Sworn   and  subscribed   this   llth  day   of 
May,   1831. 

"Stephen  Dewey,  J.  P. 

BENJAMIN    F.    pike's    AFFIDAVIT. 

Upon  his  arrival  at  Belleville  Pike  prepared 
the  following  statement: 

"State  of  Illinois,  St.  Clair  County. 

"Present,  Benjamin  F.  Pike,  before  me,  a 
justice  of  the  peace  in  and  for  the  said  countj% 
and  made  oath  and  deposed,  that  he  has  re- 
sided in  the  vicinitj-  of  Rock  River,  in  the 
State  of  Illinois,  for  almost  three  years  last 
past ;  that  he  is  well  acquainted  with  the  band 
of  the  Sac  Indians  whose  chief  is  the  Black 
Hawk,  and  who  have  resided  and  do  now 
reside  near  the  mouth  of  Rock  River  in  this 
state;  that  he  understands  so  much  of  the 
said  Indian  language  as  to  converse  with  the 
said  Indians  intelligibly:  that  he  is  well 
satisfied  that  said  Indians,  to  the  amount 
of  about  three  himdred  warriors,  are  extreme- 
ly unfriendly  to  the  white  people;  that  said 
Indians  are  determined,  if  not  prevented  by 
force,  to  drive  off  the  white  people,  who  have 
some  of  them  purchased  land  of  the  United 
States  near  said  Indians,  and  said  Indians  to 
remain  sole  occupiers  of  the  said  country. 

"That  said  Indians  do  not  onlj'  make 
threats  to  this  effect,  but  have,  in  various 
instances,  done  much  damage  to  said  white 
inhabitants,  by  throwing  down  their  fences, 
destroying  the  fall  grain,  pulling  off  the  roofs 
of  houses,  and  positively  asserting  that  if  the 
whites  do  not  go  away  they  would  kill  them: 
that  there  are  about  forty  inhabitants  and 
heads  of  families  in  the  vicinity  of  said  Indians 
who  are  immediately  affected  by  said  band  of 
Indians;  that  said  Pike  is  certain  that  said 
forty  heads  of  families,  if  not  protected,  will 
be  compelled  to  leave  their  habitations  and 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


29 


homes  from  the  actual  injury  that  said 
Indians  will  commit  on  said  inhabitants;  that 
said  band  of  Indians  consists,  as  above 
stated,  of  about  three  hundred  warriors,  and 
that  the  whole  band  is  actuated  by  the  same 
hostile  feelings  towards  the  white  inhab- 
itants; and  that,  if  not  prevented  by  an  armed 
force  of  men,  will  commit  on  said  white 
inhabitants.  That  said  Indians  have  said 
that  they  would  fis;ht  for  their  country  where 
they  reside,  and  would  not  permit  the  white 
people  to  occupy  it  at  all.  That  said  white 
inhabitants  are  desirous  to  be  protected,  and 
that  immediately,  so  that  they  may  raise 
crops  this  sprina;  and  summer. 

"Benjamin  F.  Pike. 
"Sworn    and    subscribed    before    me,    this 
26th  May,  1831. 

"John  H.  Dennis,  J.  P." 

GOVERNOR   REYNOLDS  ACTS. 

Pike  presented  his  petition  from  the  Rock 
River  settlers  and  these  affidavits  personally 
to  Governor  Reynolds,  who  on  the  same  day 
issued  a  call  for  seven  hundred  mounted 
militia,  to  move  the  Indians  west  of  the  Miss- 
issippi River.  He  also  wrote  the  following 
letter  to  General  Clark,  Superintendent  of 
Indian  Affairs : 

"Belleville,    26th   May,    1S31. 

"Sir:  In  order  to  protect  the  citizens  of 
this  state,  who  reside  near  Rock  River,  from 
Indian  invasion  and  depredations,  I  have 
considered  it  necessary  to  call  out  a  force  of 
militia  of  this  state  of  about  seven  hundred 
strong,  to  remove  a  band  of  the  Sac  Indians 
who  are  now  about  Rock  Island.  The  ob- 
ject of  the  government  of  the  state  is  to  pro- 
tect those  citizens  by  removing  said  Indians, 
peaceably  if  they  can,  but  forcibly  if  they 
must.  Those  Indians  are  now,  and  so  I  have 
considered  them,  in  a  state  of  actual  invasion 
of  the  state. 

"As  you  act  as  the  piiblic  agent  of  the 
United  States  in  relation  to  those  Indians,  I 
considered  it  my  duty  to  inform  you  of  the 


above  call  on  the  militia  and  that  in  or  about 
fifteen  days  a  sufficient  force  will  appear 
before  said  Indians  to  remove  them,  dead  or 
alive,  over  to  the  west  side  of  the  Mississippi; 
but  to  save  all  this  disagreeable  business,  per- 
haps a  request  from  yoii  to  them  for  them  to 
remove  to  the  west  side  of  the  river  would 
effect  the  object  of  procuring  peace  to  the 
citizens  of  the  state.  There  is  no  disposition 
on  the  part  of  the  people  of  this  state  to  injure 
those  unfortunate  and  deluded  savages  if  they 
will  let  us  alone;  but  a  government  that  does 
not  protect  its  citizens  deserves  not  the  name 
of  a  government.  Please  correspond  with 
me  at  this  olace  on  this  subject. 

"Your  obedient  servant, 

"John  Reynolds. 
"Gen.  Clark,  Supt.,  etc." 

Felix  St.  Vrain,  the  then  agent  for  the  Sacs 
and  Foxes,  had  in  the  meantime  gone  to  St. 
Louis  and  in  the  following  letter  sets  out  the 
situation  at  Rock  River: 

"St.  Louis,  May  28,  1831. 

"Respected  Sir:  Since  my  last  of  the  loth 
inst.  on  the  subject  of  the  band  of  Sac  Indians, 
etc.,  the  Indian  village  on  Rock  River  near 
Rock  Island,  I  have  heard  from  the  Indians 
and  some  of  the  whites  that  a  house  had  been 
unroofed  instead  of  pulled  down  and  burned, 
and  that  the  fence  had  caught  fire  by  acci- 
dent. As  regards  the  destroying  of  the 
wheat,  etc.,  the  Indians  say  that  a  white  man 
hauled  some  timber  through  a  field  and  left 
the  fence  down  by  which  means  their  horses 
got  into  the  field.  This,  however,  has  been 
contradicted  by  the  white  inhabitants  of  that 
place.  They  say  that  the  Indians  are  con- 
stantly troubling  them  by  letting  their  horses 
into  their  fields  and  killing  their  hogs,  etc. 
This,  however,  I  am  confident  is  occasioned 
in  a  great  measm-e  by  whiskey  being  given 
to  the  Indians  in  exchange  for  their  guns, 
traps,  etc. 

"I  had  a  talk  with  the  principal  chief  and 
braves  of  that  band  of  Indians.     I  spoke  to 


30 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


the  Hlack  Tlnmdor,  wlio  is  the  ]irincipal  of 
that  band.  I  told  them  that  they  had  sold 
those  lands  to  the  government  of  the  United 
States  and  that  they  ought  to  remove  to  their 
own  lands.  They  then  said  that  they  had 
only  sold  the  lands  south  of  the  river.  I  then 
produced  the  treaties  and  explained  to  them 
that  they  had  relinquished  their  rights  as 
far  as  the  Ouisconsin.  Quash-quam-me  (the 
Jumping  Fish)  then  said  that  he  had  only 
consented  to  the  limits  being  Rock  River,  but 
that  a  Fox  chief  agreed  (as  he  understands, 
afterwards)  for  the  Ouisconsin;  that  he 
(Quash-quam-me)  had  been  deceived  and  that 
he  did  not  intend  it  to  be  so.  I  had  consider- 
able talk  with  them  on  this  subject,  and 
could  discover  nothing  hostile  in  their  dispo- 
sition unless  their  decided  conviction  of  their 
right  to  the  place  could  be  construed  as  such. 
I  have  been  informed  that  a  white  man  and 
his  family  had  gone  to  an  Indian  village  on 
the  borders  of  Rock  River  about  forty  miles 
from  Rock  Island,  for  the  purpose  of  estab- 
lishing a  ferry,  and  that  the  Indians  at  that 
place  had  driven  them  away  at  the  same 
time  saying  to  them  that  they  would  not 
hurt  them,  but  they  should  not  live  there. 
This  village  is  occupied  by  a  mixture  of 
Winnebago,  Sac  and  Fox  band  and  headed 
by  the  Prophet,  a  chief.  I  have  the  honor 
to  be 

"Your  obedient  servant, 

"Felix  St.  Vr.^in,  Indian  Agent. 
"Gen.  William  Clark,  Supt.  Indian  Affairs, 
St.   Louis." 

Upon  receipt  of  Governor  Reynolds'  letter, 
General  William  Clark  sent  to  General  Edward 
P  .  Gaines  the  following  letter: 

"Superintendency  of  Indian  Affairs. 
"St.  Louis,  May  28,  LS3L 
"Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  inclose  you  a 
copy  of  a  letter  of  '26th  inst.,  just  received 
from  the  Governor  of  Illinois,  by  which  you 
will  perceive  he  has  thought  it  necessary  to 
call  out  a  force  of  about  700  militia  for  the 


jjrotoction  of  the  citizens  of  that  state,  who 
reside  near  Rock  River,  and  for  the  purpose 
of  remoA-ing  a  band  of  Sacs  which  he  states 
are  now  about    Rock  Island. 

"As  the  commanding  general  of  this  divi- 
sion of  the  army,  I  have  thought  it  my  duty 
to  communicate  to  you  the  above  information; 
and  for  the  pm-pose  of  putting  you  in  posses- 
sion of  the  views  of  the  government  in  rela- 
tion to  this  subject,  as  well  as  to  inform  you 
of  the  means  which  have  been  heretofore 
employed  for  the  removal  of  the  Sacs  now 
complained  of,  I  enclose  to  you  herewith 
coi)i('s  of  my  correspondence  with  tlie  war 
department  and  with  the  agent  for  those 
tribes,  also  extracts  from  such  of  their  reports 
as  had  immediate  relation  to  the  subject. 

"The  Sacs  and  Foxes  have  been  counseled 
with  on  the  subject  of  their  removal  from  the 
lands  which  they  had  ceded  to  the  United 
States.  The  prospect  of  collisions  with  the 
white  settlers  who  were  then  purchasing 
those  lands,  and  the  interminable  difficulties 
in  which  they  would  be  involved  thereby 
were  pointed  out,  and  had  the  effect  of  con- 
vincing a  large  majority  of  both  tribes  of  the 
impropriety  of  remaining  at  their  old  village. 
They,  therefore,  acquiesced  in  the  justice  of 
the  claim  of  the  United  States  and  expressed 
their  willingness  to  comply  with  my  request 
to  remove  to  their  new  village  on  lowy  River, 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  all  but  parts  of  two 
bands  headed  by  two  inconsiderable  chiefs, 
who,  after  abandoning  their  old  village,  have, 
it  appears,  returned  again,  in  defiance  of  all 
consequences. 

"Those  bands  are  distinguished  and  known 
by  the  name  of  'The  British  Party,'  having 
been  for  many  years  in  the  habit  of  making 
annual  visits  at  Maiden  in  Upper  Canada  for 
the  purpose  of  receiving  their  presents,  and 
it  is  believed  to  be  owing  in  a  great  measure 
to  the  counsels  they  have  there  received,  that 
so  little  influence  has  been  acquired  over 
them  by  the  L^nited  States  agents. 

"In  justice  to  Keokuk,  Wapello   the  Stab- 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


31 


bing  Chief,  and.  indeed,  all  the  other  real 
chiefs  and  principal  men  of  both  tribes,  it 
should  be  observed  that  they  have  constantly 
and  zealously  co-operated  with  the  govern- 
ment agents  in  furtherance  of  its  views,  and 
in  their  endeavors  to  effect  the  removal  of  all 
their   property  from  the   ceded   hinds. 

"Any  inform.ation  in  my  possession  which 
you  may  deem  necessary  in  relation  to  this 
subject  will  be  promjitly  afforded.  With 
high  respect,  I  have  the  honor  to  be 

"Your   most   oliedient   servant, 
"  WlLLT.\.\I  Cl.\rk. 

"Major-General  Edmund  P.  Gaines,  Com- 
manding Western  Department,  U.  S.  \. 

"P.  iS.  The  agent  for  the  Sacs  and  Foxes 
(Mr.  St.  Vrain)  has  received  his  instructions 
and  will  perform  any  service  you  may  require 
of  liini  with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes." 

General  Clark  the  same  day  sent  to  Gov- 
ernor Reynolds  the  following  communication 
in  reply  to  his  letter: 

"Superintendency  of  Indian   Affairs, 
"St.  Louis,  May  28,  1831. 

"Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge 
the  receipt  of  your  letter  of  the  '26th  inst.. 
informing  me  of  your  having  considered  it 
necessary  to  call  out  a  force  of  militia  of 
about  seven  hundred  for  the  protection  of  t  he 
citizens  of  Illinois  who  reside  near  Rock 
Island  invasion  and  for  the  purpose  of  remov- 
ing a  band  of  Sac  Indians  who  are  now  about 
Rock  Island,  etc. 

' '  You  intimate  that  to  prevent  the  necessity 
of  employing  this  force,  perhaps  a  request 
from  me  to  those  Indians  to  remove  to  the 
west  side  of  the  Mississippi  would  effect  the 
object  of  procuring  peace  to  the  citizens  of 
your  state.  In  answer  of  which  I  would  beg 
leave  to  observe,  that  every  effort  on  my 
part  has  been  made  to  effect  the  removal  of 
all  those  tribes  who  had  ceded  their  lands. 
For  the  purpose  of  affording  you  a  view  (in 
part)  of  what  has  been  done  in  this  matter,  I 
enclose   you   herewith   extracts  from   the    re- 


ports of  the  agents  for  the  Sacs  and  Foxes, 
by  which  it  will  be  seen  that  every  means,- 
short  of  actual  force,  has  been  emplo\'ed  to 
effect  their  rcmo-\-al. 

"I  have  communicated  the  contents  of  your 
letter  to  General  fiaines,  who  commands  the 
western  division  of  the  army,  and  who  has 
full  power  to  act  and  execute  any  military 
movement  deemed  necessary  for  the  protec- 
tion of  the  frontier.  I  shall  also  furnish  him 
with  such  information  regarding  the  Sacs  and 
Foxes  as  I  am  possessed  of,  and  wouhl  beg 
leave  to  refer  you  to  him  for  any  further  pro- 
ceedings in  relation  to  this  subject.  I  have 
the  honor  to  be,  with  great  respect, 
"Your  obedient  servant, 

"Wm.  Clark. 

"His  Excellency,  .John  Reynolds,  Governor 
of  Illinois.  " 

Governor  Reynolds  certaiidy  meant  lousi- 
ness, for  on  the  same  day  he  sent  tlic  follow- 
ing letter: 

"Belleville,  May  28,  1831. 
"General  Gaines. 

"Sir:  I  have  received  undoubted  informa- 
tion that  the  section  of  this  state  near  Rock 
Island  is  actually  invaded  by  a-ho.stile  band 
of  the  Sac  Indians  headed  by  Black  Hawk; 
and  in  order  to  repel  said  invasion,  and  to 
protect  the  citizens  of  the  state,  I  have,  under 
the  provisions  of  the  constitution  of  the 
United  States  and  the  laws  of  this  state,  called 
on  the  militia,  to  the  number  of  700  men,  who 
will  be  mounted  and  ready  for  service  in  a 
very  short  time.  I  consider  it  my  duty  to 
lay  before  you  the  al)ove  information,  so  as 
you,  commanding  the  military  forces  of  the 
United  States  in  this  part  of  the  Union,  may 
adopt  such  measures  in  regard  to  said  Indians 
as  you  deem  right. 

"The  above  mentioned  mounted  volun- 
teers (because  such  they  will  be)  will  be  in 
readiness  immediately  to  move  against  said 
Indians,  and,  as  Executive  of  the  State  of 
Illinois,   I  respectfully  solicit  your  co-opera- 


32 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


tion  in  this  business.     Please  honor  me  with 
an  answer  to  this  letter. 

"With  sincere  respect  to  your   character, 
"I  am,  your  obedient  servant, 

"John  Reynolds." 

To  which  letter  General  Gaines  replied  as 
follows : 

"  H.  Q.  Western  Department,  May  29,  1831. 
"His  Excellency,  Governor  Reynolds. 

"Sir:  I  do  myself  the  honor  to  acknowl- 
edge the  receipt  of  your  letter  of  yesterday's 
date,  advising  me  of  your  having  received 
undoubted  information  that  the  section  of 
the  frontier  of  your  state  near  Rock  Island  is 
invaded  by  a  hostile  band  of  Sac  Indians 
headed  by  a  chief  called  Black  Hawk.  That 
in  order  to  repel  said  invasion,  and  to  protect 
the  citizens  of  the  state,  you  have  called  on 
the  militia  to  the  number  of  700  militiamen 
to  be  in  readiness  immediately  to  move 
against  the  Indians,  and  you  solicit  my  co- 
operation. 

"In  reply,  it  is  my  duty  to  state  to  you 
that  I  have  ordered  si.x  companies  of  the 
regular  troops  stationed  at  Jefferson  Bar- 
racks to  embark  tomorrow  morning  and 
repair  forthwith  to  the  spot  occupied  by  the 
hostile  Sacs.  To  this  detachment  I  shall,  if 
necessary,  add  four  companies.  With  this 
force  I  am  satisfied  that  I  shall  be  able  to 
repel  the  invasion  and  give  security  to  the 
frontier  inhabitants  of  the  state.  But  should 
the  hostile  band  be  sustained  by  the  residue 
of  the  Sac,  Fox  and  other  Indians  to  an  ex- 
tent requiring  an  augmentation  of  mj^  force, 
I  will,  in  that  event,  communicate  with  Your 
Excellency  by  express  and  avail  myself  of  the 
co-operation  which  you  propose.  But,  under 
existing  circumstances,  and  the  present  as- 
pect of  our  Indian  relations  on  the  Rock 
Island  section  of  the  frontier,  I  do  not  deem 
it  necessary  or  proper  to  require  militia,  or 
any  other  description  of  force,  other  than 
that  of  the  regular  army  at  this  place  and 
Prairie  du  Chien. 


•  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully, 
"Your  obedient  servant, 

"Edmund  P.  G.unes, 
"  Major-Gcneral  by  Brevet,  Command." 

General  Clark  the  following  day  forwarded 
to  the  War  Department  at  Washington  the 
following  communication : 

"Superintendency  of  Indian  Affairs, 
"St.  Louis,  May  30,  1831. 

"Sir:  On  the  28th  inst.  I  had  the  honor 
of  receiving  a  letter  from  the  Governor  of 
Illinois  dated  the  28th.  informing  me  of  the 
measures  which  he  had  considered  it  necess- 
ary to  pursue  for  the  protection  of  the  citizens 
of  his  state  from  Indian  invasion  and  for  the 
purpose  of  removing  a  band  of  Sacs  then 
about  Rock  Island.  A  copy  of  his  letter  and 
my  answer  herewith  enclosed. 

"Deeming  the  information  received  from 
the  Governor  of  Illinois  important,  I  immed- 
iate!}^ communicated  it  to  General  Gaines 
W'ho  happened  to  be  in  this  place  at  the  time, 
and  shortly  after  was  called  upon  by  Govern- 
or Reynolds  himself,  to  whom  I  gave  such 
information  respecting  the  Sacs  complained 
of  as  had  come  to  my  knowledge,  and  also 
furnished  him  with  such  of  the  reports  of  the 
agent  for  those  tribes  as  had  relation  to  the 
subject.  To  the  Commanding  General  I 
furnished  similar  information:  and  also  for 
the  purpose  of  possessing  him  of  the  views 
of  the  government  on  that  subject,  I  gave 
him  copies  of  such  of  my  correspondence  with 
the  War  Department  as  had  any  relation  there- 
to. 

"I  also  enclose  to  you  copies  of  two  reports 
of  the  agent  for  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  of  the 
15th  and  28th  inst.  By  the  first  it  will  be 
seen  that  the  band  complained  of  is  deter- 
mined to  keep  possession  of  their  old  village; 
and  it  is  probable  from  a  knowledge  of  the 
disposition  evinced  in  the  matter  by  the  Sacs 
and  for  the  purpose  of  dispossessing  them, 
that  the  Commanding  General  has  thought 
proper  to  make  a  display  in  that  quarter  of  a 


HISTORIC    ROCK    I  S  L A N D    COU N T Y 


33 


part  of  the  force  under  his  command,  six 
companies  of  which  are  now  leaving  this 
place  for  Rock  River.  The  exjiedition  (be 
the  result  what  it  may)  cannot  fail  of  pvo- 
diicing  good  effects,  even  should  the  Indians 
be  disposed  to  move  peaceably  to  their  own 
lands;  and  if  not,  their  opposition  should,  in 
my  opinion,  be  put  down  at  once. 

"I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  high  respect, 
"Your  most  obedient  servant, 

"  WlLLI.\lI  Cl.vhk. 
"The  Hon.  John  H.  Eaton,  Secretary  of  War." 

GAIXES    GOES    TO    FORT    AKMSTROXG. 

General  Gaines  immediately  proceeded  to 
Fort  Armstrong  and  upon  his  arrival  with  his 
troops  commenced  putting  the  fort  in  condi- 
tion to  withstand  a  siege  if  necessary.  The 
six  companies  he  brought  with  him  from  Jef- 
ferson Barracks  were  strengthened  by  four 
additional  companies-  from  Fort  Crawford, 
at  Prairie  du  Chien,  Wisconsin.  .\11  the 
settlers  in  this  vicinity  were  warned  of  im- 
pending danger  and  came  to  the  fort  with 
their  families,  bringing  their  horses,  cattle 
and  everything  of  value  that  could  be  carried. 
The  soldiers  began  target  practice,  and  morn- 
ing and  evening  guns  were  fired,  something 
not  heretofore  done.  June  5,  General  Gaines 
sent  for  Black  Hawk,  Keokuk,  Wapello  and 
other  chiefs  for  the  purpose  of  holding  a  coun- 
cil. Black  Hawk  came  to  the  council  attended 
by  all  his  chiefs  and  many  warriors,  all  in  war 
paint,  carrying  arms,  and  singing  war  songs. 
None  but  the  chiefs  were  allowed  to  enter  the 
fort,  and  here  in  the  presence  of  Keokuk, 
Wapello,  and  other  head  chiefs.  General 
Gaines  told  Black  Hawk  that  he  and  his  band 
must  move  west  of  the  Mississippi  River,  and 
that  if  they  did  not  go,  he,  Gaines,  would  move 
them  by  force.  Gaines  gave  the  Indians 
until  the  twentieth  in  which  to  move.  Pre- 
vious to  this  Black  Hawk  had  held  two 
inten-iews  with  the  Prophet,  a  AVinnebago 
living  at  his  village  where  Prophetstown  is 
now  located-     The  Prophet  claimed  to  have 


had  visions  or  dreams,  and  said  that  the 
white  soldiers  would  do  no  one  any  harm; 
that  their  object  was  merely  to  frighten  the 
Indians,  and  it  was  upon  this  information 
that  Black  Hawk  acted. 

GAINES    ASKS    AID    FROM    THE    GOVERNOR. 

After  the  council.  General  Gaines  at  once 
sent  by  special  messenger  the  following  letter 
to  Governor  Reynolds: 

"Headquarters,  Rock  Island,  June  5,  1831. 
"John  Reynolds,  Governor  of  Illinois. 

"Sir:  I  do  myself  the  honor  to  report  to 
Your  Excellency  the  result  of  my  conference 
with  the  chiefs  and  braves  of  the  band  of  Sac 
Indians  settled  within  the  limits  of  your  state 
near  this  place. 

"I  called  their  attention  to  the  facts  re- 
ported to  me  of  their  disorderly  conduct 
towards  the  white  inhabitants  near  them. 
They  disavow  any  intention  of  hostility  but 
at  the  same  time  adhere  with  stubborn  perti- 
nacity to  their  purpose  of  remaining  on  the 
Rock  River  land  in  question. 

"I  notified  them  of  my  determination  to 
move  them,  peaceably  if  possible,  but  at  all 
events  to  move  them  to  their  own  side  of  the 
Mississippi  River,  pointing  out  to  them  the 
apparent  impossibility  of  their  living  on 
lands  purchased  by  the  whites  without  con- 
stant disturbance.  They  contended  that 
this  part  of  their  country  had  never  been  sold 
by  them.  I  explained  to  them  the  different 
treaties  of  1804,  '16  and  '25,  and  concluded 
with  a  positive  assurance  that  they  must  move 
off,  and  that  I  must  as  soon  as  they  are  ready 
assist  them  with  boats. 

"I  have  this  morning  learned  that  they 
have  invited  the  Prophet's  band  of  Winne- 
bagoes  on  Rock  River,  with  some  Pottawat- 
omies  and  Kickapoos,  to  join  them.  If  I 
find  this  to  be  true,  I  shall  gladly  avail  nw- 
self  of  my  present  visit  to  see  them  well 
punished;  and,  therefore,  I  deem  it  to  be  the 
only  safe  measure  now  to  be  taken  to  request 
of  Your  Excellency  the  battalion  of  mounted 


34 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


men  which  you  did  mo  the  honor  to  .^ay 
would  eo-operale  with  me.  They  will  find  at 
this  post  a  supply  of  rations  for  the  men.  with 
some  corn  for  their  horses,  together  with  a 
supply  of  powder  and  lead. 

''I  have  deemed  it  expedient  under  all  the 
circumstances  of  the  case  to  invite  the  fron- 
tier inhabitants  to  bring  their  families  to  this 
post  until  the  difference  is  over. 

"I  have  the  honor  to  lie.  with  great  resjiect, 
"Your  obedient  servant. 

"Edward  P.  0.\iNi:.-i. 

"Major-General    by    I^revet,  Commanding. 

"P.  8.  Since  writing  the  foregoing  remarks. 
I  have  learned  that  the  Winnebagoes  and 
Pottawatomie  Indians  have  actuallv  been 
invited  by  the  Sacs  to  join  them.  P>ut  the 
former  evince  no  disposition  to  comply:  and 
it  is  supposed  liy  Colonel  Gratitit,  the  agent, 
that  none  will  join  the  Sacs,  except,  perhaps, 
some  few  of  the   Kickapoos.  E.   P.  G." 

This  letter  evidently  pleased  Governor  Rey- 
nolds for  he  said:  "I  was  very  much  rejoiced 
on  receiving  this  letter,  as  it  put  my  whole 
proceedings  on  a  legal  and  constitutional 
footing,  and  the  responsibility  of  the  war  was 
removed  from  me  to  the  United  States." 

THE  settlers'   AFFIDAVITS. 

While  at  Fort  Armstrong  the  settlers  had 
prepared  another  petition,  together  with 
numerous  affidavits,  which  they  presented  to 
General  Gaines.  The  following  is  the  sub- 
stance of  the  de])ositions  of  sundry  citizens 
of  the  Rock  River  .settlement,  taken  before 
William  Brasher,  J.  P.,  and  Joel  Wells,  J.  P.. 
on  the  10th  of  .Tune,  1S31. 

"First.  John  Wells,  John  W.  Spencer, 
Jonah  H.  Case,  Rennah  Wells,  Samuel  Wells, 
Benjamin  F.  Pike,  Joseph  Danforth  and 
Moses  Johnson,  before  Wm.  Brazer,  J.  P., 
swear  that  the  Sac  Indians  did  through  the 
last  year  repeatedly  threaten  to  kill  them  for 
being  on  their  ground,  and  acted  in  the  most 
outrageous  manner;  thi-ew  down  their  fences, 


burnt  or  destroyed  their  rails,  turned  horses 
into  their  cornfields  and  almost  destroyed 
their  crops,  stole  their  potatoes,  killed  and 
ate  their  hogs,  shot  arrows  into  their  cattle 
and  put  out  their  eyes,  thereby  rendering 
them  useless  to  their  ow-ners,  saj-ing  the  land 
was  theirs,  and  that  they  had  not  sold  it. 
In  April  they  ordered  the  deponents  to  leave 
their  hou.ses,  and  turned  from  fifty  to  one 
hundred  horses  into  one  man's  wheat  field, 
threatening  that  the  fields  should  not  be 
reaped,  although  said  owners  had  purchased 
the  land  of  the  United  States  government. 
The  Indians  also  leveled  deadly  w^eapons  at 
the  citizens,  and  on  some  occasions  hiu't  some 
of  the  said  citizens,  for  attempting  to  prevent 
the  destruction  of  their  property.  Also  that 
the  Indians  stole  their  horses,  some  of  which 
were  returned  by  the  agent  six  or  eight  months 
after,  and  in  a  miserable  condition :  others 
were  never  heard  of  again,  Xearly  fifty 
Indians  headed  by  their  notorious  war  chief, 
all  armed  and  equipped  for  war,  came  to  the 
house  of  Rennah  Wells,  and  ordered  him  to  be 
off  or  they  would  kill  him.  which,  for  the 
safety  of  his  family,  he  obeyed.  They  then 
went  to  another  house,  rolled  out  a  barrel  of 
whiskey  and  destroyed  it,  as  well  as  committing 
many  other  outrages  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
deponents. 

"Second.  John  Wells,  before  Joel  Wells, 
J.  P.,  swore  that  on  the  30th  day  of  Septem- 
ber, 1S30,  he  saw  two  Sac  Indians  throwing 
down  his  fence,  who  said  they  were  doing  it 
for  the  purpose  of  going  through,  in  which 
they  persisted  although  forbidden  by  the 
owner,  and  when  the  owner  attempted  to 
prevent  them,  one  of  them  made  a  pass  at 
him  with  his  fist,  and  drew-  his  knife  on  him. 

"Third.  Rennah  and  Samuel  Wells,  be- 
fore Joel  Wells.  J.  P.,  swore  that  on  the  29th 
of  May  a  party  of  Sac  Indians,  calling  them- 
selves chiefs,  with  Black  Hawk  at  their  head, 
came  to  the  house  of  Rennah  Wells,  near  the 
mouth  of  Rock  River,  and  said  that  he  must 
let  the  squaws  cultivate  his  field,  which  Wells 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


35 


refusing,  they  beciuno  much  displeased,  and 
told  him  to  go  off;  upon  Wells'  refii-sal  they 
went  away.  That  on  the  next  day  the  same 
chiefs,  with  about  fifty  warriors,  came,  armed, 
and  told  \\'ells  that  he  must  move  or  they 
would  cut  the  throats  of  himself  and  family, 
and  making  motions  to  that  effect,  upon  which 
said  Wells  told  them  that  he  would  take 
counsel  and  tell  them  at  three  o'clock  the 
next  day  w-hat  would  be  his  determinaton. 
They  consented,  and  went  away;  at  the  ap- 
pointed time  they  returned  and  told  Wells 
that  he  must  go  off,  which  he  accordingly 
did,  leaving  all  his  possessions  to  the  Indians. 

"Fourth.  Nancy  Thompson  and  Nancy 
Wells  before  W.  J.  Brasher,  swore  that  ■  in 
October,  1830.  two  Indians  residing  in  the 
village  forty  or  fifty  miles  above  the  mouth 
of  Rock  River,  and  called  Sacs  or  Winneba- 
goes,  came  to  the  house  of  Rennah  Wells 
and  commenced  chasing  some  sheep,  as  if  thej' 
would  kill  them.  Those  Indians  were  ordered 
to  desist,  upon  which  they  drew  their  knives 
and  made  at  the  woman,  who  being  alarmed, 
called  for  assistance.  Samuel  Wells  being 
sick  in  the  house  at  the  time,  ran  out  with  a 
pitchfork,  and  the  Indians  pursued  no  farther. 
London  L.  Case  heard  the  alarm  given,  and 
joined.  The  Indians  then  returned  to  the 
river  bank  eighty  or  one  hundred  yards  dis- 
tant; when  Case,  thinking  they  were  still  in 
pursuit  of  the  sheep,  went  to  ascertain  the 
truth,  and  coming  near  the  Indians  they 
wounded  him  severely  in  three  places  with  a 
knife  and  tomahawk. 

"Fifth.  Joseph  Danforth,  before  Joel  Wells, 
J.  P.,  swore  that  he  saw  Sacs  at  a  fence  be- 
longing to  John  Wells,  who  forbid  them  go- 
ing through,  when  they  continued  throwing 
down  the  fence.  Wells  attempted  to  prevent 
them,  when  one  of  the  Indians  strttck  him 
with  his  fist,  and  drew  his  knife.  Danforth 
got  a  stick,  and.  the  Indians  making  several 
attempts  toward  Danforth,  he  (Danforth) 
knocked  one  of  them  down  with  his  stick. 
The  Indian  rose  several  times  and  made  at 


Danfoi'th  with  hi.s  knife,  and^finally  deserted 
the  groimd,  leaving  his  knife." 

THE  .\GEXT  FEARS  TROUBLE. 

June  4,  General  Gaines  wrote  to  Henry 
Gratiot,  sub-Indian  agent,  to  investigate  the 
situation  at  the  Sac  village  at  once;  and  on 
the  twelfth  that  gentleman  sent  the  follow- 
ing reply: 

"Rock    Island,    June    12,    1831. 

"Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  report  to  you 
that,  agreeably  to  my  intimation  to  you  I 
visited  the  village  of  Sac  Indians  near  this 
place  yesterday  for  the  purpose  of  persuading 
off  the  Winnebago  Prophet  and  some  young 
men  of  his  band  whom  I  knew  had  previously 
been  there  and,  I  believe,  with  an  intention  to 
support  the  Sac  Indians.  I  found  that  the 
Prophet  had  just  left  there  for  his  village, 
which  is  within  my  agency  upon  Rock  River, 
and  although  he  had  previously  promised 
that  he  would  retiu-n  home  and  remain  there, 
I  have  reason  to  believe  that  his  object  is  to 
get  as  many  of  his  band  and  of  the  other 
bands  of  the,  Winnebagoes  (who  reside  at 
Rock  River,  within  my  agency)  as  he  can,  for 
the  purpose  of  joining  the  Sacs  and  of  sup- 
porting them  in  their  present  pretensions. 

"I  have  recently  been  at  some  of  the  prin- 
cipal villages  of  Winnebagoes  within  my 
agency,  and  have  ascertained  from  \mques- 
tionable  authority  that,  although  they  had 
been  invited  to  join  the  Sacs,  they  had  re- 
fused to  do  so.  I  think  it  will  be  prudent  for 
me  to  follow  the  Prophet,  to  prevent  him 
from  influencing  any  of  the  Indians  up  the 
river  to  join  him.  Should  I,  however,  find 
that  any  of  the  warriors  have  left  before  my 
arrival  amongst  them,  I  will  (if  you  think 
it  best)  return  immediately  to  this  place, 
bringing  with  me  three  or  four  influential 
chiefs,  who  can  be  relied  on  and  who  will, 
with  my  assistance,  I  think,  be  able  to  con- 
trol them. 

"In  my  opinion  there  are  at  least  400 
warriors  at  the  Sac  village  which  I  visited 


36 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


yesterday,  apparently  determined  to  defend 
themselves  in  their  present  position.  On  the 
receipt  of  your  letter  on  the  4th  inst.,  I 
immediately  hastened  to  this  place  with  a 
view  to  give  you  the  most  satisfactory  infor- 
mation upon  the  subject  of  it  and  tender  my 
ser\'ices  in  anj"^  way  you  may  think  useful. 
"I  am,  respectfully  yours. 
"Henry  Gr.\tiot,  Sub-Agent,  etc. 
"Major-General   Gaines." 

THE  ROCK  RIVER  RANGERS. 

At  the  suggestion  of  General  Gaines  the 
men  and  larger  boys  of  the  settlement  formed 
themselves  into  a  compan}\  elected  officers, 
and  named  themselves  "Rock  River  Rang- 
ers," and  tendered  their  ser\-ices  to  General 
Gaines,  who  accepted  the  company  of  fifty- 
eight  men,  and  mustered  them  into  the  ser- 
vice. No  record  of  this  company's  enroll- 
ment has  been  found,  it  probably  never  hav- 
ing been  forwarded  to  Washington.  Judge 
Spencer  in  his  "Reminiscences,"  gives  June 
5th  as  the  date.  The  following  is  a  roster  of 
the  company: 

Captain:  Benjamin  F.  Pike. 

First  Lieutenant:  John  W.  Spencer. 

Second  Lieutenant:  Griffith  Aubury. 

Sergeants:  James  Haskill,  Leonard  Bryant, 
Edward  Corbin. 

Corporals:  Charles  French,  Benjamin  Goble, 
Charles  Case.  Henry  Benson. 
Allen,  Archibald  Noble,  Amos  C. 

Brashar,  William  T.      Syms,  Thomas 


Bane,  John 
Bartlett,  Michael 
Been,  Joseph 
Case,  Jonah  H. 
Danforth,  Joseph 
Davis,  Thomas 
Dance,  Russell 
Frith,  Lsaiah 
Gardner,  Thomas 
Harlan,  George  W. 
Hultz,  Uriah  S. 
Hubbard,  Thomas 


Sj^ms,  Robert 
Sams,  William  F. 
Smith,  Martin  W. 
Stringfield,  Sevier 
Thompson,  Joel 
VandrufT,  Joshua 
Vandruff,  Henry 
Vandruff,  Samuel 
Vannetta,  Benjamin 
Vannetta,  Gorham 
Varner,  Edward 
Wells,  Levi 


Hubbard,  Goodridge 

Wells, 

George 

Henderson,  Cyrus 

Wells, 

Joel  Sr. 

Johnson,  Moses 

Wells, 

Joel,  Jr. 

Ivinney,  John  W. 

Wells, 

Huntington 

Kinney,  Samuel 

Wells, 

John 

Leek,  Conrad 

Wells, 

Samuel 

Levitt,  Thomas 

Wells, 

Rinnah 

McNeil,  Henry 

Wells, 

Asaph 

Miller,  George 

Wells, 

Eri 

McGoe,  Gentrv 

Wells, 

Ira 

THE  ILLINOIS   .SOLDIERS. 

Governor  Reynolds  in  defending  Ixis  posi- 
tion in  calling  out  the  militia  said:  "If  I  did 
not  act,  and  the  inhabitants  were  murdered 
after  being  informed  of  their  situation,  I 
would  be  cnndomned  from  Dan  to  Beersheba: 
and  if  I  levied  by  raising  troops,  when  there 
w£Cs  no  necessity  for  it,  I  would  also  be  re- 
sponsible." Governor  Reynolds  knew  that 
the  settlers  had  applied  to  the  Indian  agent 
and  the  military  officers  of  the  United  States 
and  had  obtained  no  relief,  and  he  says: 
"I  considered  it  my  duty  to  call  on  the  vol- 
unteers to  move  the  Indians  to  the  west  side 
of  the  Mississippi."  It  was  but  seventeen 
years  after  the  close  of  the  war  of  1812  and 
these  same  Sacs  and  Foxes  had  fought  the 
Americans  in  that  war.  There  were  many 
of  the  old  soldiers  still  young  enough  to 
enlist  and  they  inflamed  the  young  men  to 
appear  against  their  old  foe.  The  governor 
had  extracts  from  the  petitions  sent  him 
circulated  throughout  the  counties  from 
which  he  had  asked  for  troops.  Moreover, 
he  made,  as  he  saj-s,  "both  private  and  pub- 
lic speeches  to  the  masses,"  and  urged  the 
people  and  his  friends  to  turn  out  for  the 
defense  of  the  frontier.  He  adds:  "The 
warm  feelings  of  the  late  election  for  govern- 
or had  not  yet  died  away,  and  my  election- 
eering friends  converted  their  electioneering 
fever  into  the  militarj-,  which  was  a  powerful 
lever  in  the  crusade  for  Rock  Island." 

Although  it  was  the  most  busy  time  in  the 
year  with  the  farmers  some  1,600  responded 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


37 


to  the  governor's  call  and  appeared  at  Beards- 
town  on  or  about  the  10th  of  June.  Some 
were  armed  with  muskets,  some  with  shot- 
guns and  some  with  no  firearms  -whatsoever, 
but  all  were  mounted.  The  governor  man- 
aged to  purchase  enough  muskets  from  a 
Beardstown  merchant  for  the  remainder  of 
the  troops.  These  muskets  were  light  pieces, 
made  with  brass  barrels  for  the  South  Amer- 
ican service,  and  answered  the  purpose. 
The  governor  appointed  Joseph  Duncan, 
then  a  member  of  Congress  and  afterwards 
governor  of  this  state,  brigadier  general  to 
take  immediate  command  of  the  l)rigade, 
and  Samuel  Whiteside  a  major,  to  take  com- 
mand of  a  spy  battalion. 

This  army  left  its  encampment  near  Rush- 
ville  for  Rock  Island  June  15,  the  governor 
marching  with  the  brigade.  After  a  pleasant 
march  the  army  encamped  at  Rockport,  now 
Andalusia.  Here  there  had  been  previously 
erected  a  small  log  cabin  or  stockade,  which 
was  used  as  headquarters.  During  the  after- 
noon a  steamboat  arrived  at  the  encampment, 
coming  from  Fort  Armstrong,  loaded  with 
provisions.  The  camp  at  Rockport  was  laid 
out  according  to  military  practice,  pickets 
were  placed,  as  it  was  feared  the  Indians 
might  make  a  night  attack,  and  the  utmost 
vigilance  was  observed.  The  night  was  a 
beautiful  one  and  it  passed  off  quietly  without 
any  disturbance. 

GENERAL  GAINES  MAKES  A  DEMONSTRATION. 

On  the  18th  of  June,  General  Gaines  sent 
from  Fort  Armstrong  the  steamboat  Enter- 
prise, carrying  one  company  of  soldiers  and 
one  cannon.  The  boat  steamed  up  Rock 
River,  and  passed  the  Indian  village,  the  ob- 
ject being  to  overawe  and  intimidate  the 
Indians.  Black  Hawk  said:  "The  water 
being  shallow,  the  boat  got  around,  which 
gave  the  whites  some  trouble.  If  they  had 
asked  for  assistance,  there  was  not  a  brave  in 
my  bantl  who  would  not  willingly  have  aided 
them."     Judge  John  W.  Spencer  who  was  on 


the  boat  says:  "Strange  to  say,  although  a 
steamboat  was  seldom  seen  in  those  days, 
the  Indians  seemed  not  to  take  the  least 
notice  of  the  boat,  not  even  looking  at  it,  and 
even  the  women  and  children  showed  no  signs 
of  wonder  or  fear." 

PREPARE  TO  ATTACK. 

On  the  morning  of  June  20th,  bright  and 
early,  General  Duncan  marched  his  army 
from  Rockport  to  a  position  on  Rock  River 
opposite  the  Sac  village.  An  attempt  was 
made  to  ferry  the  troops  across,  but  it  proved 
too  slow,  and  General  Gaines  being  shown  a 
ford  by  George  S.  Miller,  the  army  marched 
across  through  the  water  to  Vandruff's 
Island.  General  Gaines  left  Fort  Armstrong 
on  the  steaml)oat  Enterprise,  which  had  been 
fortified,  and  which  carried  one  company  of 
regulars  and  several  cannon.  The  Enterprise 
entered  Rock  River  and  steamed  up  stream 
until  opposite  the  Sac  village  where  it  met 
General  Duncan's  army  with,  which  it  was  to 
co-operate.  The  other  nine  companies  of  reg- 
ular, together  with  the  Rock  River  Rangers, 
under  command  of  Captain  John  Bliss,  the 
then  commandant  of  Fort  Armstrong, 
marched  from  the  fort  to  the  Indian    town. 

Judge  Spencer  in  his  Reminiscences  says: 
"Major  Bliss  formed  our  company  of  Rock 
River  Rangers  in  an  extended  line  of  a  half 
mile  in  front  of  the  regulars,  with  one  cannon 
in  the  rear,  for  our  march  for  Rock  River. 
We  marched  near  where  the  road  is  now 
traveled  until  we  reached  General  Rodman's 
land,  then  turning  to  the  left  until  reaching 
the  top  of  the  bluff,  taking  the  direction  of 
Black  Hawk's  Watch  Tower.  On  arriving 
there,  we  planted  the  cannon  on  the  brow  of 
the  bluff  and  then  commenced  throwing 
grape  and  cannister  into  the  bushes  on  Van- 
druff's Island."  Vandruff's  Island  at  this 
time  was  covered  with  bushes  and  vines  so  as 
to  be  impenetrable  to  the  sight  at  a  distance 
of  twenty  feet.  The  Enterprise  was  run  to 
the   lower   point   of  the   island   and  several 


3S 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


rounds  of  grape  and  cannister  were  shot  into 
the  bushes  to  see  if  any  enemy  was  there. 
The  spy  battalion  under  Whiteside  then 
formed  a  line  of  battle  ;uul  swept  the  island. 
and  it  was  then  learned  that  the  north  bank 
of  Rock  River  was  so  near  and  so  high  that 
the  firing  had  no  effect.  General  Duncan's 
army  followed  in  the  wake  of  Whiteside's 
spy  battalion  and  before  thej^  got  to  the  north 
side  of  the  island  the  army  was  so  jammed  up 
and  mixed  together  that  no  one  knew  where 
his  company  or  regiment  was.  In  the  mean- 
time Captain  Bliss  with  the  regulars  and  the 
Rock  River  Rangers  had  learned  that  it  was 
impossible  from  that  distance  to  distinguish 
Indians  from  regulars  or  volunteers,  and  that 
their  shots  were  as  likely  to  kill  friend  as  foe. 
The  Indian  village  now  became  exposed  to 
view  but  no  Indians  were  to  be  seen.  The 
river,  narrow  but  deep,  lay  between  the  army 
and  the  village,  and  the  main  part  of  Duncan's 
army  remained  on  the  island  \mtil  scows  were 
foiuid  in  which  they  were  ferried  across." 

Black  Hawk  says:  "We  crossed  the  river 
during  the  night  and  encamped  some  distance 
below  Rock  Island."  He  said  he  would  have 
remained  and  been  taken  prisoner  by  the 
regulars  but  that  he  "was  afraid  of  the  multi- 
tude of  palefaced  militia,  who  were  on  horse- 
back, as  they  were  under  no  restraint  of  their 
chiefs." 

THE  ISUK.VIXli  OF  .S.AC  VILL.\GE. 

The  Illinois  militia  had  come  to  fight 
Indians  and  when  they  fo\md  the  redmen 
gone,  they  became  determined  to  be  avenged 
upon  something.  Shortly  after  they  reached 
the  Indian  village  it  began  to  rain  and  soon 
the  rain  descended  in  torrents,  and  early  the 
morning  of  the  26th,  the  troops  commenced 
setting  fire  to  the  houses.  Soon  the  frail 
dwellings  were  wrapped  in  flames  and  in  less 
than  one  hour's  time  almost  every  wigwam 
in  the  village  was  in  ashes.  Governor  Ford 
who  was  present  said:  ".-^nd  thus  perished 
an  ancient  village  which  had  once  been  the 


delightful  home  of  six  or  seven  thousand 
Indians;  where  generation  after  generation 
had  been  born,  had  died  and  been  buried; 
where  the  old  men  had  taught  wisdom  to  the 
young;  whence  the  Indian  youth  had  often 
gone  out  in  parties  to  hunt  or  to  war,  and  • 
returned  in  triumph  to  dance  aroimd  the 
spoils  of  the  forest,  or  the  scalps  of  their 
enemies;  and  where  the  dark-eyed  Indian 
maidens  by  their  presence  and  charm.s,  had 
made  it  a  scene  of  delightful  enchantment  to 
nianj'  an  admh-ing  warrior." 

THE  ST.\MPKDE. 

The  army  spent  the  night  at  the  Indian 
town,  the  regulars,  however,  going  back  to 
the  fort.  On  the  morning  of  .Time  26,  Gener- 
al Duncan  marched  his  army  to  the  Mississ- 
ippi River  and  encamped  on  the  exact  spot 
where  the  City  of  Rock  Island  is  now  located, 
the  camp  extending  from  where  the  Rock 
Island  Railway  Company's  freight  depot  is 
now  located  down  to  wheie  the  present  ferry 
dock  stands. 

The  horses,  some  sixteen  hundred,  were 
pastured  in  the  bend  of  the  river  below  and 
a  strong  guard  placed  around  them.  During 
the  second  night  a  steamboat  came  up  the 
ri\er  and  when  opposite  where  the  horses 
were  kept  commenced  blowing  its  whistle. 
This  imnatural  noise  at  night  so  frightened 
the  animals  that  they  broke  loose  and  stam- 
peded, and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  their 
guards  escaped  being  trampled  to  death. 
The  frightened  animals  ran  out  on  the  prairies, 
up  and  down  both  river  banks,  and  it  was 
several  days  before  they  could  be  recovered, 
some  few  however  being  lost. 

BLACK    HAWK    FORCED    TO    SIGX    THE    TKE.\TV. 

General  Gaines  on  the  27th  sent  a  notice 
to  Black  Hawk  that  if  he  did  not  come  to 
Fort  Armstrong  he  would  come  after  him 
with  his  army,  a  few  of  the  Indians  appeared 
but  not  Black  Hawk.  Gaines  then  sent  a 
peremptory  order  to  the  chief   and    in  a    few 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


39 


days  Black  Hawk  and  his  chiefs  and  head- 
men to  the  number  of  twenty-eight  appeared 
at  Fort  Armstrong,  and  on  June  30th,  1831, 
a  new  treaty  was  signed  by  which  the  British 
band  of  Sacs  again  agreed  to  make  their 
homes  on  the  west  side  of  the  Mississippi  and 
never  to  cross  such  river,,  except  with  the 
consent  of  the  President  of  the  United  States 
or  of  the  Governor  of  Illinois.  Black  Hawk 
signed  this  treaty  and  then  for  the  first  time 
ratified,  against  his  will,  the  treaty  of  1804. 
This  treaty  was  signed  by  General  Gaines 
and  Governor  Reynolds  for  the  United  States, 
and  by  Black  Hawk  and  twenty-seven  chiefs 
and  warriors  for  the  Sacs  and  Foxes.  The 
vohniteer  army  was  not  satisfied  with  the 
result  of  this  campaign  and  called  the  treaty 
a  "Corn  Treaty''  because  General  Gaines  had 
given  to  the  destitute  Indians  corn  to  keep 
them  from  starving.  The  army  was  dis- 
banded on  Jul}'  2d,  and  the  men  returned  to 
their  homes.  Not  a  man  was  injured  or 
killed,  either  by  accident  or  bj'  the  Indians: 
nor  did  any  die  of  disease,  and  strange  to  say 
none  ever  applied  for  a  pension.  This  ended 
the  first  Black  Hawk  campaign. 

For  a  long  time  after  the  signing  of  this 
treaty  there  was  considerable  discussion  and 
much  feeling  over  the  question  whether 
Generals  Gaines  and  Duncan  knew  that  Black 
Hawk  and  his  Indians  had  deserted  their 
village  on  the  night  of  the  19th  of  June. 
Thomas  Ford,  afterwards  Governor  of  Illinois, 
who  was  a  militia  volunteer  and  marched 
ahead  with  the  spies,  said: 

"Gaines  and  Duncan  had  reason  to  believe 
before  the  commencement  of  the  march  from 
the  camp  on  the  Mississippi,  that  the  Indians 
had  departed  from  their  village;  that  measures 
had  been  taken  to  ascertain  the  fact  before 
the  volunteers  crossed  to  Vandruff's  Island; 
General  Duncan,  in  company  with  the  ad- 
vanced guard,  following  the  spies,  preceded 
the  main  army  in  crossing,  and  that  this  will 
account  for  the  want  of  order  and  confusion 
in    the    march    of    the    troops."     When    the 


militia  arrived  opposite  the  Sac  village  the 
greatest  confusion  reigned  in  their  midst. 
George  S.  Miller,  a  resident  of  this  county, 
acted  as  guide,  and  when  it  became  known 
that  the  Indians  were  not  in  the  village, 
General  Duncan  began  to  reprimand  Miller 
for  not  letting  him  know  that  the  main  river 
was  on  the  north  side  of  Vandruff's  Island. 
Miller  cursed  him  to  his  face  at  the  head  of 
his  troops  for  refusing  his  services  as  a  guide 
when  offered  the  night  before,  and  also  cen- 
sured him  for  not  giving  information  which 
had  been  offered  him,  which  inclines  me  to 
the  belief  that  both  Generals  Gaines  and 
Diuu'an  knew  that  the  Indians  had  departed. 
As  witnesses  to  this  treaty  we  find  the 
names  of  two  Rock  Island  settlers,  Joseph 
Danforth  and  Benjamin  V.   I'ike. 

THE   ULAfK   HAWK   WAH. 

Black  Hawk  with  his  l)and  now  removed  to 
Iowa  near  the  mouth  of  the  Des  Moines 
River,  at  the  site  of  the  abandoned  Fort  Mad- 
ison. Neapope,  second  in  command,  took  a 
trip  to  Maiden,  Canada,  and  upon  his  return 
in  the  fall  of  1831,  told  Black  Hawk  that  he 
would    receive    assistance    from    the    British. 

The  Prophet,  whose  village  on  Rock  River 
was  where  Prophetstown,  Illinois,  now  is, 
and  who  had  great  influence  over  Black 
Hawk,  also  sent  word  that  the  Ottawas, 
("hippewas,  Pottawatomies  and  Winnebagoes 
would  be  with  him  and  would  render  aid. 
Black  Hawk  after  receiving  these  messages 
said:  "We  are  to  be  happy  once  more." 
Black  Hawk  now  directed  all  his  efforts  to 
getting  together  his  warriors  in  anticipation 
of  his  march  to  his  old  village  and  its  occupa- 
tion, and  prepared  for  an  attack  by  the  Amer- 
icans should  they  again  undertake  to  drive 
him  away.  The  ami}-  through  spies  was 
kept  informed  of  Black  Hawk's  actions,  and 
early  in  April,  Keokuk  sent  to  Fort  Arm- 
strong a  warning  that  Black  Hawk  was  about 
to  commence  his  march  to  reoccupy  his  old 
village. 


40 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


Again  messengers  were  sent  out  from  Fort 
Armstrong  to  warn  the  settlers  of  their  dan- 
ger and  advising  them  to  seek  shelter  at  once, 
either  at  Fort  Armstrong  or  in  the  stockade 
which  had  been  erected  around  the  trading 
store  of  Davenport  and  Farnham.  The 
most  daring  and  persevering  of  these  messen- 
gers was  Judge  John  W.  Spencer.  On  foot 
he  traveled  as  far  as  Dixon,  going  from  cabin 
to  cabin  somiding  the  alarm  and  advising  the 
settlers  to  seek  protecti(ni.  We  cannot  realize 
today  the  wild  excitement  and  dread  despair 
the  news  of  an  Indian  ujjrising  cavised  among 
our  pioneer  settlers.  Few  if  any  had  horses 
to  use  in  carrying  their  families  and  goods. 
Oxen  were  the  beasts  of  burden  and  the 
settlers  were  obliged  to  take  wliat  little  they 
could  and  carry  it  on  their  persons.  John 
Wakefield,  in  his  history  of  the  Black  Hawk 
War  wi'itten  in  1834,  gives  an  amusing  sketch 
of  the  excitement  attendant  upon  the  news 
of  the  expected  Indian  attack.  He  says: 
"In  the  eastern  part  of  the  state  the  people 
were  as  much  alarmed  as  in  the  northwest. 
DiH-ing  one  of  the  many  false  alarms  that 
'  The  Indians  are  coming'  a  family  was  living 
near  the  Irocjuois  River  that  had  no  horses 
l)ut  a  large  family  of  small  chiliiren.  Tlie 
father  and  mother  each  took  a  child  and  the 
rest  were  directed  to  follow  on  foot  as  fast  as 
possible.  The  eldest  daughter  also  carried 
one  of  the  children  that  was  not  able  to  keep 
up.  They  fled  to  the  river  where  they  had 
to  cross.  The  father  had  to  carry  over  all  the 
children  at  different  times  as  the  stream  was 
high  and  so  rapid  the  mother  and  daughter 
could  not  stem  the  current  with  such  a  l.iur- 
den.  When  they  all,  as  they  thought,  had 
got  over  they  started  when  the  cry  of  poor 
little  Susan  was  heard  on  the  opposite  bank 
asking  if  they  were  not  going  to  take  her 
with  them.  The  frightened  father  again 
prepared  to  plunge  into  the  strong  current 
for  his  child,  when  the  mother,  seeing  it, 
cried  out:  'Never  mind  Susan!  We  have 
succeeded  in  getting  ten  over  which  is  more 


than  we  expected  at  first  and  we  can  better 
spare  Susan  than  you,  my  dear.'  So  poor 
Susan,  who  was  only  about  four  years  old, 
was  left  to  the  mercy  of  the  frightful  sav- 
ages." But  little  Susan  came  off  unhurt,  as 
one  of  the  neighbors  who  was  out  hunting 
came  along  and  took  charge  of  her. 

THE  TURKEY  SCARE. 

All  the  settlers  in  this  vicinity  had  come  to 
Fort  Armstrong  and  taken  quarters  there  or 
in  the  stockade,  l)oth  of  which  were  over- 
crowded. After  the  first  scare,  the  settlers 
wanted  to  go  back  to  their  farms  and  do 
their  spring  planting.  Captain  Bliss,  who 
commanded  at  the  fort,  yielded  to  their  re- 
quest, and  arranged  with  them  a  signal  of 
alarm  in  case  the.v  or  any  of  them  should  be 
attacked,  or  were  in  imminent  danger  of  an 
attack,  which  signal  was  that  they  should 
"fire  off  a  gun."  When  such  gun  was  fired, 
every  one  should  flee  to  the  Island.  .\]n-\\ 
7.  Joshua  \'andruff  and  Hackley  Samms, 
while  crossing  Vandruff  Island,  saw  a  flock 
of  wild  turkeys.  They  could  not  resist  the 
temptation  and,  creeping  within  raitge.  fired 
their  guns  at  the  flock,  each  man  bringing 
down  his  l>ir(l.  Tlie  noise  of  the  two  guns 
c()\ild  be  heard  all  over  the  settlement  and  it 
caused  the  greatest  excitement,  filling  the 
hearts  of  the  settlers  with  terror.  Mothers 
caught  their  children  and  fled  towards  the 
fort.  Those  who  had  horses  and  were  plow- 
ing, hastily,  unhitched  the  animals,  loaded 
their  families  upon  the  horses  and  started  to- 
wards the  fort.  It  is  said  some  of  the  settlers 
fled  pell-mell,  leaving  their  families  to  take 
care  of  themselves.  Vandruff  and  Samms 
soon  realized  the  mistake,  especially  Joshua, 
when  he  encountered  his  wife  and  their  ten 
children,  running  towards  the  fort.  When 
the  settlers  reached  the  Mississippi  they 
crowded  the  few  skiffs  tied  to  the  shore  and 
some  came  near  being  drowned.  Captain 
Bliss  had  heard  the  gun-shots  and  hastily 
called  together  a  company  of  his  regulars  and 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


41 


started  to  meet  the  Indians,  while  Captain  Phil 
Kearney,  who  was  left  in  command  of  the 
fort,  began  preparing  it  for  a  siege.  Bliss  and 
his  men  got  nearly  to  Rock  River  when  they 
met  Vandruff  and  Samms  running  after  the 
fleeing  settlers  trying  to  explain  the  mistake. 
When  these  two  told  the  captain  "how  it 
happened,"  it  is  said  the  air  became  impreg- 
nated with  sulphur,  so  loud  and  vehemently 
did  that  warrior  swear.  For  many  years  after- 
wards, the  "turkey  scare"  was  a  tender  spot 
with  Vandruff  and  Samms. 

BLACK  HAWK  STARTS. 

TIic  6th  of  April,  1S32.  Black  Hawk,  with 
about  1,00U  Indians,  including  warriors, 
women,  old  men  and  children,  together  with  all 
their  possessions,  crossed  the  Mississippi  at 
Yellow  Banks  (Oquawka)  and  leisurely  pro- 
ceeded up  the  east  bank  of  the  river  to  Rock 
River  and  thence  up  that  river  opposite  to 
his  old  village  where  he  camped  the  night  of 
April  12.  The  next  morning  he  started  for 
the  Prophet's  village  with  the  intention,  as 
he  said,  "  to  make  corn."  There  is  and  always 
has  been  a  question  whether  Black  Hawk, 
when  he  crossed  the  Mississippi  River  and 
invaded  Illinois  in  1832,  intended  attacking 
the  Americans,  or  merely  again  occupying 
his  village  with  the  intention  of  resisting 
forcible  removal,  or  whether  he  intended 
going  to  the  Prophet's  village  merely  to  raise 
a  crop.  If  he  wanted  merely  to  raise  a  crop, 
he  could  have  done  that  as  easily  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Des  Moines  River  as  at  Prophetstown. 
From  Black  Hawk's  biography  we  learn  that 
the  trip  to  Prophetstown  was  part  of  his  plan 
to  again'  get  control  of  the  site  of  his  ancient 
village  and  his  cornfields.  He  tells  us  that 
while  at  the  Des  Moines  "I  concluded  that  I 
had  better  keep  my  band  together,  and  re- 
cruit as  many  more  as  possible,  so  that  I 
would  be  prepared  to  make  the  attempt  to 
rescue  my  village  in  the  spring."  He  then, 
as  he  says,  "tried  to  recruit  braves  from 
Keokuk's  band,"  and  "requested  my  people 


to  rendezvo\is  at  that  place,  and  sent  out  sol- 
diers to  bring  in  the  warriors,  and  stationed 
my  sentinels  in  a  position  to  prevent  any  from 
moving  up  until  all  were  ready." 

The  taking  with  him  his  women,  children 
and  old  men  would  indicate  that  he  did  not 
on  that  trip  contemplate  war,  as  no  Indian 
war  party  ever  carries  with  it  the  women  or 
children.  Black  Hawk  undoubtedly  intended 
taking  his  women  and  children  to  the  Pro- 
phet's village,  there  to  leave  them  to  make 
a  crop,  and  during  the  summer  continue  his 
recruiting  and  possibly  in  the  fall  occupy 
his  village.  For  had  he  intended  going  to  war 
at  once  he  would  have  stop])pd  at  his  village 
and  there   made  his  defense. 

At  Yellowbanks  the  Prophet  met  Black 
Hawk,  and  made  a  talk  to  his  braves,  telling 
them  "that  as  long  as  they  were  peaceable, 
the  Americans  would  not  dare  molest  them. 
That  we  were  not  yet  ready  to  act  otherwise. 
We  must  wait  until  we  ascend  Rock  River 
and  receive  o\u'  reinforcements  and  we  will 
then  be  able  to  withstand  an  army." 

GENERAL     ATKINSON      COMES     TO     FORT     ARM- 
STRONG. 

On  J>me  31,  1831,  a  war  party  of  nearly 
lUO  Sacs  and  Foxes  had  attacked  a  camp  of 
Menominees  situated  about  one  half  a  mile 
about  Fort  Crawford  at  Prairie  du  Chien  and 
killed  twenty-five.  Black  Hawk  says  the 
killed  were  Sioux  and  Menominees.  Be- 
tween the  former  and  the  Sacs  and  Foxes 
there  had  always  been  a  bitter  and  hostile 
feeling.  April  1,  1S32,  General  Henry  Atkin- 
son, then  commanding  Jefferson  Barracks  at 
St.  Louis,  received  orders  to  pro('eed  up  the 
Mississippi  and  demand  from  the  Sacs  and 
Foxes  the  principals  engaged  in  the  nuu-dcr 
of  the  Menominees.  Atkinson  left  St.  Jjouis 
April  8,  with  six  companies  of  the  Sixth  Regi- 
ment. 220  men  accompanying  the  expedition. 
Albert  Sidney  Johnson,  afterwards  a  Confed- 
erate general,  was  a  second  lieutenant  in  this 
command. 


42 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


April  10.  Atkinson's  army  reached  the  Des 
^Toines  Rapids,  where  they  were  informed 
that  Black  Hawk  and  his  warriors  were 
marching  up  the  river.  The  army  now  has- 
tened to  Fort  Armstrong,  arriving  there  the 
night  of  the  Tith.  The  loth,  General  Atkin- 
son called  the  Indians  then  in  that  vicinity  to 
the  fort.  Among  those  who  came  were  Keo- 
kuk and  Wapello.  Atkinson  demanded  the 
murderers  of  the  Menominees  and  these  two 
disclaimed  any  part  in  that  aflfair.  General 
Atkinson  then  started  for  Fort  Crawford  and 
also  sent  out  messengers  to  warn  the  settlers 
of  Black  Hawk's  coming.  On  the  19th  of  the 
month.  General  Atkinson  returned  to  Fort 
Armstrong.  .Accompanying  him  was  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel  Zachary  Taylor,  afterwards 
President  of  the  United  States,  and  two  com- 
panies of  the  First  Infantry.  Before  leaving 
Fort  Armstrong.  General  Atkinson  had  sent 
a  letter  to  Ciovernor  Reynolds  asking  for  state 
aid. 

.A.fter  Black  Hawk  passed  his  old  village, 
General  Atkinson  sent  Captain  Phil  Kearney 
up  Rook  River  after  him,  with  orders  for 
Black  Hawk  to  return  and  recross  the  Miss- 
issippi, which  order  Black  Hawk  refused  to 
obey,  claiming  his  mission  was  a  peaceful  one. 

The  news  that  Black  Hawk  and  his  war- 
riors were  again  marching  up  Rock  River 
alarmed  the  whole  northern  frontier  and  the 
Governor  daily  received  messages  asking  pro- 
tection. George  Davenport,  the  Indian  tra- 
der on  Rock  Island,  had  before  General 
Gaines'  arrival  written  him:  ''From  everj' 
information  I  have  received,  I  am  of  the 
opinion  that  the  intention  of  the  British  band 
of  Sac  Indians  is  to  commit  depredations  on 
the   inhabitants  of  the  frontier." 

THE  governor's   PROCLAMATION. 

April  16.  Governor  Reynolds  received 
General  Atkinson's  letter,  asking  the  assist- 
ance of  the  state  militia.  Promptly  on  the 
same  day  the  Governor  issued  the  following 
proclamation: 


"to     the     militia      of     the     NORTHWESTERN 
SECTION  OF  THE  STATE. 

'■  Fellow-  Citizens: 

"Your  country  requires  your  services. 
The  Indians  have  assumed  a  hostile  attitude 
and  have  invaded  the  state  in  violation  of  the 
treaty  of  last  summer.  The  British  band  of 
Sacs  and  other  hostile  Indians,  headed  by 
Black  Hawk,  are  in  possession  of  the  Rock 
Ri\er  country  to  the  great  terror  of  the  fron- 
tier inhabitants.  I  consider  the  settlers  on 
the  frontier  to  be  in  imminent  danger.  I  am 
in  possession  of  the  above  information,  from 
gentlemen  of  resjjectable  standing,  and  also 
from  General  .Atkinson,  whose  character 
stands  high  with  all  classes.  In  possession  of 
the  above  facts  and  information,  I  have  not 
hesitated  as  to  the  course  I  should  pursue. 
No  citizen  ought  to  remain  inactive  when 
his  country  is  invaded,  and  the  helpless  part 
of  the  community  are  in  danger.  I  have 
called  out  a  strong  detachment  of  militia  to 
rendezvous  at  Beardstown  on  the  22d  inst. 
Provisions  for  the  men  and  food  for  the  horses 
will  be  furnished  in  abundance. 

I  hope  my  coimtrymen  will  realize  my  ex- 
pectations and  offer  their  services,  as  hereto- 
fore, with  promptitude  and  cheerfulness,  in 
defence  of  their  country." 

The  season  was  wet  and  backward,  and 
the  farmers  had  lieen  delayed  in  their  work 
but,  as  in  the  year  1831,  volunteers  were 
eager  and  willing  to  offer  their  ser^-ices,  many 
of  the  most  influential  men  in  the  state  en- 
listing and  many  who  neither  had  horses  or 
could  procure  them,  marching  on  foot. 

April  27,  the  militia  left  Rushville  and 
marched  to  Yellow  Banks  (Oquawka)  from 
whence  they  marched  up  the  Mississippi  to 
the  mouth  of  Rock  River  which  they  reached 
May  7.  General  Atkinson  mustered  the 
troops  into  the  service  of  the  United  States, 
and  May  9  they  commenced  their  march  up 
Rock  River.  Before  marching  Governor  Rey- 
nolds engaged  the  sersdces  of  Thomas  Ivinney, 
a  Rock  Island  settler  as  a  guide,  Mr.  Kinney 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


43 


being  able  to  understand  a  little  of  the  Sac 
language.  In  the  march  up  the  river,  Gen- 
eral Whiteside  with  the  Illinois  Volunteers 
marched  on  the  east  side.  While  General 
Atkinson,  with  four  hundred  regulars  came, 
some  on  the  west  side  and  some  in  boats  with 
the  supplies.  With  Atkinson  was  Colnnel 
Zachary  Taylor. 

A    ROCK    ISL.\ND    CO.MP.AXY. 

It  seems  the  martial  spirit  of  the  citizens 
of  Rock  Island  County  was  not  stilled  or 
satisfied  by  the  march  of  the  Rock  River 
Rangers  in  1831  from  Fort  Armh^tronj;  to  the 
8ac  village,  for  in  1832  we  find  one  company 
enrolled  in  the  service  where  every  menil>(>r 
save  one  was  from  Rock  Island  County,  that 
one  beinu-  a  brother  of  the  captain,  and  he 
came  from  Adams  County  to  enlist  under  liis 
brother.  The  following  is  from  the  rolls  as 
corrected  and  now  on  file  iia  the  \A  ar  Depart- 
ment at  Washinjrton. 

They  all  resided  in  Rock  Island  County, 
with  the  exception  of  Thomas  Kenney,  who 
was  from  Adams  County. 

Captain,  John  W.  Kenney,  enrolled  May  20, 
1832;  First  Lieutenant.  Joseph  Danforth.  en- 
rolled May  20;  Privates,  Thomas  Davis,  en- 
rolled May  20;  Manly  Danforth,  enrolled  July 
1;  Samuel  Danforth,  enrolled  May  20:  Sam- 
uel Kenney,  enrolled  May  20,  on  furlough; 
Thomas  Kenney,  enrolled  June  12:  Gentry 
McGee,  enrolled  May  20;  Henry  McNeal,  en- 
rolled May  20;  Neel  McNeal,  enrolled  July  1; 
James  Maskal,  enrolled  May  20;  Martin  Smith, 
enrolled  May,  20;  William  H.  Sannns,  en- 
rolled July  1;  Joel  Thompson,  enrolled  May 
20;  William  Thompson,  enrolled  May  20;  Ira 
Wells,  enrolled  May  20;  Eri  Wells,  enrolled 
May  20;  Asaph  Wells,  enrolled  :\Iay  20;  Nel- 
son Wells,  enrolled  May  20;  Raniuih  ^^'ells 
enrolled  May  20;  Jeol  Wells,  Jr.,  enrolled  May 
20;  Joel  Wells,  Sr.,  enrolled  May  20;  Luke 
Wells,  Sr.,  enrolled  May  20. 

After  being  received  into  the  I'nited  States 
service  at  Fort  Armstrong,  this  company  was 


assigned  to  Colonel  Moore's  regiment  and 
nuirched  up  Rock  River  to  Dixon,  where  it 
was  assigned  to  art  odd  mounted  battalion, 
commanded  by  Major  Samuel  Bogart,  and 
was  ordered  to  do  guard  duty  on  the  frontier. 
It  was  mustered  out  September  4,  1832,  at 
Macomb, 

The  companies  composing  this  odd  bat- 
talion were:  Captains  Peter  Butter's  of  War- 
ren County,  John  W,  Kenne}''s  of  Rock  Island 
County,  James  White  of  Hancock  County, 
John  Sain's  of  Fulton  County,  William  Mc- 
]\Iurty's  of  Knox  County  and  Asel  F.  Ball's 
of  Fulton  County.  It  is  impossible  to  learn 
just  what  duty  the  battalion  did  to  which 
the  Rock  Island  ccunpany  was  assigned. 
Reynolds  in  "My  Own  Times"  says:  "On 
tlip  12th  of  June  I  ordered  a  battalion  to  be 
organized  and  to  select  their  officers,  to  gviard 
the  frontiers  between  the  ^lississippi  and 
Peoria  on  the  north  of  Illinois  River,  Sam- 
uel Bogart  was  elected  major  of  the  battalion," 

From  another  attthority,  I  learn  that  the 
company  did  guard  diitj-  on  the  frontier, 
drew  its  rations  daily,  ate  heartily,  played 
euchre  and  received  the  remunerative  sum 
of  86  cents  per  day  for  each  man  and  his 
horse.  Samuel  Bogart,  the  major  of  the  odd 
battalion  to  which  Kenney's  company  was 
attached,  was  before  enlistment  a  merchant 
in  McDonough  County, 

OTHER    ROCK    ISLAND    SOLDIERS. 

Rock  Island  County  fm-nished  more  sol- 
diers than  those  given  in  Captain  John  W. 
Kenney's  company.  Yet,  I  have  been  able 
to  trace  but  few  owing  to  the  fact  that  the 
rolls  are  by  no  means  complete.  A  large  num- 
ber joined  the  state  militia  and  were  never 
sworn  into  the  United  States  ser\  ice,  conse- 
quently no  lecord  was  kept  and  their  names 
will  rcunain  forever  unknown.  I  have  fre- 
quently' heard  certain  of  oiu-  old  citizens 
claim  to  have  been  in  the  Black  Hawk  War, 
and  have  made  diligent  search  for  their  names, 
I  give  in  this  sketch  only  such  names  as  ap- 


44 


HISTORIC    ROCK   ISLAND    COUNTY 


pear  on  record  in  the  rejiorts  of  the  war  de- 
partment. 

All  enlistments  were  from  twenty  to  thirty 
days  and  a  great  many  enlisted  in  another 
company  on  the  same  day  that  their  term  of 
enlistment  in  one  company  expired. 

KOSWELL  U.  SPKNCER. 

Roswell  H.  Spencer  was  a  brother  of  Judge 
John  W.  Spencer  and  was  one  of  the  very  early 
settlers.  He  seems  to  have  been  an  ardent 
patriot,  having  three  enlistments  to  his  credit, 
ser\'ing  out  each  enlistment,  and  npon  his 
term  of  service  expiring  again  enlisting  in  a 
new  company.  He  enlisted  first  in  Captain 
Thomas  Carlin's  company  which  lielonged  to 
what  was  known  as  the  spy  battalion.  He 
was  enrolled  May  10  at  Rock  Island,  and 
mustered  out  May  27  at  the  mouth  of  the  Fox 
River.  He  again  enlisted  May  27,  1832,  in 
Captain  A.  W.  Snyder's  company  and  was 
mustered  out  of  service  Juno  21,  at  Dixon's 
Ferry  on  Rock  River.  The  same  day  we  find 
him  again  enlisting  in  Captain  Jacob  M. 
Early's  company  and  he  was  mustered  out  on 
White  Water  River  on  Rock  River,  July  10, 
1832,  by  order  of  Brigadier  General  Atkinson, 
United  States  Army.  This  was  one  of  the 
companies  in  which  Abrah.-im  Lincoln  served 
as  a  private. 

JAMES  KNETSAR. 

James  Knetsar,  who  for  many  years  lived 
in  Moline  and  who  died  there  in  the  eighties, 
was  a  member  of  Captain  David  Powell's 
company  of  mounted  volunteers.  He  enlisted 
in  White  County  on  June  16th,  and  was 
mustered  out  of  the  service  on  August  2d  at 
Dixon's  Ferry  (Dixon).  The  original  records 
give  his  name  as  "James  Netson."  but  they 
have  since  been  corrected.  Mr.  Knetsar 
lost  his  horse,  saddle  and  bridle  in  the  sen-ice. 

REDDISH,  THE  TUNNELS  AND  EAMES. 

In  Captain  Thomas  Carlin's  company,  we 
find  enrolled  \vith  Roswell  H.  Spencer,  John 
Reddish,  who  enlisted  at   Rock  Island   May 


10;  Luther  Tunnel  and  William  Ttmnel,  who 
were  also  enrolled  that  day.  The  records 
show  that  the  night  of  May  22,  Luther  Tunnel 
lost  his  horse,  account  "affright  of  horses," 
there  being  a  stampede  that  night.  This 
company  was  part  of  an  odd  battalion  of 
spies,  commanded  by  Major  D.  Henry  of  the 
brigade  of  mounted  volunteers  commanded 
by  Brigadier  General  Samuel  Whiteside.  It 
w'as  mustered  out  of  the  service  of  the  United 
States  at  the  mouth  of  Fox  River  on  the 
Illinois  River  May  27,  1832,  and  as  the  com- 
pany was  originally  mustered  in  at  Carrcflton, 
the  men  were  discharged  two  himdred  and 
thirty  miles  from  the  place  of  their  enroll- 
ment. 

John  Reddish  was  also  in  Captain  Samuel 
Smith's  compan}-,  servuig  from  May  27  to 
Jime  15. 

Charles  Eamcs,  who  was  sheriff  of  this 
county  from  1837  to  1839,  was  a  member  of 
Captain  Enoch  Dimcan's  company  of  mounted 
riflemen,  commanded  by  Colonel  H.  Dodge. 
He  enlisted  in  company  with  his  brother  May 
19,  1S32.  He  was  mustered  out  of  the  sendee 
September  14. 

THE  WELLS  FAMILY. 

The  Wells  family  seems  to  have  been  a 
family  of  fighters.  We  find  eleven  of  them 
enrolled  in  the  company  of  Rock  River 
Rangers  in  1831,  and  in  1832  we  find  eight  of 
these  enrolled  in  Captain  Kinney's  company. 
Lucius  Wells  and  John  Wells  were  with 
Spencer  in  Captain  A.  W.  Snyder's  company 
and  were  present  and  participated  in  the 
battle  of  Kellogg's  Grove.  Samuel  Wells 
was  also  a  member  of  Captain  Seth  Pratt's 
company  of  Illinois  Volunteer  Militia,  sta- 
tioned at  Fort  Armstrong,  in  the  sendee  of 
the  United  States  from  April  21  to  June  3, 
1832. 

CAPTAIN    SETH   PRATT's    COMPANY. 

I  find  a  company  of  Illinois  Volunteer 
Militia  was  stationed  at  Fort  Armstrong  and 
was  in  the  service  of  the  United  States  from 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


45 


April  21  to  June  3,  1832,  when  it  was  ninstored 
out.  This  company  did  garrison  duty.  The 
records  say  it  was  composed  of  men  from 
Rock  Island  and  adjacent  counties,  but  I 
have  been  unable  to  place  but  one,  he  being 
Samuel  Wells.     The  ro.ster  of  the  company  is: 

Captain:  Seth  Pratt. 

Lieutenants:  John  il.  Crabtree,  Joseph 
I.eister. 

Sergeants:  Simpson  Stewart,  William  B. 
Sisk,  Elihu  Sparks,   .\braham  Crabtree. 

Corporals:  James  Stockson,  George  Yates, 
James  Keller,  James  Curry.  Thomas  Biu'ton. 

Fifer:  James  Carr. 

Privates:  Gordon  Acton,  Nathan  P>rad!.i\u'y, 
Henry  Brantly,  C.  Girdwell,  Isaac  liooth, 
Daniel  Brock,  Amos  Bradley,  John  J^radshaw, 
John  M.  Bohvare,  Henry  Castlebury,  Stejihen 
L.  Cooper,  John  Davis,  Sanuiel  Smith,  Hem-y 
Ford,  William  Foster,  Isaac  GuUiher,  Parnell 
Hamilton,  Harrison  Hunly,  William  Hopper, 
Alfred  Jackson,  Jonathan  Leighton,  Nicholas 
Long,  James  M.  Low,  Iredell  Lawrence,  Mar- 
tin Langston,  Samuel  Wells,  Larkin  B.  Lang- 
ston,  John  Letcher,  Henry  .Melton,  Francis 
McConnell,  Frederick  McDaniel,  James  New, 
Wm.  C.  Overstreet,  John  Pervine,  William 
Pointer,  Jonathan  Russ,  .\ndrews  Smothers, 
Isaac  Schmick. 

Benjamin  Gobel  in  his  reminiscenses  speaks 
of  joining  a  companj^  and  doing  guard  duty 
at  the  fort,  but  I  do  not  find  his  name  on  the 
roster. 

At  the  commencement  of  hostilities.  Gov- 
ernor Reynolds  of  Illinois,  appointed  George 
Davenport,  the  Indian  trader  on  the  island, 
one  of  the  quartermasters,  his  commission 
giving  him  the  rank  of  colonel,  by  which  title 
he  was  afterwards  known. 

The  volunteer  army  after  a  hard  inarch, 
reached  Dixon  on  the  evening  of  i\lay  lOth, 
ahead  of  the  regulars.  Black  Hawk  and  his 
Indians  had  in  the  meantime  reached  the 
Prophet's  village  and  had  sent  word  to  the 
Pot  taw-atomies  asking  them  to  meet  him  in  a 
council    on    Sycamore    Creek,    (since    called 


Stillman's  Run.)  The  Pottawatomies  were 
divided.  Shaubena,  their  highest  chief,  fav- 
ored the  whites,  but  Big  l''oot  and  Mike  Girty, 
a  half-breed,  were  for  war.  When  White- 
sides  arrived  at  Dixon,  he  fotuid  there  aliead  of 
him  two  independent  Vjattalions,  in  all  three 
hundred  and  forty-one  men.  The  one  was 
commanded  by  Major  Isaiah  Stillman,  the 
other  liy  Major  IX'iA'id  Bailey.  These  com- 
mands objected  to  joining  the  main  army 
except  as  rangers,  they  said  they  had  come  to 
"fight  Indians"  and  believed  if  they  were 
allowed,  they  could  go  out  and  in  a  few  days 
end  tlie  trouble.  .4fter  much  pei-suasion. 
General  Whitesides  allowed  Majors  Stillman's 
and  Bailey's  battalions  to  go  on  a  scouting 
expedition,  and  on  the  morning  of  May  13, 
they  set  out.  In  the  afternoon  of  the  14th, 
they  ]iitched  camp  al)out  Ihree  miles  from 
Sycamore  ('reek.  Black  Hawk  with  forty  of 
his  Indians  were  but  three  miles  from  the 
camp  of  the  whites.  The  Indians  were  pre- 
paring a  dog  feast  for  the  visiting  Pottawat- 
omies. Le.arning  that  a  body  of  white  sol- 
diers were  making  camp.  Black  Hawk  sent 
three  of  his  young  men  with  a  white  flag  to 
talk  with  the  w-hites,  and  to  arrange  for  a 
council  with  White  Beaver  (.\tkinson).  When 
the  Indian  party  was  still  a  mile  awa3^  they 
were  perceived  by  the  volunteers  and  almost 
the  whole  cam])  rushed  out  and  captured  the 
Indian  envoys,  and  hurried  them  into  camp. 
Black  Hawk  had  sent  five  other  Indians  to 
follow  those  bearing  a  white  flag,  to  watch 
and  see  how  the  others  were  received.  When 
the  whites  perceived  the  second  party,  about 
twenty  of  the  mounted  vobniteers  started  in 
pursuit  and  killed  two  of  the  Indians,  the 
other  three  escaped  and  returned  to  where 
]51ack  Hawk  and  his  thirty-five  braves  were 
in  camp.  When  Black  Hawk  heard  of  how 
his  flag  bearers  had  been  treated  he  prepared 
his  braves  to  meet  the  whites,  who  were  now 
all  in  hot  pursuit.  The  Indians  withdrew 
behind  a  fringe  of  bushes  and  when  the  vol- 
unteers came  within  close  range    the  Indians 


46 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


fired  a  volley.  The  volunteers  fled,  pursvied 
by  part  of  the  Indians.  Night  fall  ended  the 
phase.  Stillman's  and  Bailey's  hrisrade  kept 
up  the  flight  until  they  reached  Dixon,  twen- 
ty-five miles  away.  Many  of  them  never 
went  to  Dixon,  but  started  for  their  own 
homes.  The  report  went  out  that  the  whites 
had  been  defeated  by  Black  Hawk  and  about 
two  thousand  warriors.  The  number  of 
whites  killed  was  eleven.  While  the  number 
of  Indians  was  three.  One  of  the  latter  being 
one  of  the  flag  bearers,  the  two  others  being 
of  the  party  of  five  that  had  followed  the  flag 
bearers. 

It  has  been  said  that  Stillman's  and  Bailey's 
men  were  under  the  influence  of  liquor,  that 
they  had  taken  with  them  several  barrels  of 
whiskey,  and  they  were  indulging  freely  in 
drink  just  before  the  Indian  flag  bearers  ap- 
peared on  the  scene. 

The  firing  on  the  flag  of  truce  was,  to  say 
the  least,  dishonorable  treatment.  Had  the 
whites  received  tlie  truce  bearers  in  the  prop- 
er manner,  there  is  no  donbt  that  such  ar- 
rangements would  have  been  made  that 
hostilities  would  never  have  commenced,  and 
Black  Hawk  and  his  Indians  would  have 
-  retnrned  to  the  west  bank  of  the  Mississippi. 

Black  Hawk  and  his  band  were  almost 
destitnte  of  provisions  and  ammvmition,  and 
their  capture  of  Stillman's  stores,  higlily 
elated  them.  Black  Hawk  now  sent  his 
women  and  children  by  waj'  of  the  Kishwau- 
kee  to  the  swamps  of  Lake  Koshkonong  near 
the  headwaters  of  Rock  River.  The  Winne- 
bagoes  acting  as  guides.  Here  his  party 
was  recruited  by  Winnebagoes  and  Potta- 
watomies. 

On  the  day  of  Stillman's  defeat.  General 
Whiteside  with  fourteen  hundred  men  pro- 
ceeded to  the  scene  of  battle  and  buried  the 
dead.  The  State  of  Illinois  has  at  Stillman 
Valley,  erec+ed  a  monument  in  honor  of  those 
killed  in  this  engagement.  On  the  19th, 
General  Atkinson  and  the  entire  army  moved 
up    the    Rock    River,    leaving    Stillman    and 


Bailey,  and  their  brigades  at  Dixon.  Atkin- 
son soon  however,  returned  to  Dixon  leaving 
General  Whiteside  with  his  volunteers  to 
follow  Black  Hawk's  trail.  The  volunteers 
now  began  to  object  to  going  farther,  claim- 
ing that  they  were  not  compelled  t(>  sen'e  in 
Michigan  territory.  They  also  claimed  to 
having  enlisted  for  one  month,  and  that  their 
time  of  enlistments  had  expired.  After  sev- 
eral days  the  officers  determined  to  abandon 
their  search  for  Black  Hawk  and  they  turned 
abovit  and  marched  south  to  Ottawa,  where 
on  the  271  h  and  28th  days  of  May,  they  were 
nmstered  out  of  the  service. 

On  the  22d  day  of  May,  a  party  of  thirty 
Pottawatomies  and  three  Sacs,  under  Girty 
killed  fifteen  men,  women  and  children  at  the 
Davis  farm  on  Indi.an  Creek,  twelve  miles 
north  of  Ottawa.  Sylvia  and  Rachel,  two 
daughters  of  William  Hall,  were  taken  cap- 
tive and  carried  by  the  Indians  to  their  camp 
on  Lake  Koshkonong.  Afterwards,  White 
Crow,  a  Winnebago  chief,  who  had  been  sent 
to  their  rescue  by  Henry  Gratiot,  agent  for 
the  W'innebagoes,  succeeded  in  purchasing 
them  and  delivered  the  girls  to  their  relatives. 
At  the  time  of  the  mustering  out  at  Ottawa, 
Governor  Reynolds  called  for  at  least  two 
thousand  men  to  ser\'e  during  the  war,  and 
General  Winfield  Scott  started  from  Fortress 
Monroe  on  the  sea  board  with  one  thousand 
regulars.  In  the  meantime  three  hundred 
mounted  volunteers  under  Colonels  Frj'e  and 
Henry  agreed  to  rem.ain  in  the  field  to  pro- 
tect the  frontier.  Abraham  Lincoln  was 
among  this  number.  He,  having  re-enlisted 
May  27,  as  a  private.  Black  Hawk  now 
divided  his  people  into  several  parties  and 
made  forays  against  the  whites. 

On  June  14th,  a  partj^  of  eleven  Sacs  killed 
five  white  men  at  Spafford  farm  on  the  Peck- 
atonica  River.  Colonel  Dodge  with  twenty- 
nine  men  followed  them  and  the  ne.xt  day 
killed  eleven,  although  he  had  three  killed 
and  one  wounded  in  his  own  party. 

On  June  24th,  Black  Hawk  in  command  of 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


47 


a  party  of  braves  made  an  attack  an  Apple 
River  Fort,  fourteen  miles  east  of  dalena. 
After  an  hour's  siege,  the  Indians  after  de- 
stroying   the    neighboring  cabins,    withdrew. 

On  June  25th,  the  same  party  attacked 
Major  Dements'  spj^  battalion,  a  himdred  and 
fifty  strong,  at  Kellogg's  Grove.  General 
Posey  arrived  in  time  with  a  detachment  of 
volunteers  for  their  relief.  The  Indians  lost 
fifteen.  The  whites'  loss  was  five.  Skir- 
mishes were  had  at  Plum  River  Fort,  Hun- 
Oak  Grove,  Sinsiniwa  Mound,  and  Blue 
Mounds. 

On  June  15th,  the  new  troops  met  at  Fort 
Wilburn  at  Peru,  their  aggregate  strength 
was  about  three  thousand  and  twenty  men, 
making  the  entire  army  in  the  field  about 
four  thousand  effective  men.  The  army  now 
under  General  Atkinson,  marched  up  the 
east  bank  of  Rock  River.  White  Crow 
offered  to  conduct  our  army  to  Black  H.awk's 
camp,  and  that  wily  savage  kept  the  whites 
on  a  goose  chase  for  several  days  trying  to 
entrap  them.  Black  Hawk  in  the  meantime, 
had  started  westward  to  the  Wisconsin  River, 
and  on  the  evening  of  July  21st,  the  Indians 
were  overtaken  on  the  bluffs  of  the  Wisconsin 
where  a  decisive  battle  was  fought  in  which 
General  Henry  commanded  the  American 
forces.  This  armj'  charged  the  enemy  and 
drove  them  from  position  after  positi(>n  with 
great  loss,  until  sundown.  This  was  the  first 
important  victory  of  the  whites  in  this  cam- 
paign. In  the  morning  it  was  learned  that 
the  Indians  were  heading  towards  the  Miss- 
issippi River  and  had  left  one  hundred  and 
sixty-eight  dead  on  the  field,  twenty-five 
more  being  found  next  day  along  the  trail. 
General  Henry  having  lost  but  one  man  killed, 
and  eight  wounded. 

On  the  morning  of  August  2d,  the  army 
readied  the  bluffs  of  the  Mississippi.  The 
Indians  had  reached  the  river  and  were  mak- 
ing active  preparations  to  cross.  At  this 
time.  Captain  Throckmorton  commanding 
the   steamer    Warrior,    arrived    at    the    spot. 


The  Indians  displayed  a  white  flag.  Throck- 
morton commanded  them  to  come  on  board. 
They  replied  that  they  could  not,  because 
they  had  no  boats.  Upon  this  Throckmorton 
fired  his  six-pounder  cannon  loaded  with 
canister  into  the  Indians,  killing  twenty-three 
women  and  childi-en.  General  .\tkinson  now 
came  upon  the  scene,  and  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Bad  .A.xe,  attacked  the  Indian  encampment. 
The  Indians  were  completely  routed,  suffering 
a  loss  of  one  hiuich-ed  and  fifty  killed,  besides 
many  drowned  in  their  attempt  to  cross  the 
river.  The  .\mcrican  loss  was  l)ut  seventeen. 
General  Atkinson  with  the  captiued  Indians, 
and  about  fifty  women  and  children,  went  to 
Prairie  du  Chien.  There  on  Avigust  7th. 
General  Scott  with  nine  companies  of  infantry 
from  Fortress  Monroe,  arrived  and  assumed 
command.  The  vohinteors  now  returned  to 
Dixon  and  were  discharged,  on  the  17th  day 
of  August.  Black  Hawk,  who  had  started 
back,  was  cajitured  by  some  treaclrerous 
Winnebagoes  and  on  the  27th  day  of  August 
was  delivered  a  captive  to  the  whites  at 
Prairie  du  Cliien.  He  was  kept  that  winter 
at  Jefferson  Barracks  and  in  April.  LSSS,  was 
sent  as  a  prisoner  to  Fortress  Monroe  where 
he  was  confined  until  June  4.  when  he  w'as 
discharged.  After  visiting  the  ]3rincipal  cities 
in  the  east,  he  returned  west,  locating  on  a 
small  reservation  on  the  Des  Moines  River 
in  Davis  County,  Iowa,  where  he  died  October 
3,  1S3S.  The  following  year  his  remains 
were  stolen,  and  in  the  spring  of  1840  Govern- 
or Lucas  succeeded  in  recovering  them  and 
caused  the  skeleton  to  be  delivered  at  the 
then  capitol  at  Burlington.  When  the  capi- 
tol  was  removed  to  Iowa  City,  the  remains 
were  taken  there.  January  16,  1S55,  they 
were  destroyed  by  fire. 

The  final  treaty  was  concluded  September 
21,  1832.  The  treaty  says:  "Concluded  at 
Fort  Armstrong."  but  in  consequence  of 
cholera  then  raging  at  the  fort,  the  treaty  was 
held  on  the  Wisconsin  side  of  the  Mississippi 
now  the  State  of  Iowa. 


48 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


Among  the  witnesses  to  this  treaty  were 
Antoine  LeChiire,  interpreter,  Benjamin  F. 
Pike,  John  W.  .Spencer  and  George  Davenport. 
assistant  quarter  master  general  Illinois 
Militia. 

Governor  Reynolds  in  referring  to  this 
final  engagement  says:  ".Although  the  war- 
riors fought  with  the  courage  and  valor  of 
desperation,  yet  the  conflict  resembled  more 
a  carnage  than  a  regular  battle."  Another 
noted  authority  calls  it  "a  di.-honorable 
chapter  in  the  history  of  the  borders.''  Out 
of  the  band  of  nearly  one  thousand  Indians 
men,  women  and  children  who  crossed  the 
Mississippi  at  Yellow  Banks  in  April,  not 
more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  lived  to  tell 
the  story.  The  American  loss  in  this  war  was 
about  two  hundred  and  fifty.  The  financial 
cost  to  the  government-  and  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois was  nearly  S2,000,000. 

ROCK   ISL.\ND   SETTLERS  IN    1832. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  settlers  of  this 
county,  as  complete  as  I  have  been  able  to 
make  from  the  data  that  I  have  found,  in  the 
spring  of  1S32.  Just  previous  to  tbe  break- 
ing out  of  the  war  in  1832,  there  was  quite  an 
increase  of  settlers,  many  of  whom  left. 
Some  stayed  during  the  war  and  then  left 
and  I  have  not  been  able  to  learn  their  names. 
Anbury,  GriflSth  Kinney,  Samuel 

Allen,  Archibald  Kinney,  Thomas 

Bain,  John  L.  Kent,  Erastus 

Barrel,  John  Lovitt,  Thomas 

Bartlett,  Michael  McCoy,  Joseph 

Burner,  Edward  McNeil,  Henry 

Brasher,  William  T.         Miller,  George  V. 
Benson,  Henry  McGee,  Gentry 

Been,  Joseph  McNeil,  Neel 

Bryant,  Leonard  Maskal,  James 

Case,  Jonah  H.  Noble,  Ames  C. 

Case,  Louden,  Sr.  Pence,  Judge 

Case,  Louden,  Jr.  Pike,  Benjamin 

Case,  Charles  H.  Reddish,  John 

Cook,  Horace  Syms,  Thomas 

Clark,  B.  W.  Syms,  Robert 


Corbin,  Edward 
Carr,  William 
(yulver,  Martin 
Danforth,  Manly 
Danforth,  Josejth 
Davis,  Thomas 
Dance,  Russel 


Sains,  William  F. 
Smith.  Martin  W. 
Stringfield,  Sevier 
Smart,  Josiah 
Sampson,  H. 
Spencer,  John  W. 
Spencer,  Roswell  H. 


Davenport,  George  Thompson,  William 

Davidson,  Thomas  Thompson,  Joel 

Frith,  Isaiah  Tunnell,  Luther 

French,  Charles  Timnell,  William 

Farnham.  Russel  Vandruff,  Joshua 

Gardiner,  Thomas  \'andruff,  Henn' 

Goble,  Benjamin  Vandruff,  Samuel 

Gouquy,  Aiitoine  ^^1netta,  Benjamin 

Graft,  John  ^'anetta,  Gorham 

Hnskill,  James  Vomer,  Edward 

Harlan,  George  W.  Wells,  Levi 

Hultz,  Uriah  S.  Wells,  George 

Hubbard,  Thomas  Wells,  Joel,  Sr. 

Hubbard,  Goodridge  Wells,  Joel.  Jr. 

Henderson,  Cyrus  Wells,  Huntington 

Hail,  David  B.  Wells,  John 

Henry,  William  Wells,  Samuel 

Heans,  William  Wells,  Rinn.ah 

Hulls,  M.  S.  Wells,  Asaph 

Haney, Wells,  Eri 

Johnson,  Moses  Wells,  Ira 

Kinney,  John  W.  Wells,  Nelson 
Wells,  Lucius 

The  Kinneys  above  mentioned  are  the  same 
whose  names  in  the  roster  of  the  war  depart- 
ment are  given  as  Kenney. 

INCIDENTS    CONCERNING    FORT    ARMSTRONG. 

About  the  time  the  fort  was  completed  the 
Indians  began  crossing  to  the  island  and 
woiild  watch  the  soldiers  in  its  construction. 
They  would  often  sing  and  go  through  some  of 
their  dances  to  amuse  the  soldiers,  and  the 
latter  began  to  think  that  the  Indians  were 
peaceful.  The  Hon.  Bailey  Davenport  de- 
scribed an  incident  during  this  time  that 
shows  that  the  Indians  had  not  become 
reconciled  to  the  erecting  of  the  fort.  He 
said:     "One  day  a  small  party  came  over  to 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


49 


dance,  and  after  the  dance  the  colonel  in 
command  gave  them  presents.  In  a  few  days 
after,  and  while  a  large  number  of  soldiers 
were  out  cutting  timber,  a  large  party  of 
warriors,  headed  by  the  Ne-ka-!e-quat,  came 
over  in  canoes  and  landed  on  the  north  side 
of  the  island,  and  danced  up  to  the  entrance 
of  the  encampment,  and  wanted  to  enter 
and  dance  in  front  of  the  commander's  tent. 
About  the  same  time  a  large  party  of  warriors 
was  discovered  approaching  over  the  ridge 
from  the  south  side  of  the  island,  headed  by 
Keokuk.  The  colonel  immediately  ordered 
the  bugle  sounded  to  recall  the  soldiers  from 
the  woods,  and  had  all  imder  arms  (about 
six  hundred)  and  the  cannon  run  ovil  in 
front  of  the  entrance,  ready  to  fire.  The 
Indians  were  ordered  not  to  approach  any 
nearer.  The  colonel,  taking  the  alarm  be- 
fore Keokuk's  party  got  near  enough  to  rush 
in,  saved  the  encampment  from  surprise  and 
massacre." 

THE  POWDER  PLOT. 

Be  it  truth  or  fiction  there  is  connected 
with  the  history  of  Fort  Armstrong  an  inci- 
dent that  to  my  mind  possesses  more  reasons 
in  favor  of  its  being  fact  than  fiction. 

After  the  Black  Hawk  War,  some  soldiers 
happening  to  enter  the  cave  in  "Rock  Island 
Arsenal,"  found  three  kegs  of  powder  each 
attached  to  a  fuse.  No  one  seemed  to  know 
how  these  things  had  come  'there,  but  after 
the  war  some  Indians  had  said  that  Black 
Hawk  when  he  marched  up  Rock  River  in 
April,  1832,  stopped  overnight  at  his  old 
village,  and  during  the  night  of  April  12  he, 
with  over  two  hundred  braves,  had  gone  to 
the  island,  crossing  at  the  ford  between  Rock 
Island  and  Moline,  remaining  there  nearly 
all  night.  It  was  said  his  intention  was  to 
see  if  he  could  not  capture  the  fort.  Black 
Hawk,  in  his  autobiography,  does  not  mention 
this  incident,  the  reason  being  that  his  at- 
tempt to  blow  up  the  fort  proved  a  failure. 
It  is  a  fact  that  Black  Hawk  was  on  the  island 
that  night.     Benjamin  F.   Pike,  the  captain 


of  the  Rock  River  Rangers  in  1831,  and 
afterwards  sheriff  to  this  county,  together 
with  two  companions,  had  been  selected  to 
do  picket  and  scout  duty  that  night.  They 
took  their  place  ne.ar  the  ford,  and  some  time 
near  midnight  saw  Black  Hawk  and  his 
braves  cross  the  slough  to  the  island.  They 
at  once  ran  to  the  fort  and  to  the  stockade 
and  gave  the  warning. 

The  garrison  at  this  time  was  commanded 
by  Captain  Bliss  who  had  with  him  only  two 
companies  of  infantry,  partly  full,  not  over 
eighty  men.  The  stockade  around  Colonel 
Davenport's  store  was  filled  with  settlers 
and  their  families  and  was  crowded  to  its  ut- 
most capacity.  By  an  oversight  the  only 
well  on  the  premises  had  not  been  enclosed 
in  the  stockade.  Dreading  fire  from  the 
Indians'  fire  arrows,  every  bucket,  tul)  and 
barrel  was  hastily  filled  with  water  and  the 
anxious  settlers  momentarily  awaited  the 
attack.  An  old  swivel  had  been  brought  up 
from  the  fort  and  this  was  loaded  to  the  brim 
and  placed  in  front  of  the  gate,  where  Ser- 
geant Hanchett  of  the  garrison,  with  a  smol- 
dering fire  by  his  side,  stood  ready  to  fire  it 
off  at  the  first  approach  of  the  enemy.  The 
night  was  one  of  terror  to  the  settlers;  a 
drifting  rain  and  pelting  hail  storm  had  set  in, 
and  the  occasional  claps  of  thunder  and 
flashes  of  lightning  but  added  new  alarm  to 
the  already  frightened  women  and  children. 
At  about  2  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  firing 
of  cannon  was  heard  from  the  direction  of 
the  fort  and  those  in  the  stockade  believed 
the  attack  had  commenced,  but  they  were 
soon  apprized  that  the  firing  was  from  the 
cannon  on  board  the  steamer  Chieftain,  which 
brought  General  Atkinson  and  his  regulars 
from  St.  LouLs. 

It  is  said  that  when  the  people  at  the  stock- 
ade heard  the  firing  of  cannon  and  the  shouts 
of  the  garrison  welcoming  the  reinforcement, 
they  believed  it  the  shouts  of  triumph  of  the 
Indians  at  the  capture  of  the  fort,  and  Elder 
Kinney  of  Rapids  City,  a  devout  Presbyterian 


oO 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


advised  IIkmh  all  to  "iinito  in  an  appeal  to 
God  as  their  only  hope  of  safety:"  whereupon 
Antoine  Gouqiiy,  Colonel  Davenjiort's  French 
Servant,  said,  "Ze  prayer  he  be  good  for  ze 
vimmin  an  ze  childer.  hut  he  be  not  wort  one 
cent  to  fight  ze  Injins.  Wattair,  he  be  bet- 
tair  zan  ze  prayer." 

Black  Hawk  had  been  with  the  British  so 
much  that  he  well  knew  the  use  of  gunpowder. 
He  was  in  the  attack  on  the  fort  at  Detroit 
and  undoubtedly  believed  he  could  with  a 
few  kegs  of  powder  blow  up  the  fort  at  its 
gate  and  the  rock  embankment  upon  which 
it  stood,  and  then  with  his  braves  rush  in  oij 
the  weak  garrison.  The  Sac  chief  knew  also 
that  the  fort  was  but  weakly  garrisoned. 
The  Prophet  had  several  times  attempted  to 
enter  its  gate,  but  had  been  kept  out  on  the 
orders  of  Major  Bliss,  who  suspected  treachery. 
The  last  attempt  of  the  Prophet  to  enter  the 
fort  was  but  a  few  days  before  Black  Hawk's 
attempt  to  capture  it. 

THE    BURNIXG   OF  THE   FORT. 

For  thirt}--nine  years  the  fort  stood  as  first 
constructed,  and  though  evacuated  and  no 
longer  the  abode  of  the  soldier  since  1836, 
it  was  used  as  a  Government  warehouse  and 
was  a  picturesque  sight,  being  an  object  of 
interest  to  all  travelers  up  and  down  the 
river  as   well   a,s  to  visitors  to  this  locality. 

On  Sunday  afternoon,  October  7,  1855. 
some  vandal  set  fire  to  the  historic  buildings. 
J.  B.  Danforth,  .Jr..  agent  of  the  quartermas- 
ters department  of  the  army,  in  charge  at 
that  time,  in  a  letter  WTitten  on  the  9tl^  of  the 
month  to  Major  D.  H.  Vinton,  quartermaster 
United  States  Army  at  St.  Louis,  said,  "Sir: 
The  barracks  and  one  block  fort  "at  this  place 
were  destroyed  bj'  fire  yesterday  (Sunday) 
afternoon.  I  was  in  the  city  at  church  at  the 
time  the  fire  originated.  I  immediately 
rallied  abotit  a  hundred  men  with  buckets, 
and  endeavored  to  quell  the  flames,  but  to  no 
pm-pose.  We  had  no  fire  engine,  and  it  was 
impossible  to  stay  the  progress  of  the  con- 


flagration. The  buildings  were  fired  by  some 
persons  to  me  vuiknown,  and  in  the  following 
manner:  About  thirty  kegs  of  powder  had 
been  stored  in  the  magazine  by  the  contract- 
ors for  the  improvement  of  the  rapids,  by 
permission  of  the  secretary  of  war.  The 
magazine  had  several  times  been  broken 
open  and  powder  stolen.  It  was  then  stored 
in  a  safe  room,  or  what  was  believed  to  be 
safe  in  the  barracks.  It  had  all  been  taken 
away,  except  one  keg  and  one  or  two  parts 
of  kegs.  Some  persons,  while  I  was  at  church, 
had  broken  open  a  window  and  ignited  a  part 
of  a  keg  of  powder,  thus  causing  the  loss  of 
the  buildings.  I  have  published  an  adver- 
tisement (at  my  o\\-n  expense)  to  endeavor  to 
find  out  the  perpetrators  of  the  outrage, 
which  I  hope  will  meet  your  approval.  I 
send  you  a  copy  of  my  paper,  containing  the 
advertisement  and  an  editorial  notice  of  the 
fire." 

When  the  United  States  government  (under 
the  act  of  1862)  commenced  the  construction 
of  Rock  Island  Arsenal  in  1863,  all  that  re- 
mained of  Fort  Armstrong  was  removed. 
The  first  building  erected  stands  nearly  on 
the  site  of  tlie  old  fort,  and  the  window  frames 
of  the  basement  of  this  building  are  made  of 
oak  obtained  from  the  old  fort. 

ROSTER    AT    THE    FORT. 

The  officers  and  troops  stationed  at  Fort 
Armstrong  from  August,  ISIO  (first  return 
on  file),  until  abandoned  May  4,  1836,  were 
as  follows: 

Commanding  officers:  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Willoughbv  ilorgan,  from  1819:  Captain  M. 
Marston,  from  August  1819  to  June  1821,  of 
Company  F,  Fifth  Infantry;  Captain  S.  Bur- 
bank,  from  June,  1821  to  Jime,  1823,  of  Com- 
pany D,  Fifth  Infantry;  Major  J.  H.  Vose, 
from  June,  1823  to  June  4,  1825,  of  Companies 
D  and  F,  Fifth  Infantry;  Captain  S.  Burbank, 
from  June  4,  1825  to  May  21,  1826.  of  Com- 
panies D  and  F,  Fifth  Infantry;  Major  J.  H. 
Vose,  from  May  21,  1826  to  October  9,  1827, 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    C 0 U  N  T  Y 


51 


of  Companies  E  and  H,  Fifth  Infantry; 
Captain  J.  Plympton,  from  October  9,  1827 
to  April  28,  1828,  of  Companies  E  and  H, 
Fifth  Infantry;  Major  S.  Burbank,  from  April 
28,  1828  to  April  30,  1828,  of  Companies  E 
and  H,  Fifth  Infantry;  Captain  J.  Cireen,  from 
April  30,  1828  to  June,  1828,  of  Companies  C 
and  G.  Third  Infantry;  Captain  J.  S.  Nelson, 
from  June,  1828  to  August  13,  1828,  of  Com- 
panies C  and  G,  Third  Infantry;  Captain  J. 
Green,  from  August  13,  1828  to  July  27,  1830, 
of  Companies  C  and  G,  Third  Infantry;  Cap- 
tain John  Bliss,  July  27,  1830  to  July  26,  1831, 
Companies   D   and  H,   Third  Infantr}';  Cap- 


tain T.  J.  Beall,  from.  July  26,  1831  to  Sep- 
tember 2,  1831,  of  Companies  C  and  K,  First 
Infantry;  Major  John  Rliss,  from  September 
2,  1S31  to  May  4,  1832,  of  Companies  C  and 
K,  First  Infantry;  Captain  T.  J.  Beall,  from 
May  4,  1832  to  October  26,  1832,  of  Companies 
C  and  K,  First  Infantry;  Lieutenant  A.  S. 
Miller,  from  October  26,  1832  to  December  2, 
1832,  of  Companies  C  and  K,  First  Infantry; 
Captain  T.  F.  Smith,  from  December  2,  1832 
to  June  8,  1833,  of  Companies  G  and  K,  First 
Infantry;  Lieutenant  Colonel  W.  Davenport, 
from  June  8,  1833  to  May  4,  1836,  of  Com- 
panies G  and  K,  First  Infantry. 


POLITICAL  DIVISIONS 


The  fortunes  of  Rock  Island  County  have 
been  those  of  the  State  of  Illinois.  In  1541, 
Ferdinand  De  Soto  discovered  the  ^lississippi 
River,  crossing  it  somewhere  near  Memphis; 
and  upon  this  discovery  rested  Spain's  claim 
and  title  to  the  "far  west."  The  country  now 
known  as  the  State  of  Illinois  is  shown  on 
the  very  early  Spanish  maps  as  a  part  of 
Florida.  Spain  made  no  attempt,  however, 
to    plant    her   settlements    in    the   "Illinois." 

In  1763,  at  the  close  of  the  French  and 
Indian  Wars,  Illinois  became  British  territory, 
and  so  remained  imtil  July  4,  1778,  when 
Colonel  George  Rogers  Clark  and  his  Virgin- 
ians captured  the  British  forts  and  settle- 
ments. In  October  of  that  year,  Illinois  was 
by  act  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia 
created  the  "County  of  Illinois,"  and  became 
a  part  of  the  commonwealth  of  Virginia. 

During  the  Revolutionary  War,  Illinois 
and  what  is  now  the  states  of  Ohio,  Indiana, 
Michigan  and  Wisconsin,  was  claimed  by  each 
of  the  states  of  New  York,  Massachusetts, 
Connecticut  and  Virginia.  In  1785  these 
states  surrendered  their  claim  to  the  General 
Government,  and  then  Congress  passed   ap 


act  for  the  government  of  this  country,  which 
was  designated  "Western  Territory."  but 
nothing  was  done  towards  organizing  a  form 
of  government.  On  July  13,  17S7,  Congress 
passed  the  celebrated  ordinance  known  ,as  the 
"Ordinance  of  1787,"  for  the  government  of 
this  country,  then  called  the  "Northwest 
Territory."  In  1788  the  first  officers  were 
appointed.  In  1790  the  country  now  Illinois, 
was  established  as  St.  Clair  County,  named 
after  General  Arthur  St.  Clair,  the  first  gover- 
nor of  the  Northwest  Territory. 

In  this  year  Illinois  County  became  part  of 
Indiana  Territory,  and  in  1809  the  country 
west  of  the  Wabash,  north  of  the  Ohio  and 
east  of  the  Mississippi,  was  erected  into 
Illinois  Territory,  which  was  divided  into 
two  counties — Randolph  and  St,  Clair — the 
territory  now  Rock  Island  County  forming 
part  of  St.  Clair  County.  On  September  14, 
1812,  our  county  became  a  part  of  Madison 
County,  and  on  January  31,  1821,  we  were 
made  a  part  of  Pike  County.  This  was  the 
first  county  erected  by  the  State  of  Illinois. 

January  28,  1823,  Fulton  County  was 
erected  from  Pike  County,  and  we  became  a 


52 


'     HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


part  of  the  former,  and  so  remained  until 
January  13,  1825.  when  we  became  a  part  of 
Peoria  County.  On  February  17,  1827,  Jo 
Daviess  County  was  erected  from  Peoria 
County,  and  Galena  became  our  coimty  seat. 
We  remained  part  of  Jo  Daviess  County  until 
1833,  when  Rock  Island  County  was  organ- 
ized, with  the  boundaries  as  thej'  exist 
today. 

The  ordinance  of  1787  provided  for  the 
forming  of  one  or  two  states  out  of  the  terri- 
tory now  the  states  of  Wisconsin  and  Illinois. 
The  ordinance  provided  that  the  northern 
boundary  of  the  territory  now  Illinois  should 
be  an  east  and  west  line  drawm  through  the 
southerly  bend  or  extreme  of  Lake  Michigan. 
Had  this  provision  been  carried  out  when 
Illinois  was  erected  into  a  state  in  1818,  that 
part  of  Rock  Island  County  east  of  Moline 
would  now^  be  in  Wisconsin. 

When  the  bill  to  admit  Illinois  as  a  state 
was  presented  to  Congress  and  referred  to  the 
committee,  our  northern  boundary  was  as 
defined  in  the  ordinance  of  1787,  which 
would  have  left  out  of  our  state  the  counties 
of  Lake,  McHenry,  Boone,  Winnebago.  Steph- 
enson, Jo  Daviess,  Carroll,  Ogle,  DeKalb, 
Kane,  De  Page,  Cook,  Lee,  Whiteside,  and 
also  a  portion  of  Kendall,  Will.  La  Salle  and 
Rock  Island  Counties. 

In  1816  the  United  States  made  a  treaty 
with  the  Ottawa,  Chippewa  and  Pottawat- 
omie Indians  and  it  became  necessary  to 
establish  the  point  where  a  line  "due  west 
from  the  southern  extremity  of  Lake  Michi- 
gan" would  strike  the  Mississippi  River. 
Such  a  line  was  siu^^eyed  by  John  Sullivan  in 
1818,  and  a  monument  was  erected  at  its 
terminus,  "on  the  bank  of  the  Mississippi 
River  near  the  head  of  Rock  Island."  This 
place  is  between  Seventeenth  and  Eighteenth 
streets  in  the  City  of  Moline,  and  is  now 
occupied  by  the  Moline  City  Waterworks. 

Alexander  Pope,  the  representative  from 
Illinois  in  Congress,  was  fully  alive  to  the  in- 


terests of  his  constituency.  Mr.  Pope  asked 
to  strike  out  of  the  bill  the  description  which 
bounded  Illinois  on  the  north  b\'  a  line  drawn 
directly  west  from  the  southerly  boundary 
of  Lake  Michigan,  and  insert  the  following: 
■"Beginning  at  the  mouth  of  the  Wabash 
River,  thence  up  the  same  and  with  the  line 
of  Indiana  to  the  northwest  corner  of  said 
state;  thence  east  with  the  line  of  the  same 
state  to  the  middle  of  Lake  Michigan;  thence 
north  along  the  middle  of  said  lake  to  north 
latitude  42  degrees  30  minutes;  thence  west 
to  the  middle  of  the  Mississippi  River,  and 
thence  down  along  the  middle  of  that  river 
to  its  confluence  with  the  Ohio  River,  and_ 
thence  up  the  river  along  its  northwest  shore 
to  the  beginning."     This  carried. 

The  northern  boundary  of  Illinois  was  thus 
fixed,  and  was  made  to  include  a  strip  of 
land  sixty-one  miles  nineteen  chains  and 
thirteen  links  wide,  extending  from  Lake 
Michigan  to  the  Mississippi  River,  embracing 
a  sm-face  of  8,500  square  miles.  The  line 
siu-veyed  by  Sullivan  in  1818  was  accepted 
as  a  true  line  until  1833,  when  Captain  Talcott. 
while  making  the  siun^ey  of  the  Ohio-Michi- 
gan boundary,  was  instructed  to  ascertain 
the  exact  point  on  the  Mississippi  River  which 
is  due  west  from  the  southern  extremity  of 
Lake  Michigan.  He  established  this  point 
as  being  "about  seven  miles  north  of  the  fort 
(Armstrong)  on  Rock  Island." 

From  1829  to  1848  the  question  of  adding 
these  fourteen  northern  and  a  portion  of  the 
four  other  Illinois  counties  to  Wisconsin  was  a 
prominent  one  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
state.  Strange  to  s.ay,  for  many  years  most 
of  the  people  living  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  state  were  in  favor  of  being  added  to 
Wisconsin;  but  when  Wisconsin  was  admitted 
as  a  state  in  1848  its  southern  boundary  line 
was  fixed  at  the  heretofore  established  north- 
ern bovmdary  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  and 
thus  was  forever  settled  what  for  many  years 
was  a  subject  of  much  dispute. 


HISTORIC    ROC  K    I S  L  A N D    COUNT Y 


53 


ROCK  ISLAND  ARSENAL 


(Originally  named  Island  of  Rock  Island) 


COLONEL  STANHOPE  E.  BLUNT 


Summing  up  the  history  pertainina;  to  the 
Rock  Island  Arsenal,  located  upon  the  Islaiul 
of  Rock  Island,  and  lying  conjointly,  one 
might  say,  between  the  cities  of  Moline,  Rock 
Island  and  Davenport,  is  no  light  task.  In 
the  data  which  contributes  to  the  construc- 
tion of  this  history,  some  of  which  has  been 
incorporated  verbatim,  there  are  numerous 
dates  and  incidents  which  give  rise  to  con- 
flicting thoughts  and  deductions  and  the 
writer  has  been  compelled,  in  some  instances, 
to  resort  to  comparisons  upon  which  to  base 
his  judgments. 

Since  the  advent  of  Colonel  George  Daven- 
port, May  10,  1816,  several  histories  of  the 
Arsenal  have  been  written,  and  a  number  of 
personal  memoirs  of  well  known  pioneers 
have  been  printed.  Of  these  latter,  the 
reminiscences  of  the  late  Judge  J.  W.  Spencer 
probablj'  afford  the  most  authentic  report, 
and  it  is  to  be  deplored  that  he  did  not  pursue 
his  work  to  the  end  that  would  dispel  all 
doubts  as  to  many  transformations  and  con- 
ditions throtigh  which  the  Arsenal  passed 
during  the  days  of  the  early  pioneers  and  the 
settlement  of  Rock  Island  County. 

Starting  at  the  beginning,  the  pm-poses 
and  anticipations  relative  to  old  Fort  Arm- 
strong naturally  present- themselves;  and  as 
this  celebrated  fort  was  l)uilt  on  the  Island  of 
Rock  Island,  acquired  through  a  treaty  with 
the  Indians  in  the  year  1804,  it  will  be  proper 
to  precede  our  account  of  it  by  a  Ijrief  de- 
scription of  the  island  itself.  Rock  Island 
is  situated  on  the  Mississippi  River,  opposite 


the  upper  end  of  the  City  of  Rock  Island, 
and  between  it  and  Davenport  on  the  Iowa 
side.  It  is  about  two  and  three  quarters 
miles  long  by  three-fourths  of  a  mile  wide, 
and  contains  an  area  of  nearly  a  thousand 
acres.  The  base  of  this  island  is  a  mass  of 
limestone,  of  the  Hamilton  group,  which 
underlies  this  section  of  coimtrv.  At  its 
lower  extremity  this  rocky  exposure 
rises  in  an  almost  perpendicular  wall  to  a 
considerable  height  above  the  water,  and  was 
the  cause  of  its  being  called  by  its  appropriate 
name — Rock  Island. 

This  mass  of  light  grey  or  whitish  limestone, 
rising  in  the  broad  channel  of  the  Mississippi, 
and  crowned  with  its  luxuriant  covering  of 
natural  forest  trees,  was  an  object  of  great 
interest  to  the  early  explorers  in  this  region, 
and  its  effect  was  greatly  enhanced  by  com- 
ing in  view  of  it  unexpectedly,  as  the  traveler 
was  sure  to  do,  in  passing  the  bend  in  the 
river  a  short  distance  below.  After  Fort 
Armstrong  was  built  on  the  lower  point  of 
this  island,  the  view  on  ascending  the  river 
became  still  more  picturesque,  and  it  has  been 
described  as  one  of  the  most  romantic  and 
beautiful  scenes  in  the  whole  western  coim- 
try.  Mr.  Henry  C.  McGrew,  who  published 
the  first  newspaper  in  Rock  Island,  and  of 
whom  mention  is  made  elsewhere,  wrote  a 
letter  in  1870,  in  which  he  said: 

"Although  thirty-eight  years  have  passed 
since  I  first  landed  at  Rock  Island,  I  shall 
never  forget  my  first  impressions  of  the  place. 
It  was  a  beautiful  moonlight  night  in  Jime; 


54 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


and,  as  I  stood  upon  the  deck  of  the  steamer, 
as  we  rounded  the  bend  below  the  village, 
and  beheld  old  Fort  Armstrong  on  the  island 
in  the  river,  with  its  whitewashed  walls, 
pretty  gardens  and  officers'  houses,  the  scene 
was  charming,  presenting  the  appearance  of 
some  ancient  castle.  Then  there  was  the 
village  of  Davenport  on  the  opposite  bank, 
with  its  white  painted  cottages,  and  on  the 
east,  Rock  Island,  encircled  by  the  bluffs. 
The  panorama  inspired  me  with  a  feeling  of 
happiness  I  shall  never  forget;  and,  coupled 
with  the  idea  that  I  was  on  the  outskirts  of 
civilization,  gave  the  whole  scene  an  air  of 
romance." 

Governor  Ford,  in  his  History  of  Illinois, 
speaking  of  the  arrival  of  the  soldiers  here  dur- 
ing the  first  Black  Hawk  disturbance,  in  1831, 
says : 

"The  volunteers  marched  to  Rock  Island 
the  next  morning,  and  here  they  encamped 
for  several  days,  precisely  where  the  town  of 
Rock  Island  is  situated.  It  was  then  in  a 
complete  state  of  nature,  a  romantic  wilder- 
ness. Fort  Armstrong  was  built  on  a  rocky 
cliff  at  the  lower  point  of  an  island,  near  the 
center  of  the  river,  a  little  way  above;  the 
shores  on  each  side  formed  of  gentle  slopes  of 
prairie  extending  back  to  bluffs  of  considerable 
height,  made  it  one  of  the  most  picturesque 
scenes  in  the  western  country.  The  river  here 
is  a  beautiful  sheet  of  clear,  swift-running 
water,  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  wide. 
Its  banks  on  both  sides  were  inhabited  only 
by  Indians,  from  the  Lower  Rapids  to  the 
fort;  and  the  voyage  up  stream,  after  several 
days  progress  through  a  wilderness  country, 
brought  the  traveler  suddenly  in  sight  of  the 
fort,  perched  upon  a  rock,  surrounded  by  the 
grandeur  of  Nature,  which,  at  a  distance, 
gave  it  the  appearance  of  one  of  those  en- 
chanted castles  in  an  uninhabited  desert,  so 
well  described  in  the  Arabian  Night's  Enter- 
tainments". 

The  island  was  the  favorite  resort  of  the 
Indians  long  before  it  had  ever  been  visited 


by  the  white  man.  "Here  they  loved  to 
assemble  for  their  summer  pastimes,  and  to 
indulge  in  the  simple  amusements  of  their 
race;  along  these  rocky  shores  was  their  fa- 
vorite fishing-ground;  the  swift  current  which 
here  pours  down  over  successive  chains  of 
rapids,  was  the  scene  of  many  a  dash  and 
frolic  in  their  light  canoes;  and  here  dwelt  the 
kindly  spirit  who.se  protecting  power  pre- 
served the  red  man,  and  over  whose  subter- 
rean  abode  none  dared  to  walk  but  with  the 
silent  step  of  supreme  reverence  and  awe." 
The  estimation  in  which  the  Srx  and  'Fox 
Indians  held  this  island  is  well  described  by 
Black   Hawk  in  the  following  language: 

' '  This  was  the  best  island  in  the  Mississippi, 
and  had  long  been  the  resort  of  our  young 
people  during  the  summer.  It  was  our  gar- 
den, which  furnished  us  with  strawberries, 
blackberries,  plums,  apples,  and  nuts  of  vari- 
ous kinds,  and  its  waters  supplied  us  with  pure 
fish,  being  situated  in  the  rapids  of  the  river. 
In  my  early  life  I  spent  many  happy  days  on 
this  island.  A  good  spirit  had  care  of  it,  who 
lived  in  a  cave  in  the  rocks  inamediately  under 
the  place  where  the  fort  now  stands,  and  has 
often  been  seen  by  our  people.  He  was 
white,  with  large  wings  like  a  swan's,  but  ten 
times  larger.  We  were  particular  not  to  make 
a  noise  in  that  part  of  the  island,  for  fear  of 
disturbing  him.  But  the  noise  of  the  fort 
has  since  driven  him  away,  and  no  doubt  a 
bad  spirit  has  taken  his  place." 

The  events  which  led  to  the  building  of 
Fort  Armstrong  on  Rock  Island  are  elsewhere 
fully  described.  The  British  band  of  Sacs 
and  Foxes  had  been  troublesome  in  this  re- 
gion all  through  the  latter  part  of  the  War  of 
1812-14.  The  British  had  captured  the  fort 
at  Prairie  du  Chien,  and  had  not  only  pro- 
vided the  Indians  of  this  locality  with  artil- 
lery, munitions  of  war,  and  men,  but  had  left 
them  at  the  close  of  the  war  with  feelings  of 
strong  and  bitter  hostility  to  the  Government. 
From  Jefferson  Barracks,  below  St.  Louis,  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Wisconsin,  the  Government 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COU  XT  Y 


55 


had  practically  no  established  militaiy  post 
by  which  to  enforce  its  authority  or  to  afford 
protection  to  its  citizens,  whose  duties  might 
call  them  into  this  jjortion  of  the  ITnited 
States.  The  river  was,  moreover,  a  highway 
of  the  nation,  which  must  be  kept  guarded  by 
suitable,  military  stations  along  its  banks. 
The  situation  at  Rock  Island  was  central, 
accessible,  and  in  near  proximity  to  the  most 
dangerous  body  of  Indians  on  the  river:  it 
was  also  nearly  centrally  located  on  the  west- 
ern border  of  that  great  tract  of  country 
which  these  Indians  had  ceded  to  the  United 
States  in  the  treaty  of  1804,  and  which  would 
soon  be  opened  for  actual  settlement. 

At  the  time  the  fort  was  built,  there  were 
at  least  4,000  Indians  living  on  the  main 
shores  and  adjacent  to  the  island.  All  those 
On  the  east  side  'were  the  wards  of  the  Gov- 
ernment, living  on  Government  lands,  which 
I 'mm  were  nllov.-ed  by  the  terms  of  the  treaty 
t'l  iiceiipy  so  long  as  these  lands  belonged  to 
the  United  States. 

BUILDING   OF  THE  FORT. 

In  1816  Fort  Armstrong  was  built  on  the 
lower  point  of  Rock  Island.  The  force  of 
regulars  under  Colonel  William  Lawrence 
who  came  up  the  river  for  the  purpose  of  lo- 
cating and  erecting  the  fort,  arrived  at  the 
mouth  of  Rock  River  and  examined  the  coun- 
try for  a  suitable  site.  They  decided  on  the 
above  location.  On  the  10th  of  May,  1816, 
they  landed  on  the  island,  and  as  soon  as  they 
had  completed  their  encampment.  Colonel 
Lawrence  employed  the  soldiers  to  cut  logs 
and  build  storehouses  for  their  provisions. 
He  also  had  a  bakehouse  and  oven  erected, 
whicli  was  the  first  building  finished  on  the 
island.  The  erection  of  the  fort  and  its 
accompanying  buildings  soon  followed,  and 
was  named  Fort  Armstrong,  in  honor  of  the 
secretary  of  war. 

It  was  a  substantial  structure  of  hewed 
logs,  built  in  the  form  of  a  square,  the  sides  of 
which  were  four  hundred  feet  in  length.     A 


blockhouse  was  built  at  each  of  the  four 
angles,  and  embrazures  for  cannon  and  loop- 
holes for  musketry  were  provided.  A  maga- 
zine, store-house,  barracks,  and  officers' 
quarters  were  erected  within  the  enclosure, 
and  sections  of  heavy  stone  work  built  for 
protection    against    fire. 

Colonel  George  Davenport  came  with  the 
troops  as  contractor  for  the  Commissary  De- 
partment. On  the  10th  of  August,  1816,  Mrs. 
Davenport  and  Mrs.  Lewis,  afterward  Mrs. 
Goldsmith,  reached  the  island.  They  were 
the  first  American  ladies  who  ever  ascended 
the  river  to  this  place.  Mrs.  Davenport  died 
in  1847,  aged  72  years.  Mrs.  Goldsmith,  a 
venerable  relic  of  the  ]K)st.  died  in  the  76th 
year    of    her    age. 

In  1823,  the  Virginia,  laden  with  iHdvisions 
for  the  garrison  at  Prairie  du  Chein,  touched 
the  fort.  This  is  said  to  have  been  the  first 
steamboat  that  landetl  on  the  island.  In 
1831 ,  the  old  Fort  on  the  island  was  the  scene 
of  a  council  with  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians, 
with  a  view  to  persuading  them  to  retire 
peaceably  to  the  west  side  of  the  Mississippi 
River.  Aljout  thirty  chiefs  were  present. 
This  council  was  held  by  General  Gaines,  who 
came  from  Jefferson  Barracks  in  the  steamer 
Enterprise  with  a  force  of  regular  troops. 
It  resulted  in  convincing  General  Gaines  that 
the  Indians  were  determined  to  fight  rather 
than  give  up  their  possessions. 

We  shall  have  more  to  say  of  these  matters 
when  we  come  to  give  an  account  of  the  Black 
Hawk  War  in  1831  and  '32.  During  the  war, 
Fort  Armstrong  was  the  rendezvous  for  the 
soldiers  assembled  in  this  qtiarter.  On  the 
7th  day  of  August,  1832,  five  days  after  the 
battle  of  Bad  Axe,  General  Winfield  Scott  ar- 
rived from  Fortress  Monroe  with  a  force  of  Uni- 
ted States  regulars  to  assist  in  putting  down 
the  Black  Hawk  disturbance.  He  was,  as  we 
know,  too  late  for  that,  but  in  season  to  call 
together  the  conquered  Sacs  and  Foxes  at 
Rock  Island,  and  to  conclude  a  treaty  with 
them,  on  the  2Lst  of  September,  for  the  strip 


56 


HISTORIC    ROCK    I  S^L  AlN  D    COUNTY 


of  land  known  as  the  "Black  Hawk  Pur- 
chase," in  Iowa.  This  treaty  was  not  held 
at  Fort  Armstrong,  as  was  contemplated, 
owing  to  existence  of  cholera  among  the  sol- 
diers, which  then  prevailed,  but  was  held  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  on  the  grounds 
formerly  occupied  by  the  Chicago,  Rock  Is- 
land A:  Pacific  Depot,  and  now  by  the  Kimball 
House.  At  that  time,  there  were  about 
1,500  soldiers  at  the  fort. 

Fort  Armstrong  was  evacuated  by  the 
garrison  in  1836,  but  the  island  was  still  held 
as  a  military  reservation  by  the  Government 
under  successive  agents  appointed  to  take 
charge  of  it.  The  first  of  these  was  General 
Street,  Indian  agent  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  who, 
by  order  of  the  Government,  established  the 
Indian  Agency  on  the  island  soon  after  the 
withdrawal  of  the  troops.  In  the  spring  of 
1838,  the  Indian  Agency  was  removed  to 
Agency  City,  Iowa,  on  the  Des  Moines  River, 
and  General  Street  was  succeeded  by  Colonel 
George  Davenport,  who  had  charge  of  the 
island  until  the  spring  of  1840.  Fort  Arm- 
strong was  then  a  depot  for  arms.  Captain 
Shoemaker  was  placed  in  charge,  and  re- 
mained vmtil  the  spring  of  1845,  when  the 
arms,  being  required  for  the  Mexican  War, 
were  shipped  to  New  Orleans,  and  Captain 
Shoemaker  went  with  the  army  to  Mexico. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Thomas  Drum,  who 
died  in  1853,  when  Sergeant  Cummings,  of 
Fort  Crawford  (Prairie  du  Chien),  was  ap- 
pointed, and  on  his  declination,  Colonel  J.  B. 
Danforth,  Jr.,  was  appointed,  January  20, 
1854.  In  1857,  H.  Y.  Slaymaker,  of  Daven- 
port, was  appointed.  In  May,  1861,  T.  J. 
Pickett  succeeded  Mr.  Slaymaker,  and  held 
the  position  until  the  island  was  again  oc- 
cupied for  arsenal  piu-poses. 

ROCK  ISLAND  ARMORY  AND  ARSENAL. 

The  movement  for  the  establishment  of  a 
Western  Arsenal  on  Rock  Island  was  begun 
as  earlv  as  1839,  in  which  year  it  was  made  the 
object  of  a  special  survey  and  the  subject  of  a 


report  to  the  War  Department  by  Major  Bell, 
of  the  Ordnance  Department,  as  a  feasible 
and  desirable  location.  In  1843  its  advan- 
tages for  that  purpose  was  reported  to  Con- 
gress by  a  commissioner  appointed  by  the 
President,  under  the  provisions  of  an  act  of 
Congre.ss  approved  September  9,  1841.  At 
a  later  date  it  was  also  the  subject  of  a  recom- 
mendation to  the  Government  for  the  same 
public  use. 

It  was  not  until  the  summer  of  1861  that 
the  initial  step  was  taken  by  the  citizens  of 
Rock  Island  looking  to  the  accomplishment 
of  this  object.  On  the  first  day  of  July,  of 
that  year,  a  petition  addressed  to  the  senators 
and  representatives  in  Congress  was  drawn 
up  by  the  following  committee  of  citizens  of 
Rock  Island,  viz:  N.  B.  Buford,  J.  Wilson 
Drury,  Ira  O.  Wilkinson,  Ben  Harper,  Reu- 
ben Hatch,  George  Mixter,  J.  B.  Danforth, 
Jr.,  and  P.  L.  Cable,  asking  Congress  to  estab- 
lish a  national  armory  and  arsenal  on  Rock 
Island,  and  setting  forth  the  special  advan- 
tages of  the  site  for  such  an  establishment. 

By  the  action  of  these  gentlemen  another 
committee  of  leading  citizens  of  the  three 
cities — Rock  Island,  Moline  and  Davenport — 
was  appointed,  consisting  of  the  following 
named  persons:  Ira  O.  Wilkinson,  N.  B.  Bu- 
ford, H.  C.  Connelly,  J.  Wilson  Drury  and 
Bailey  Davenport,  of  Rock  Island;  W.  H.  F. 
Gurley,  George  L.  Davenport,  and  G.  M. 
French  of  Davenport,  and  C.  ,\tkinson  and 
P.  R.  Reed,  of  Moline.  These  gentlemen 
memorialized  Congress  in  an  ably  prepared 
pamphlet,  with  a  map  of  this  locality,  upon 
the  claims  and  advantages  of  Rock  Island  as 
the  site  for  the  proposed  Western  Arsenal 
and  Armory. 

This  memorial  sets  forth  that  a  new  Ar- 
mory and  Arsenal,  for  the  manufacture,  safe- 
keeping and  distribution  of  arms  and  muni- 
tions of  war,  are  of  pressing  national  necessity 
demanded  alike  by  the  present  wants  and  fu- 
tiue  requirements  of  the  Government ,  and  that 
the  preponderating  growth  of  the  northwest, 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


57 


as  well  as  the  absence  of  any  such  estab- 
lishment within  its  limits,  indicate  that  such 
an  armory  should  be  located  upon  the  upper 
Mississippi.  Coming  directly  to  the  claims  of 
Rock  Island,  the  memorialists  say:  "Be- 
lieving that  Rock  Island,  in  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois, in  the  eentrality  and  safety  of  its  geo- 
graphical position,  the  facilities  it  affords  for 
transportation  to  and  from  other  parts  of  the 
country,  the  cheapness  and  abundance  of  its 
motive  power  and  the  materials  used  in  the 
manufacture  of  arms,  in  the  supply  and 
cheapness  of  labor  and  food,  in  the  health- 
fulness,  spaciousness  and  general  eligibilitv 
of  the  site,  and  the  possession  and  ownership 
thereof  by  the  Government  free  of  cost  or 
expense — enjoys  advantages  equal,  if  not 
superior,  to  those  possessed  by  any  other 
place  in  the  northwest  for  the  location  of  such 
an  establishment — j-our  memorialists  would 
respectfully  ask  your  attention  to  a  brief 
notice  of  these  advantages."  The  ad\-an- 
tages  are  set  forth  in  the  ten  or  twelve  pages 
which  follow  with  great  force  and  cogency  of 
argument.  In  this  document  we  find  a  re- 
port of  the  action  of  the  Iowa  Legislature  and 
of  the  authorities  of  Illinois  on  the  subject, 
and  a  certificate  of  the  government  agent  in 
charge  of  the  Island. 

JOINT  RESOLUTIONS  OF  THE  IOWA  LEGISLATURE. 

"Be  It  Resolved  by  the  Senate  and  House 
of  Representatives  of  the  State  of  Iowa, 
That  the  senators  in  Congress  from  this  State 
be  requested  to  use  their  utmost  exertions 
to  procure  the  establishment,  at  the  earliest 
possible  time,  by  the  Government  of  the 
United  States,  of  an  Arsenal  and  Armory, 
for  the  distribution  of  arms  to  the  states  of 
the  northwest,  on  the  Island  of  Rock  Island, 
in   the   State   of  Illinois. 

"Resolved  That  the  Secretary  of  State 
be  requested  to  forward  to  each  of  the  Sena- 
tors and  representatives  in  Congress  a  copy 
of    these    resolutions." 

'Approved  March  24,  1S61." 


No  session  of  the  legislature  of  Illinois 
had  been  held  immediately  prior  to  this 
action,  but  Governor  Yates  and  the  other 
state  officers,  both  civil  and  military,  ad- 
dressed a  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  War, 
urging  the  location  of  the  Armory  upon  Rock 
Island. 

CERTIFICATE  FROM  THE  GOVERNMENT  AGENT. 

"I,  T.  ,1.  Pickett,  Government  Agent  for 
the  Island  of  Rock  Island,  hereby  certify  that 
the  lands  owned  by  the  Government  on  said 
island  are  free  from  the  claims  of  squatters, 
and  that  the  only  occupants  thereon  are 
eight  in  number,  who  hold  leases  under  and 
acknowledge  themselves  tenants  of  said 
Government,  in  which  lease  it  is  specifically 
agreed  that  the  lessors  are  to  vacate  the 
premises  in  thirty  days  from  the  date  of 
receiving  notice  requiring  them  to  leave 
T.  J.  Pickett,  Government  Agent. 
Rock  Island.  111.,  Oct.   2.5,   1861." 

Copies  of  the  above  memorial  were  freely 
distributed  among  the  members  of  Congress 
and  laid  on  the  desk  of  every  senator  and 
representative.  An  act  of  Congress  pro- 
viding for  the  Arsenal  and  Armory,  and  mak- 
ing an  appropriation  of  $100,000,  was  passed 
July  11,  1S62.  In  May  of  the  following  year 
a  commission,  composed  of  Major  F.  D.  Call- 
ander, Major  C.  P.  Kingsbury  and  Captain 
F.  J.  Treadwell,  was  sent  by  the  Ordnance 
Department  to  locate  the  proposed  Arsenal 
building  on  Rock  Island.  Sites  also  for  mag- 
azines on  the  island  were  recommended  by 
the  commission.  The  report  was  adopted  and 
Major  Kingsbury  was  ordered  to  take  charge 
of  the  work  of  construction.  He  arrived  in 
August,  1863,  and  on  the  3d  day  of  vSeptem- 
ber  broke  ground  for  the  government  build- 
ing at  the  lower  end  of  the  island. 

From  an  article  prepared  by  Captain  L. 
M.  Haverstiek,  and  published  in  the  Chicago 
Inter-Ocean  at  the  time  we  quote  the  follow- 
ing, with  a  few  changes  adapting  it  to  our 
purpose : 


58 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


"An  arsenal  merely  for  the  storage  and 
repair  of  arms  was  not  what  the  Ordnance 
Department  contemplated,  nor  what  the 
country  needed  at  Rock  Island.  Therefore 
in  August,  1865,  General  T.  J.  Rodman  was 
assigned  to  the  command  of  the  island,  with 
instructions  to  prepare  plans  for  an  armory 
and  arsenal  combined,  where  small  arms  and 
other  munitions  of  war  could  be  manufactured 
as  well  as  repaired  and  stored.  The  great 
scientific  knowledge  and  long  experience  of 
General  Rodman  peculiarly  fitted  him  for 
this  work,  and  the  result  was  an  elaborate 
plan,  equal  to  the  wants  and  interests  of  the 
country.'" 

GENERAL  RODMAN'S  PLANS. 

General  Rodman's  plans  were  submitted  to 
Congress  during  the  session  of  1865  and  ap- 
proved. An  appropriation  was  made  to  be- 
gin work  on  the  new  buildings;  and  from  thiat 
time  forward  steady  progress  has  been  made 
until  now  Rock  Island  Arsenal  is  the  fore- 
most in  the  United  States. 

A  portion  of  the  Island  had  been  sold  under 
a  special  act  of  Congress.  The  Chicago, 
Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  Company 
had  located  their  track  across  the  island  and 
built  upon  its  banks  the  abutments  for  their 
bridges.  When  the  Government  decided  to 
utilize  the  island  for  a  permanent  and  ex- 
tensive manufacturing  depot,  it  was  found 
necessar}-  to  buy  out  the  interests  of  the  pri- 
vate parties  and  of  the  railroad  company. 
A  commission  consisting  of  General  J.  M. 
Scofield,  Selden  JI.  Church  and  James  Barnes. 
was  appointeii  to  appraise  the  lands  on  the 
island  owned  by  individuals. 

An  act  of  Congress,  approved  June  27, 
1866.  appropriated  the  money  necessary  to 
buy  out  their  claims,  authorized  the  reloca. 
tion  of  the  railroad  bridge,  and  provided  for 
compensating  the  railroad  companj-  for 
changing  its  route  across  the  island.  The 
same  act  made  an  appropriation  to  begin 
work  on  the  development  of  the   waterpower. 


Under  this  and  subsequent  acts  the  Govern- 
ment united  with  the  railroad  company  in 
the  erection  of  the  iron  bridge,  which  served 
the  general  purposes  until  the  constitution 
of  the  present  magnificent  bridge,  sharing 
in  the  expense  and  securing  a  free  wagon  way 
in  addition  to  the  railroad  tracks. 

By  order  of  the  War  Department,  in  July, 
1863,  Rock  Island  was  made  a  military 
prison  for  the  confinement  of  Confederate 
prisoners.  During  the  same  month,  Captain 
Charles  A.  Reynolds,  Assistant  Quarter- 
master United  States  Army,  arrived,  and 
commenced  building  a  prison  and  barracks. 
The  first  soldiers  for  guard  duty  arrived 
November  2,  1863.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Schaff- 
ner  arrived  on  the  19th  of  November  and 
took  command.  On  the  22d,  Colonel  Richard 
Henry  Rush  arrived  and  took  command  of 
the  post,  and  Colonel  A.  J.  Johnson  was  ap- 
pointed in  charge  of  the  prisoners.  The  first 
installment  of  prisoners,  taken  at  the  battle 
of  Lookout  Mountain,  arrived  from  Chatta- 
nooga, December  3,  1863;  and  from  that 
time  until  the  close  of  the  war  a  large  number 
of  prisoners  were  kept  under  a  strong  guard 
upon  the  island.  The  whole  number  of 
prisoners  confined  here  was  12,215;  the  num- 
ber of  deaths  was  1,960.  About  500  died  of 
small-pox,  many  of  scurvy,  and  others  of 
various  diseases,  chiefly  pneumonia.  They 
were  put  into  rough  boxes  and  buried  in 
trenches.  The  corner-posts  of  the  cemetery 
where  their  ashes  repose,  are  composed  of 
cannon  taken  from  the  Confederates,  planted 
with  their  muzzles  in  the  grotmd,  and  strung 
around  with  chains.  Within  this  enclosure 
sleep  nearly  2,000  Confederate  dead.  At  a 
few  of  the  graves,  friends  of  the  deceased 
have  erected  plain  headstones,  and  placed 
on  them  a  few  simple  inscriptions.  There 
is  also  near  the  head  of  the  island,  a  Union 
soldiers'  cemetery  where  310  graves  are  en- 
closed  by   a   neat   fence. 

On  July  11,  1862.  Congress  passed  the  act 
authorizing  the  establishment  of  the  Arsenal 


HISTORIC    ROCK    IS L A N D    C 0 U N T Y 


59 


and   providing  the   first    funds  for  beginning 
the   necessary   buildings. 

Major  C.  P.  Kingsbury,  a  well  known  and 
competent  oflicer  of  the  Ordnance  Depart- 
ment, was  assigned  as  the  first  commandant 
and  under  his  direction,  a  year  later,  a  store- 
house was  erected  at  the  lower  or  extreme 
western  end  of  the  Arsenal,  which,  with  its 
tower  and  clock,  has  since  been  a  landmark 
and  an  object  of  interest,  not  merely  to  the 
inhabitants  of  the  three  cities,  but  also  to  all 
travelers  on  the  main  line  of  the  Rock  Island 
road. 

In  1S65  General  Thomas  .T.  Rodman  was 
assigned  to  the  command,  and  followed  in 
1871  by  General  D.  W.  Flagler,  who  remained 
commandant  until  1SS6.  To  these  two  of- 
ficers is  mainly  due  the  general  plan  of  the 
Arsenal  as  it  exists  today,  with  nearly  all  its 
principal  buildings;  their  conception  of  the 
disposition  and  arrangement  of  the  ten  great 
shops,  with  the  various  subsidiary  buildings, 
was  an  immense  advance  over  the  stereo- 
typed plan  of  all  arsenal  construction  of  pre- 
ceding years,  and  in  subsequent  developments, 
in  response  to  great  demands  upon  the  Ar- 
senal's resources,  has  proved  most  admirably 
adapted  for  the  purpose  for  which  designed. 

These  plans  as  first  prepared  by  Rodman, 
developed  by  Flagler,  and  followed  with  onl^- 
slight  modifications  by  their  successors,  have 
resulted  in  the  erection,  principally  of  Joliet 
stone,  of  a  magnificent  equipment  of  shops, 
storehouses,  barracks,  quarters  and  numerous 
subsidiary  buildings. 

The  shops  comprise  ten  stone  buildings 
sixty  feet  wide,  built  around  three  sides  of  a 
rectangular  central  court,  with  fronts  two 
hundred  and  ten  feet  and  wings  three  hun- 
dred feet  long:  eight  of  the  shops  are  of  four 
stories,  the  other  two  of  only  one,  but  pro- 
viding in  all  over  thirty  acres  of  floor  space. 
Seven  of  these  buildings  are  now  occupied  by 
machinery,  the  other  three  by  the  raw  mater- 
ial for  manufacture  and  by  finished  stores. 
There    are    also    two    large    storehouses    and 


numerous  other  ,,inall  buildings  for  boilers 
for  the  heating  plant  and  for  lumber,  coal.  oil. 
etc.,  for  officer's  quarters,  soldiers'  barracks 
and  for  the  many  other  necessities  of  a  large 
government   manufacturing  establislmient. 

One  of  these  storehouses  replaced  an  earlier 
structure  destroyed  by  fire  with  its  contents 
\ras  only  completed  in  the  spring  of  190.5. 
It  is  most  recently  erected  of  all  the  main 
buildings  of  the  Arsenal. 

For  many  years  the  commandant's  quar- 
ters and  three  others  of  stone  have  provided 
accommodations  for  the  assistant  officers, 
but  within  the  last  few  years  two  attractive 
biuldings  of  more  modern  design,  one  frame 
and  the  other  of  yellow  Ijrick.  have  been 
erected  at  the  eastern  end  of  Terrace  Road, 
forming  a  most  attractive  addition  to  the 
residential  district  of  the  Arsenal,  and  diu'lim- 
the  present  year,  the  old  buildings,  relics  of 
the  Civil  War.  used  for  many  years  as  a 
hospital  and  as  stables,  have  been  replaced 
by  attractive  and  convenient  modern  struc- 
tures. 

In  May.  1886,  Colonel  T.  G.  Baylor.  Ord- 
nance Department,  succeeded  General  Flagler 
as  commandant.  He  was  followed  three  years 
later  by  Colonel  J.  M.  Whitte  more  and  he,  in 
1892.  by  General  A.  R.  Buffington.  who  con- 
tinued in  command  for  five  years.  Under 
these  officers  the  main  Iniildings  were  carried 
to  completion,  manufactures  prosecuted  at  a 
moderate  scale,  and  under  the  latter,  the 
present  magnificent  bridge  from  the  Arsenal 
to  Davenport  erected. 

The  island  is  connected  with  the  three 
neighboring  cities  by  bridges  built  and  owned 
by  the  Government  and  maintained  and 
guarded  by  the  Arsenal,  and  by  its  own  track 
with  the  railways  that  reach  them.  The 
bridge  from  the  .Arsenal  to  the  City  of  Daven- 
port is  the  third  bridge  provided  for  railway 
and  subsequently  for  general  traffic.  Of  the 
first  nothing  now  remains  but  a  vine-covered 
stone  pier  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  above  the 
present  structure.     It  was  the  pioneer  bridge 


60 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


across  the  Mississippi  river  from  its  iiidutli  to 
its  source  and  was  completed  fifty-two  years 
ago,  being  used  by  the  Rock  Ishind  railroad 
until  October,  1872,  when  a  bridge  upon  the 
present  location  was  finished.  Twenty-four 
years  later  this  latter  bridge,  having  proved 
insufficient  for  the  traffic  to  which  it  was  sub- 
jected, the  present  magnificent  structure  was 
finished.  Its  total  length  is  1 ,550  feet,  divided 
into  five  spans  and  one  draw.  It  is  double 
decked, with  a  double  railroad  track  above  and 
double  street  car  track  and  wagon  bridge  be- 
low. The  traffic  across  this  bridge  is  now  tuuch 
greater  than  formerly  and  is  an  indication  of 
the  growth  of  population  in  the  cities  of  Rock 
Island  and  Davenport,  which  it  connects. 
Now  it  is  at  the  rate  of  about  40,000  engines 
annually,  over  80,000  passenger  cars,  and 
340,000  freight  cars.  In  addition  over  450,000 
teams  and  nearly  1,000,000  pedestrians. 

Only  about  1,000  steamboats  passed  up 
and  the  same  n\imber  down  and  the  traffic 
through  the  draw  of  barges  and  rafts  has 
decreased  year  by  year. 

A  trolley  line  also  crosses  the  bridge  and  is 
traversed  during  the  year  by  over  100,000 
street  cars.  A  branch  of  this  line  was  some 
years  ago  extended  from  Fort  Armstrong 
Avenue,  crossing  the  western  end  of  the  is- 
land, for  about  a  mile  up  to  the  shops  and 
extending  beyond  across  the  branch  of  the 
river  at  the  south  of  the  island  to  the  neigh- 
boring City  of  Rock  Island.  It  was  built  in 
response  to  petitions  from  Arsenal  workmen 
for  their  accommodation  and  tinder  a  special 
revocable  license  granted  bj'  the  Secretary  of 
War  for  that  purpose.  It  is  not  available 
for  general  traffic  from  Davenport  to  Rock 
Island,  nor  from  either  city  to  the  Ar- 
senal, being  reserveil  solely  for  use  of  the 
employes. 

In  March,  1897,  Captain  Stanhope  E. 
Blunt,  Ordnance  Department,  was  appointed 
commandant  and  through  successive  pro- 
motions to  Major,  Lieutenant-Colonel  and 
Colonel,  the  latter  grade  being  given  in  June, 


1906,  has  through  more  than  ten  years'  con- 
tinued in  command. 

Colonel  Blunt's  administration  has  been 
marked  by  great  expansion  in  the  Arsenal's 
facilities  for  manufacturing  war  material; 
over  $1,200,000  worth  of  modern  machinery 
being  installed  in  the  shops,  and  the  power 
transmission  system  changed  from  the  anti- 
quated wire  rope  transmission  of  the  water 
power  to  a  modern  hydro-electric  plant  of 
amply  capacity  for  the  Arsenal's  needs. 

The  island,  containing  nearly  1,000  acres, 
is  irregular  in  shape,  about  two  and  one-half 
miles  long  and  three-fourths  of  a  mile  across 
at  its  widest  part. 

The  main  channel  of  the  Mississippi  ri\'('r 
passes  between  the  island  and  the  Iowa  shore, 
a  much  narrower  branch  separating  it  from 
the  Illinois  bank.  Across  this  smaller  stream, 
a  short  distance  above  the  shops,  a  masonry 
dam  has  been  constructed  producing,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  reach  of  rapids  opposite  and 
above  the  island,  a  water  power  of  ample 
capacity;  having  a  head  of  from  seven  and 
one-half  to  eleven  feet,  according  to  the  stage  of 
the  river,  and  on  the  dam,  operated  by  twenty 
turbines,  have  been  installed  three  alternating 
current  generators  of  1,650  kilowat  total 
capacity,  with  the  accompanying  exciters, 
switchboard,  etc.,  required  for  their  operation. 

The  building  housing  this  installation,  with 
generators,  shafting  and  all  other  incidental 
machinery,  has  licen  completed,  not  only  in  a 
substantial  but  in  a  highly  ornamental  man- 
ner, rendering  the  power  house  not  only  one 
of  the  most  interesting  objects  for  visitors  to 
the  Arsenal,  but  also  from  its  appearance  one 
of  the  most  attractive. 

At  present  nearly  3,000  horse-power  is  thus 
provided,  which  can  be  increased,  if  it  should 
ever  prove  necessary,  by  utilizing  pen- 
stocks on  the  dam  now  occupied,  and 
installing  the  corresponding  additional  elec- 
trical machinery. 

None  of  the  navy  yards  or  other  arsenals 
possess    this    combination    of    ample    water 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


61 


power  and  electrical  transmission,  and  the  de- 
velopment of  the  power  plant  to  its  present 
really  magnificent  condition,  permitting  the 
greatest  economy,  with  also  the  greatest 
facility  and  convenience  of  operation,  is 
one  of  the  pruicipal  distinguishing  features 
of  the  Rock  Island  Arsenal. 

Several  years  ago  Congress  made  a  prelimi- 
nary appropriation  for  the  necessary  machin- 
ery for  manufacture  of  small  arms  at  the  Ar- 
senal, following  it  at  the  next  session  with  a 
sufficient  sum  to  permit  the  installation  of  a 
plant  that  should  turn  out  about  two  hundred 
and   fifty  finished  rifles  per  day. 

The  complete  establishment  of  the  plant 
required  a  material  increase  in  the  power  pro- 
vided and  also  its  transmission  to  the  new 
armory:  it  also  included  the  completion  of 
three  of  the  large  shops,  with  elevators,  a 
steam  heating  plant,  lavatory  conveniences, 
work  benches  for  employes,  rooms  for  fore- 
men and  in.spectors,  and  the  introduction  of 
the  many  minor  but  essential  appliances 
requisite  for  economical  and  efficient  opera- 
tion, including  even  tunnels  connecting  the 
basement  floors  of  the  different  shops,  which 
afford  passage  for  the  heating  pipes,  fuel  oil 
pipes,  electric  power  and  lighting  wires,  and 
for  small  trolley  cars  for  transportation  Ise- 
tween  biuldings  of  the  various  components  of 
of  the  rifles  in  the  different  stages  of  their 
manufacture. 

In  this  small-arms  plant  and  in  the  shops 
of  the  southern  row  over  2,400  machines  of 
a  great  variety  are  disposed,  with  the  shaft- 
ing for  their  operation  and  the  necessary 
benches,  and  the  other  numerous  appliances 
requisite  for  their  occupancy  by  workmen. 
Operation  of  the  shops  upon  the  scale  now 
required  for  the  manufacture  of  gun  carriages, 
equipments,  small  arms,  etc.,  employs  at 
present  about  2,000  men,  at  a  monthly  charge 
for  wages  of  from  $125,000  to  $130,000.  If 
compared  with  its  operation  ten  years  ago 
it  will  be  observed  that  four  times  as  many 
men  are  now  employed  as  at  the  earlier  date 


and  that  the  monthly  wages  are  about  five 
times  greater.  The  annual  tonnage  of  re- 
ceipts and  issues  is  also  five  times  greater 
than  in  1897.  The  total  expenditures  at  the 
Arsenal  in  the  fiscal  year  1897  for  all  purposes 
amounted  to  $68,'?, 000;  while  for  the  last  three 
fiscal  years  it  has  averaged  nearly  $4,000,000 
annually 

The  Arsenal  upon  the  scale  now  operated 
provides  the  soldiers'  ordnance  equipment 
for  an  army  of  60,000  men,  and  is  besides 
constantly  adding  to  the  reserve  supply. 
By  merely  taking  on  additional  employes  it 
could,  without  delay,  increase  its  output  to 
meet  the  demands  of  an  army  of  half  a  mil- 
li(m  men,  and  by  adding  additional  machin- 
ery, for  which  necessary  space  and  power  has 
been  provided  and  its  disposition  arranged 
for,  and  also  the  employes  for  its  operation, 
this  output  could  be  still  further  immensely 
increased. 

Besides  the  saddle  in  all  its  parts,  beginning 
with  the  lumber  used  in  the  saddletree,  the 
bridle,  saddlebags,  rifle  scabbard,  halter, 
horse-brush,  cartridge  box,  saber  belt,  and 
many  other  articles  included  under  the  gener- 
al designation  of  infantry,  cavalry  and  horse 
equipment,  are  also  made.  The  haversack, 
canteen,  cup,  meat  can,  knife,  fork  and  spoon ^ 
of  duck  and  other  material,  which  constitute 
the  soldiers'  more  personal  equipment,  and 
of  metal  the  bits,  spurs,  picket  pin,  etc., 
which  he  also  uses,  are  included  in  the  manu- 
factures. 

Many  sets  of  artillery  harness  are  annually 
made  and  also  the  numerous  parts  and  gen- 
eral supplies  pertaining  thereto.  Also  pack 
outfits  for  mountain  artillery  by  means  of 
which  gims,  their  carriages  and  ammunition 
are  carried  on   mule  back. 

The  Arsenal  has  recently  completed  some 
six-inch  barbette  carriages  for  seacoast  forts 
and  for  four  years  past  has  been  regularly 
engaged  in  the  manufacttn-e  of  a  large  number 
of  the  new  three-inch  field  gim  carriages, 
model     of    1902,     with     the     accompanying 


62 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


limbers,  caissons,  battery  wagons,  and  tbcir 
tools,  implements,  etc.  This  is  of  itself  a 
most  important  work,  requiring  the  services 
of  a  number  of  the  best  mechanics,  and  would 
alone  be  deemed  elsewhere  a  sufficient  task 
for  many  an  establishment,  though  at  Rock 
Island  it  comprises  as  stated  only  a  portion 
of   the    maniifacturing   work. 

In  order  that  the  field  artillery  carriages 
manufactured  at  the  Arsenal  may  be  tested 
before  issue  to  develop  any  unknown  defects 
if  they  should  exist,  all  such  material  is  proof 
fired  at  grounds  specially  laid  out  for  that 
purpose  at  the  upper  or  eastern  end  of  the 
island.  This  included  a  large  timber  and 
sand  butt  into  which  the  projectiles  are  shot, 
and  which  is  of  such  dimensions  that  they 
cannot  emerge  therefrom.  The  many  addi- 
tional instruments  for  determining  the  veloc- 
ity of  the  projectile,  velocity  of  recoil  of  parts 
of  the  carriage,  or  pressure  of  the  powder 
charge  in  the  bore,  and  other  features  neces- 
sary to  give  the  constructing  officer  of  ord- 
nance the  information  which  he  needs  in  de- 
signing other  material,  or  in  verifying  the 
correctness  of  the  design  undergoing  proof, 
are  also  installed  in  special  structures  erected 
at  the  proving  ground  for  their  reception. 
With  these  buildings  is  included  an  obsen-a- 
tion  tower  permitting  by  its  use  a  river 
range  for  firing  up  the  river  of  approximatel.y 
6.500  yards  and  enabling  these  carriages  to  be 
tested  and  proof  fired  under  an  elevation. 

The  Arsenal  also  makes  the  wooden  targets 
of  different  designs  and  all  the  paper  targets, 
steel  silhouette  frames,  and  pasters  used  in 
target  practice,  as  well  as  the  insignia  indi- 
cating the  soldiers'  classification  in  markman- 
ship,  and  the  various  insignia  on  saddle 
cloths,  rosettes  on  bridles,  and  similar  orna- 
mental  jewelers'   work. 

In  its  armory  shops  the  daily  output  for 
several  years  past  has  been  from  one  hundred 
to  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  finished  mag- 
azine rifles  per  daj',  an  industry  in  itself  of 
greater  magnitude  than  that  of  the    army's 


other  .'^mall  arm  factory  until  within  very 
recent  years. 

Besides  its  manufactures  the  Arsenal  is 
also  the  distributing  point  to  all  parts  in  the 
middle  west  for  the  product  of  other  arsenals 
and  of  the  private  establishments  from  which 
the  government  purchases. 

The  total  cost  of  the  Arsenal  from  its  es- 
tablishment to  July  1,  1907,  including  the 
erection  of  the  permanent  buildings,  the  ac- 
quisition, development  and  later  improve- 
ment of  the  water  power,  the  large  bridge 
across  the  Mississippi,  and  the  smaller  ones 
to  the  Illinois  shore,  and  the  purchase  and 
installation  of  the  machinery  in  the  shops, 
under  the  different  commandants  is  as  follows: 

Major  C.  P.  Kingsbury,  1863-6.5.  S231,3S4.- 
72;  General  T.  J.  Rodman,  1S65-71.  S2,302,- 
626.30;  General  D.  W.  Flagler.  1871-86, 
$4,982,481.45;  Colonel  T.  G.  Baylor,  1886-89, 
$663,450.00;  Colonel  J.  M.  Whittemore,  1889- 
92,  $377,318.48;  General  A.  R.  Buffington. 
1892-97,  $477,375.50:  Colonel  S.  E.  Blunt, 
1897-07,  $2,051,198.88;  total,  $11,085,835.33. 

The  total  disbursement  for  labor  has  been 
$17,213,056.90  since  the  establishment  of  the 
Arsenal   to   .July   1.   1907. 

During  the  first  twenty-five  years,  or 
up  to  the  conclusion  of  General  Flagler's 
administration,  construction  of  buildings, 
bridges,  roads,  etc.,  and  the  earlier  steps  in 
development  of  water  power  formed  the 
principal  work,  the  very  limited  amount 
of  machinery  which  had  been  installed,  being 
operated  to  only  a  moderate  extent  and  the 
disbursements,  including  wages,  being  mainly 
in   connection   w'ith  building   construction. 

In  the  second  period,  continuing  until 
about  the  time  of  the  Spanish  War,  construc- 
tion except  for  the  rebuilding  of  the  bridge 
from  the  Arsenal  to  Davenport,  nearly 
ceased,  while  the  manufacturing  operations 
of  the  Arsenal  continued  at  a  slightly  increas- 
ing but  still  very  moderate  extent. 

The  third  period  embraces  the  great  in- 
crease in  amount  and  variety  of  manufacture, 


HISTORIC    ROCK    I  S  L  A  X  D    C  o  JJ  y  T  Y 


63 


inchiding  that  of  small  arms,  and  accompany- 
ing expansion  of  plant,  with  some  inciden- 
tal building  operations,  commencing  in  the 
latter  part  of  1897,  during  the  first  year  of 
the  administration  of  Colonel  Blunt,  slightly 
before  the  earlier  days  of  the  Spanish  War, 
and  continuing  to  the  present  date. 

Senator  Allison,  to  whose  faith  and  interest 
in  the  Arsenal  must  be  largely  ascribed  the 
generous  appropriations  granted  during  many 
years  past  for  its  construction  and  develop- 
ment, is  quoted  as  saying  that  "Rock  Island 
Arsenal,  during  the  few  months  of  the  late 
Spanish  War,  more  than  returned  in  advan- 
tage to  the  country  the  great  cost  of  its  con- 
struction; and  unquestionably  in  a  war  of 
any  magnitude  and  diu-ation  this  cost  would 
again  be  repaid  many  fold. 

The  Arsenal  from  March,  1897  to  August, 
1907,  was  commanded  by  Colonel  Stanhope 
E.  Blunt,  Ordnance  Department.  The  other 
officers  are  now  Majors  Babbitt,  Thompson 
and  Burr;  Captains  Gallup  and  Hillman  and 
Contract  Surgeon  Craig.  The  garrison  is  a 
detachment  of  one  hundred  soldiers  of  the 
Ordnance  Department, 

Commencing  .in  the  spring  of  1907,  the 
superstructure  of  the  old  truss  bridge,  over 
Sylvan  Water,  connecting  the  Island  with  the 
Illinois  shore,  was  removed,  for  the  prepa- 
ration of  the  new  viaduct  concrete  bridge. 
The  old  four  stone  piers,  with  two  abutments, 
were  used  in  the  new  substructure,  and 
owing  to  the  girder  stvle  of  construction  of 


the  new  bridge,  fo\ir  new  concrete  piers  were 
built.  The  new  viaduct  bridge  was  designed 
by  Ralph  Modjeski,  the  noted  architectural 
engineer,  and  built  under  the  supervision 
of  the  war  department ;  the  contractors  being 
Bayne  and  Hewett  of  Minneapolis,  Minnesota. 

Its  construction  represents  an  expenditure 
by  the  government  of  $12.5,000,  with  S1600 
additional,  for  widening  the  causeway,  be- 
tween the  bridge  and  Fort  Armstrong  Avenue, 
and  bridge  sidewalks.  The  Tri-City  Railway 
Company,  assiiming  the  cost  of  the  brick 
cemented  driveway,  trolley  poles,  and  new 
tracks,  amounting  to  $10,000;  making  a  total 
cost  of  .SI  36,600.  The  new  bridge  was 
opened  for  street  car  and  passenger  traffic 
December  12.  1907;  opened  for  general 
traffic,  December  18,  1907,  and  was  accepted 
by  the  government,  January  16,  1908. 

The  width  of  the  structure  is  twenty  feet 
between  curbs,  with  two  sidewalks,  each  six 
feet. 

The  incline  approach  from  the  City  of  Rock 
Island  side  consists  of  the  original  stone  wall 
one  hundred  and  twenty-four  feet  long;  the 
new  concrete  wall,  .joining  same,  extending 
to  railroad  track  abutment,  is  one  hundred 
and  seventy  feet  long.  The  bridge  proper 
consists  of  eleven  spans,  making  a  length 
of  801.1  feet,  and  total  length  with  approach 
approximately  1096  feet.  The  solidity  of  the 
entire  structure  is  evident  in  every  detail. 

The  present  commandant  of  the  Island,  is 
Colonel  S.  E.  Hobbs. 


64 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


TOPOGRAPHY  OF  ROCK  ISLAND  COUNTY 


Rock  Island  County  lies  upon  the  western 
boundarj'  of  the  great  agricultiiral  prairie 
state  of  Illinois.  This  boundary,  the  majes- 
tic Mississippi  River,  is  bordered  by  bluffs 
that  give  a  rugged  and  diversified  surface  to 
this  river  county.  Rock  Island  County  is 
notpbly  a  river  county,  for  it  stretches  for 
almost  sixty  miles  in  an  irregular  strip  along 
the  Father  of  Waters.  It  bIso  has  for  its 
boundary  line  (for  the  upper  half  of  the 
comity)  upon  the  southeast  another  famous 
stream,  Rock  River.  The  third  natural 
boundary  is  Meredosia  Slough  or  creek  which 
separates  Rock  Island  from  Whiteside  County 
for  some  miles  on  the  comity's  northeastern 
portion.  The  county  is  separated  into  two 
somewhat  compact  sections  or  portions  by 
the  Rock  River  which  crosses  the  county  on 
its  way  to  union  with  the  Mississijjpi. 

The  northern  section  of  the  county  has 
unusual  topographical  interest,  being  almost 
entirely  upland  of  an  elevation  of  fifty  to 
one  hundred  feet  above  the  general  level  of 
the  rivers  on  either  side.  This  wall  of  bluffs 
varies  greatly  in  outline  and  picturesqueness. 
It  is  of  gentle  declivity  at  times  and  at  others 
of  rugged  abruptness.  The  bluffs  along  the 
Mississippi  follow  the  river  in  general  and  for 
the  most  part  rise  from  the  water's  edge.  A 
few  miles  above  the  present  locations  of 
Moline  and  Rock  Island  the  bhiff  line  recedes 
from  the  river,  and  an  alluvial  plain  of  rich- 
ness and  gentle  slope  is  formed.  The  bluffs 
which  form  the  other  side  of  this  plateau  of 
the  upper  county  section  are  manifest  in 
rugged  beauty  along  the  north  bank  of  the 


Rock  River  near  the  location  of  Milan.  The 
lines  of  bluff  and  stream  diverge  not  far  east 
of  Milan,  leaving  a  broad  stretch  of  alluvial 
acres.  The  same  relative  location  of  bluff 
and  stream  and  plain  is  maintained  after  the 
Meredosia  Slough  is  reached.  From  this  creek 
the  bluffs  turn  west  and  reach  the  Mississippi 
near  Cordova.  Men  of  research  say  that  it  is 
altogether  probable  that  in  the  early  days 
of  the  great  river  its  path  lay,  through  the 
Meredosia  Slough  and  the  bed  and  valley  of 
Rock  River.  If  so,  the  portion  of  Rock 
Island  County  under  consideration,  at  one 
time  was  upon  the  western  or  Iowa  side  of 
the  Father  of  Waters.  This  elevated  tract 
of  the  upper  county  was  originally  well 
covered  with  undergrow'th  and  scattering 
timber.  Its  surface  is  fairly  rough  but  is 
generally  continuous  except  where  a  depres- 
sion called  Pleasant  Valley  cuts  across  the 
upland  region  from  Hampton  on  the  Mississ- 
ippi to  Carbon  Cliff  on  Rock  River.  The 
farms  in  Pleasant  Valley  are  considered  among 
the  best  of  the  upper  county.  The  elevated 
region  has  been  farmed  many  years  and  has 
been  made  to  jdeld  productively,  especially 
in  cereals  and  fruits.  The  bottom  lands  are 
of  surpassing  fertility.  Along  the  rivers 
there  are  some  sandy  tracts  that  are  unfitted 
for  tillage,  but  in  the  main  the  farmers  of  this 
portion  of  the  county  have  greatly  prospered. 
The  southern  portion  of  Rock  Island 
County  is  a  fairly  symmetrical  rectangle 
thirty-three  miles  from  east  to  west.  It  has 
for  its  northern  boundary  the  Mississippi 
and  Rock  Rivers.     Its  western  boundary  is 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


65 


also  the  Mississippi  wliicli  tiiriistothesouthwanl 
at  Muscatine  on  the  Iowa  shore  or  just  west  of 
Dnir3''s  landing;  on  the  Illinois  side.  Merner 
County  lies  to  the  south  and  Henry  County  to 
the  east  of  this' portion  of  Rock  Island  County. 

This  section  comprises  the  greater  part  of 
the  excellent  farming  lands  of  the  county. 
There  are  alluvial  bottom  lands,  rolling  up- 
land prairies  and  bluff  lands  of  less  agricul- 
tural value.  The  prairies  responded  most 
quickly  to  the  efforts  of  the  early  settler  and 
have  for  many  years  shown  the  most  beautiful 
farms  in  the  county.  The  alluvial  lands  were 
some  what  swampy  or  boggy  in  part  and  did 
not  yield  well  until  modern  methods  of  drain- 
age were  employed.  Along  the  south  side 
of  the  Rock  River  bottom  bluffs  appear,  the 
range  rising  abruptly  in  places  to  an  average 
height  of  more  than  one  hundred  feet.  At 
Andalusia  the  bluffs  approach  the  Mississippi 
River  which  washes  tlieir  base  almost  to  the 
southern  line  of  the  county,  except  in  a  few 
places  where  an  uncultivated  low  bottom 
intervenes,  seamed  with  sloughs.  This  range 
of  bluffs  is  cut  up  with  hollows  and 
ravines  and  is  covered  with  a  moderate 
growth  of  timber,  principally  oak.  The 
rough  land  extending  back  into  the  highland 
for  several  miles  is  tlie  least  vahiable  portion 
of  the  county  for  agriculture. 

Rock  River  is  the  principal  stream  within 
the  borders  of  the  county  and  furnishes  a 
water  power  second  only  to  the  Mississippi. 
It  rises  in  Wisconsin  about  midway  between 
the  Wisconsin  River  and  Lake  Michigan.  Its 
course  in  Illinois  is  almost  one  hundred  and 
eighty  miles  long.  Its  chief  tributary,  the 
Pecatonica,  discharges  its  waters  below  the 
northern  boundary  of  the  state.  The  valley 
of  the  Rock  River  is  one  of  the  most  healthful 
and  wealthy  sections  of  Illinois.  After  form- 
ing a  portion  of  the  boundary  between  Henry 
and  Rock  Island  Counties  it  di\ides  the  latter 
into  its  northern  and  southern  portions  and 
empties  into  the  Mississippi  about  three  miles 
below  the  Citv  of  Rock  Island.     In  the  last 


few  miles  of  the  stream  there  is  a  sharp  fall  in 
level,  and  as  a  result  a  series  of  beautiful  rapids. 

GEOLOGY. 

The  soil  of  the  Rock  River  and  Meredosia 
bottoms  is  the  rich  alluvial  deposit  that  is 
found  in  the  neighborhood  of  all  streams  in 
this  part  of  the  Mississippi  basin.  The  small 
portion  of  the  county  lying  north  of  the  bluff 
line  is  level  sand  prairie.  This  level  stretch 
assists  the  imagination  in  calling  up  a  vision 
of  a  mightier  Mississippi  than  the  one  with 
which  the  earliest  inhabitants  of  the  valley 
were  acquainted.  In  those  earlier  ages  of 
the  earth's  history  when  the  river  divided  at 
this  ]3oint  with  its  main  channel  in  the  slouffh 
and  Rock  River  bed  it  was  miles  in  width. 
This  prairie  was  a  broad  hearlland  and  bar. 
The  bluff  buttressed  upland  of  the  northern 
cotmty  was  a  noble  island  rising  from  the 
waters  of  the  swiftly  rolling,  magnificent 
river.  The  sand  brought  down  by  the  cur- 
rent lodged  against  the  head  of  this  great 
island  and  the  sand  plain  was  slowly  formed, 
just  as  the  bars  are  now  being  formed  against 
every  obstruction  in  the  river  in  these    days. 

This  great  stream  which  has  left  its  history 
written  on  bluff  and  bar  and  pictured  in 
sculptured  bedrock  and  drifted  cairn  has  no 
more  perfect  record  than  its  old  shore  line 
marked  high  along  its  bluffs.  The  town  of 
Cordova  is  built  almost  entirely  upon  a  terrace 
which  was  once  the  bed  of  the  river.  This 
terrace  is  fifty  feet  above  the  present  low  water 
mark  of  the  Mississippi.  This  reminder  and  ev- 
idence of  the  ancient  river's  majesty  can  be 
traced  along  the  slough  and  Rock  River  bluffs 
until  that  river  empties  into  the   Mississippi. 

Evidences  of  glacial  drift  are  almost  absent 
in  this  county.  Genuine  drift  gravel  and 
boulders  are  scarce.  The  soil  of  the  bluffs 
and  hills  is  a  marly  deposit  kncjwn  as  ''loe.ss" 
which  overlies  blue  clays  and  sands.  Farther 
from  the  river  the  "loess"  gives  place  to  fine 
luminated  drift  clays  such  as  cover  most 
Illinois  high  prairies  and  upland  barrens. 


66 


HISTORIC    ROC  K    ISLAND    COUNTY 


The  surface  soil  is  underlaid  by  founda- 
tions of  stone  nf  successive  geologic  ages. 
At  the  eastern  end  of  the  county  near  Hamil- 
ton the  upper  and  more  shaley  beds  of  the 
Hamilton  limestone  first  appear  in  outcrop- 
pines  along  the  Mississippi  bank.  Still 
heavier  outcrops  show  near  Moline.  Here 
the  stratum  is  thicker,  is  brown  in  color,  and 
is  fossil  bearing.  Farther  west  near  Rock 
Island  and  Milan  the  Hamilton  is  thicker, 
bedded  with  more  irregular  stratification, 
the  color  bluish  white  or  brown  on  recent 
fracture,  and  the  rock  of  firm  texture  and 
density. 

The  island  in  the  Mississippi  known  as 
Rock  Island  is  a  great  mass  of  this  Hamilton 
limestone,  chiseled  into  shape  by  the  water. 
covered  with  eomparativelv  thin  soil  and 
splendidly  wooded.  This  island  is  rich  in 
indications  of  primitive  conditions  in  this 
section  as  it  has  stretche?  of  forest  that  have 
been  allowed  to  retain  their  natural  beauty 
and  charm. 

The  Devonian  limestone  of  this  county 
have  been  divided  by  scientists  for  litho- 
logical  reasons  into  three  divisions  namely: 
the  upper,  the  middle  and  the  lower;  each 
marked  by  its  distinguishing  character- 
istics. The  upper-most  division  is  limestone 
of  gray  or  brown  color,  is  rough  and  coarse- 
grained, and  filled  with  the  shells  and  corals 
that  mark  the  Hamilton  beds.  The  deposit 
is  from  thirty  to  forty  feet  in  thickness.  The 
middle  division  is  made  up  of  argillaceous 
and  calcareous  shales  of  equal  thickness,  this 
rock  being  filled  with  characteristic  Hamilton 
fossils.  The  most  easily  noted  outcropping  of 
this  division  is  between  Rock  Island  and  Moline 
where  in  quarrying  a  perpendicular  space  of 
thirty  feet  has  been  exposed.  Under  this 
division  lies  the  third  division  which  consists 
of  a  fine  grained  compact  stone,  of  gray  or 
dove  color.  This  extends  below  the  river 
level  and  is  of  an  unknown  thickness.  It  has 
been  penetrated  by  borings  to  the  depth  of 
one  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet. 


This  Devonian  limestone  of  the  third 
division  forms  the  bed  of  Mississippi  and  Rock 
Rivers  in  this  region.  Rock  River  from 
Milan  almost  to  the  Mississippi  is  paved  with 
what  seem  to  be  massive  blocks  of  this  com- 
pact stone  irregular  in  size  and  contour  and 
worn  to  smoothness  by  the  ceaseless  flow  of 
the  rapid  current.  The  depth  of  this  lithic 
stream  bed  has  not  been  determined.  At 
Sears'  mill  which  formerly  stood  below  Black 
Hawk's  Watch  Tower,  rock  was  quarried 
from  the  stone  floor  of  the  channel  to  the 
depth  of  twenty  feet,  and  it  is  probable  that 
they  were  only  upon  the  upper  surface  of  the 
formation.  .\t  Cleveland  near  the  eastern 
line  of  the  county  this  same  rock  appears  in 
the  bed  of  the  stream,  so  that  it  is  probable 
that  the  bed  of  Rock  River  in  its  course  along 
and  through  Rock  Island  Coimty  is  formed 
of  the  Hamilton  limestone  at  times  obscured 
and  overlaid  by  a  mud  deposit  made  possible 
by  irregularities  in  the  formation  and  moder-- 
ate  river  fall.  The  limestone  of  the  Rock 
River  bed  shows  few  fossils. 

It  is  this  same  division  of  the  Hamilton 
limestone  that  forms  the  bed  of  the  Mississippi 
throughout  the  sixty  miles  that  this  stream 
washes  the  shores  of  Rock  Island  County  on 
the  north  and  west.  It  created  the  terrors 
for  the  early  navigators  by  its  "hog-backs" 
and  rocky  chains  thrown  across  the  rapids  in 
their  sixteen  miles  of  declivity  and  rapid 
rush  of  the  mighty  current.  From  the  City 
of  Rock  Island  to  the  western  border  of  the 
county  there  are  but  few  places  where  the 
bed  of  the  stream  is  so  near  the  surface  of  the 
water  as  to  cause  trouble  to  the  rivermen.  It 
is  an  alternation  of  stretches  of  sand,  mud  and 
rockj'  bottom. 

At  Andalusia  excellent  building  stone  has 
been  quarried  from  this  lowest  member  of 
the  Hamilton  group.  The  layers  are  com- 
paratively thin.  The  stone  is  fossiliferous 
and  of  a  dove  or  light  blue  color. 

Another  limestone  formation  appearing 
locally  that  has  added  to  the  wealth  of  Rock 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    CO U N T Y 


67 


Island  County  is  the  Xiapiara  deposit  which 
outcrops  heavily  from  Cordova  to  Port  Byron. 
A  little  south  of  Hampton  it  disappears  l)e- 
neath  the  outliers  of  the  coal  measures.  At 
Cordova  this  limestone  has  a  tough  consisten- 
cy and  hornstone  appearance,  differing  in 
these  respects  from  the  same  formation  as  it 
appears  farther  north  along  the  river  bank. 
All  the  upland  region  of  the  upper  county 
lying  above  Pleasant  Valley  is  underlaid  by 
this  Niagara  limestone.  The  upper  soil  and 
upland  clay  is  cut  thro^igh  by  the  streams 
and  in  the  beds  of  these  small  waterways  the 
limestone  appears. 

This  Niagara  limestone  has  been  commer- 
cially valuable  through  its  burning  into 
excellent  quicklime  which  is  strong,  white 
and  ]nire.  At  Cordova  and  Port  Byron  there 
have  been  for  many  years  extensive  works 
for  the  manufacture  of  lime  and  this  has 
found  its  way  on  its  merits  into  the  markets 
of  this  country  The  Hamilton  limestone 
has  also  been  found  very  available  for  lime- 
burning  and  great  quantities  of  this  raw 
material  have  been  converted  into  merchant- 
able lime.  The  limestone  deposits  of  Rock 
Island  County  have  furnished  inexhaustible 
quantities  of  building  stone  to  the  quarryman 
and  builder. 

Another  lithic  mine  of  wealth  to  the  settlers 
of  Rock  Island  County  has  been  the  deposit  of 
sandstone  which  outcrops  in  the  lower  part  of 
the  county.  For  a  half  century  a  quarry  in  a 
ravine  midway  between  Millan  and  .Anda- 
lusia has  furnished  building  stone  or  rock  for 
heavy  masonry.  The  stone  is  dark  colored 
and  iron  stained  and  comes  from  a  stratum 
about  ten  feet  thick.  This  deposit  seems  to 
be  available  by  removing  the  soil  deposit  at 
any  point  along  the  bluffs  to  the  west  line  of 
the  county.  Near  Copper  Creek  in  Drury 
Township  there  is  a  quarry  which  has  supplied 
the  demand  for  this  material  for  walls  which 
has  proved  durable  and  reliable  where  it  has 
been  \ised.  After  many  years  of  use  it  seems 
to  be  unaffected  by  the  elements. 


The  clays  of  the  upper  part  of  the  coimty 
have  been  used  for  commercial  purposes. 
There  are  unlimited  deposits  of  material  for 
the  manufacture  of  drain  tile  and  this  has 
become  an  important  industry  at  various 
points,  the  most  important  point  for  manu- 
facturing and  shipping  being  Carbon  Cliff  on 
account  of  excellence  of  clay  and  convenience 
to  railroads.  The  vein  of  potter's  clay  which 
also  appears  in  this  section  of  Rock  Island 
County  has  been  worked  to  advantage. 
There  has  been  a  pottery  in  successful  oper- 
ation at  Hampton  for  many  years. 

In  this  series  of  geological  notes  naturally 
belongs  reference  to  a  remarkable  group  of 
mineral  springs  known  as  the  "Rinnah 
Wells"  springs.  They  have  been  known 
from  Indian  days  to  have  medicinal  proper- 
ties and  some  of  them  were  long  ago  improved 
by  stone  curbs  and  facilities  for  obtaining  the 
water  in  perfect  purity.  The  sediment  of 
the  water  caused  liy  natural  or  artificial 
evaporation  is  a  whitish  mineral  salt  of  pro- 
nounced and  rather  agreeable  soda  taste. 
These  springs  have  also  been  called  the 
"White  Sulphur  Springs",  also  the  "Soda 
Springs"  and  through  the  similarity  of  the 
waters  to  those  famous  ones  of  Saratoga 
and  their  marked  "medicinal  value  it  was 
prophecied  years  ago  that  a  great  resort 
would  some  day  be  built  uj)  near  Andalusia. 
These  expectations  have  so  far  been  unreal- 
ized, the  use  of  the  w-aters  having  been  limited 
to  local  converts  to  their  good  qualities.  It 
may  yet  be  that  Andalusia  with  its  romantic 
name  and  waters  of  healing  may  yet  attract 
the  attention  of  the  world  and  that  this 
beautifully  located  village  may  be  the  mecca 
of  tourists  and  healthseekers. 

NATUR.^L    SCENIC   BEAtJTY. 

The  variety  in  the  topography  of  Rock 
Island  County  has  made  possible  scenery  of 
commanding  beaut}^  Early  voyagers  were 
impressed  with  the  charm  of  situation  of  Rock 
Island,  the  splendid  island  surrounded  by  the 


68 


//  /  N  T  O  h'  I  (■    HOC  K    I  S  L  A  N  D    CO  U  \  T  Y 


bright  waters  of  the  Mississippi  and  bounded 
by  the  outlying  bluffs  like  unto  a  spacious 
amphitheatre  changing  with  the  seasons  from 
the  charm  of  green  clad  eminence  to  russet 
autumn  foliage  splashed  with  vermilion  tints 
and  then  to  sno>v-elad  winter  hills.  Many 
chapters  have  been  written  of  this  section. 
One  extract  will  be  sulficient  to  give  an  idea 
of  all.  Governor  Reynolds  in  his  "Life  and 
Times"  has  this  paragraph:  "The  scenery 
about  Rock  Island  is  not  surpassed  by  any 
in  the  whole  length  of  the  Mississippi.  It 
seems  as  though  Nature  had  made  an  effort 
in  forming  this  beautiful  and  picturesque 
country.  Rock  Island  itself  presents  a  grand 
and  imposing  appearance,  rising  out  of  the 
waters  of  the  Mississippi  a  solid  rock  with 
many  feet  elevation.  It  is  several  miles 
long,  and  three-fourths  of  a  mile  wide.  The 
rocks  are  covered  with  a  fertile  soil.  The 
river  washes  around  its  base  with  a  rapid 
cm-rent  of  pure  and  limpid  water  and  Rock 
River,  a  few  miles  south,  is  seen  in  the  dis- 
tance, forcing  its  way  with  great  rapidity  over 
the  rocky  rapids  into  the  Father  of  Waters. 
The  countrj'  around  it  is  interspersed  with 
beautiful  groves  of  timber,  which  give  to  the 
scene  a  sweetness  and  a  beauty  rarely  equaled. 
The  blue  hills  in  the  distance,  directing  the 
course  of  the  river,  are  seen  on  the  north  and 
the  south  to  rise  with  gentle  slopes  from  the 
water  to  considerable  elevations,  and  the 
valley  between,  embracing  the  river  is  some 
miles  in  extent,  presenting  a  variety  of  surface 
and  a  beauty  of  landscape  never  surpassed." 
This  scenic  beauty  Rock  Island  County 
naturally  shares  with  the  part  of  Iowa  lying 
on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Mississippi- 
There  is  however  one  location  of  great  natural 
beauty  soleh^  within  the  boundaries  of  this 
county.  It  is  the  rugged  upland  formed  on 
one  hand  by  the  bluffs  of  the  Mississippi  and 
on  the  other  by  the  precipitous  bluffs  of  the 
Rock  River.  From  countless  elevations  on 
this  tract  there  are  views  of  surpassing 
beauty.     The  eye  is  challenged  by  striking 


declivities  of  solid  rock;  rests  admiringly 
upon  stretches  of  woods  that  border  winding 
streams  of  bright  and  limpid  water  and  rests 
peacefully  upon  widely  stretching  farmlands 
marked  by  hedgerows  and  clumps  of  trees. 
Rising  abruptly  for  a  height  of  two  hundred 
feet  above  the  water  level  is  the  eminence 
known  as  Black  Hawk's  Watch  Tower. 
From  the  crest  of  this  noble  hill  a  panorama 
of  striking  beauty  is  unrolled  before  the  eye 
of  the  visitor.  To  the  west  stretches  the  line 
of  bluffs  that  overlooks  the  confluence  of  the 
waters  of  the  Mississippi  and  Rock  Rivers. 
To  the  southwest  one  can  see  the  location  of 
Black  Hawk's  village.  To  the  south  in  the 
foregroimd  lies  the  town  of  Milan  to  which  the 
elevation  and  distance  give  picturesquene.ss. 
In  the  immediate  foreground  are  the  four 
channels  of  Rock  River  spanned  by  railroad 
and  wagon  bridges,  the  intervening  islands 
covered  with  groves  of  stately  elms  and  be- 
tween the  shimmering  and  gliincins:  waters 
hurry  over  rocky  rapids.  The  neighborhood 
of  the  Watch  Tower,  as  it  is  familiarly  known, 
is  rich  in  Indian  legends  through  its  having 
been  the  location  of  one  of  the  largest  Intlian 
settlements  of  the  continent  frotn  the  time 
when  tradition  begins.  Black  Hawk's  Watch 
Tower  takes  its  name  from  this  Indian  chief 
and  great  Sac  warrior;  he  having  watched 
from  its  siunmit  the  approach  of  the  troops 
sent  against  him  by  Governor  Reynolds  at  the 
beginning  of  the  short,  sharp  and  decisive 
conflict  known  in  history  as  Black  Hawk's 
War.  The  Watch  Tower  is  easily  accessible 
from  Rock  Island,  Moline,  Davenport  and 
Milan  by  electric  lines  and  is  visited  annually 
by  many  thousand  tourists  and  residents  of 
this  locality.  A  handsome  inn  crowns  the 
elevation  and  the  various  attractions  of  a 
modern  amusement  park  furnish  recreation 
for  the  multitude. 

COAL  ME.ASURES. 

In  that  portion  of  the  county  Ij'ing  west  of 
Rock  Island  the  coal  measures  are  found  as 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


69 


"outliers",  overlaying;  and  resting  uncon- 
formably  upon  the  Devonia  and  Upper 
Silurian  limestone,  as  far  north  as  the  vicinity 
of  Port  Bvron,  where  it  finally  terminates. 
The  most  northerly  point  where  a  workable 
bed  of  coal  has  been  found  on  this  side  of  the 
river,  is  at  Rapids  City,  where  the  seam  is 
from  four  to  five  feet  thick,  and  OA-erlies 
the  Niagara  limestone,  with  only  a  few 
feet  of  thickness  of  -shales  and  fire  clay 
between. 

Two  miles  east  of  Hampton,  where  coal 
shafts  ha\-e  been  sunk,  are  good  seams  from 
four  to  five  feet  thick.  The  Carbon  Cliff 
mines  were  the  earliest  XAorked  on  the  west 
side  of  Rock  River.  For  many  years  exten- 
sive coal  operations  were  carried  on  at  this 
point  but  the  limited  supply  of  coal  finally 
became  so  nearly  e.xhausted  that  mining 
here  was  discontinued. 

The  triangular  piece  of  elevated  land  east 
of  the  City  of  Rock  Island,  bounded  by 
I'leasant  "\'alley,  Rock  River  and  the  Mississ- 
ippi, is  a  mass  of  coal  materials,  resting  upon  a 


Devonian  or  Upper  Silurian  formation  of 
imderlying  limestone. 

.\11  that  part  of  tb.e  county,  south  and  east 
of  the  Mississippi  and  the  Rock  River  ranges 
of  bluffs,  is  imderlaid  by  the  coal  measures. 
In  every  part  of  the  county  the  coal  measures 
are  covered  with  a  deep  deposit  of  drift-clays. 
At  ;\Iilan,  Carbon  Cliff,  and  east  of  the  City 
of  Rock  Island,  this  drift  clay  is  from  forty 
to  seventy-five  feet  in  thickness. 

South  of  Rock  River  the  coal  measures 
are  more  regular  and  more  extensively 
developed  than  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
county.  The  coal  mining  industry  in  this 
county  has  become  most  important.  The 
thickness  of  the  coal  seems  to  vary  from 
three  and  a  half  to  five  and  a  half  feet  and  is 
reached  at  a  depth  of  from  forty  to  one 
hundred  and  twenty  feet.  Coal  is  raised  at 
the  principal  mines  by  steam  power.  The 
active  operations  in  mining  have  greatly 
enhanced  the  value  of  contiguous  lands,  and 
led  to  the  introduction  of  railroads  as  a  special 
means  of  transportation. 


70 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  COUNTY 


In  the  early  historv  of  the  State  of  Illinois, 
all  the  territory  lying  north  and  west  of  the 
Illinois  River  formed  one  county,  under  the 
name  of  Pike  County.  Prior  to  the  organ- 
ization of  Rock  Island  County,  it  was  at- 
tached to  Jo   Daviess  County. 

By  an  act  of  the  legislature,  approved 
February  9,  1831,  which  after  fixing  the 
boundaries,  and  naming  the  county,  provided 
for  the  election  of  certain  count\-  officers, 
whenever  it  should  contain  three  hundred 
and  fifty  inhabitants;  and  that  after  such 
election,  said  County  of  Rock  Island,  should 
be  considered  as  organized.  Said  boimdaries 
were  as  follows:  Beginning  in  the  middle 
of  the  channel  of  the  Mississippi  River,  on  the 
north  line  of  Township  15,  north,  and  west 
of  the  Fourth  Principal  Meridian;  thence 
running  eastwardly  on  said  line  to  the  Fourth 
Principal  Meridian;  thence  north  to  the 
middle  of  the  channel  of  Rock  River;  thence 
up  the  middle  of  said  channel  to  the  Marais 
d'Osier  Slough;  thence  along  the  middle  of 
said  slough  to  the  middle  of  the  channel  of 
the  Mississippi  River;  thence  down  along  the 
middle  of  said  channel  to  the  place  of 
beginning. 

On  the  first  daj'  of  March,  1833,  a  further 
act  was  passed,  and  three  commissioners  were 
appointed  to  select  and  locate  a  permanent 
seat  of  justice  for  Rock  Island  County; 
and  when  selected  to  be  called  Stephenson, 
in  commemoration  of  Colonel  Benjamin 
Stephenson;  also  by  said  act  the  citizens  of 
Rock  Island  County  were  authorized  to  elect 


on  the  first  Monday  of  July,  1833.  three 
county  commissioners,  one  sheriff,  three 
justices  of  the  peace  (to  reside  in  separate 
districts),  three  constables,  and  one  coroner. 

An  election  was  held  July  5,  1833,  at  the 
house  of  John  Barrel,  in  Farnhamsburg, 
near  the  point  where  the  south  end  of  the 
present  south  bridge  of  the  Rock  Island 
Railroad  is  now  located. 

At  this  meeting,  which  was  duly  held  at 
the  time  and  place  appointed,  sixty-five 
citizens  were  present  and  took  part.  Joseph 
Danforth,  Joel  Wells,  Sr..  and  William  H. 
Simms  served  as  judges,  and  Joseph  Conway 
and  W.  Thompson  as  clerks.  Those  honored 
by  election  to  the  county  commissionership 
were:  George  W.  Harlan,  John  W.  Spencer 
and  Colonel  George  Davenport.  Benjamin 
F.  Pike  was  made  sheriff;  Levi  Wells,  coroner; 
George  W.  Harlan,  J.  B.  Patterson,  and  Joe 
Wells.  Jr..  justices  of  the  peace;  George  V. 
Miller,  Huntington  Wells,  and  Edward  Cor- 
bin.  constables.  These  were  the  pioneer 
office-holders  of  Rock  Island  County. 

The  covmty  commissioners  met  at  John 
Barrel's  and  organized  three  days  later. 
Joseph  Conway  was  made  clerk  and  Joseph 
Wells.  Sr.,  treasurer  and  assessor.  As  there 
was  neither  count}-  seat  or  am-  count}'  build- 
ing, the  commissioners  ordered  that  sessions 
of  court  and  general  elections  be  held  at  the 
house  of  John  Barrel  in  Farnhamsburg. 
Asaph  Wells  and  Joel  Wells.  Jr.,  were  ap- 
pointed supervisors  of  roads  at  the  March 
term,  1834. 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    CO U N T Y 


71 


At  this  time  the  settlers  had  to  depend  upon 
Fort  Armstrong  for  mail  facilities.  The 
matter  of  going  to  the  postoffice  became 
burdensome,  as  it  included  ferriage  to  the 
island.  This  expense  added  to  the  postage 
of  twenty-five  cents  on  each  letter  became 
grievous  and  the  settlers  petitioned  the 
postmaster-general  for  a  postoffice  to  be 
established  at  the  convenient  and  useful  home 
of  John  Barrel.  This  was  done  in  1834 
and  Josej)h  Conway  made  postmaster. 

In  June,  1834,  the  county  was  divided  for 
convenience  into  rwo  voting  precincts,  these 
being  denominated  the  "Upper"  and  the 
"Lower."  The  boundaries  of  the  Upper 
Precinct  commenced  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Marai.s  d 'Osier  Slough  and  continued  as  far 
west  as  Henry  McNeal's  house.  The  voters 
in  this  territory  assembled  at  the  home  of 
\\'alter  Phillips.  The  remainder  of  the  county 
formed  the  Lower  Precinct  and  the  voting 
place  was  fixed  at  the  house  owned  by  Daven- 
port and  Farnham  in  Farnhamsburg.  The 
first  judges  appointed  in  the  Upper  Precinct 
were  Asaph  Wells.  James  Haskell  and  Thomas 
L.  Galpin;  in  the  I,o\ver,  Joel  Wells,  Sr., 
William  Brashar  and  William  Tarr. 

February  12,  183.5,  the  legislature  passed 
an  act  to  establish  the  county  seat  of  Rock 
Island  County.  The  con.missioners  ap))ointed 
under  this  law,  on  the  8th  daj-  of  June  1835, 
located  and  established  the  town  of  Stephen- 
son,and  the  county  seatof  Rock  Island  Comity. 
The  commissioners  were  George  Davenport, 
John  W.  Spencer,  and  John  Vanatta. 

B}-  order  of  the  county  commissioners 
court,  in  November,  1835,  the  records  and 
courts  of  the  county  were  removed  from 
Farnhamsburg  to  Stephenson. 

The  report  of  the  commissioners  was  made 
June  8,  1835.  This  document  ordered  "that 
Charles  R.  Bennet  be  appointed  to  survey 
the  town  of  Stephenson,  in  Rock  Island 
County,  as  soon  as  practible."  A  further 
provision  of  the  report  was  to  the  effect 
that  "one-third  of  the  town  lots  be  offered 


for  sale  on  the  11th  of  July  next,  and  that 
the  same  be  published  three  times  in  the 
St.  Louis  Republican,  the  .'Vlton  Spectator, 
the  Northwestern  Gazette  and  the  Galena 
Advertiser." 

The  town  of  Stephenson  was  therefore  laid 
out  by  Charles  R.  Bennet  and  the  plat 
recorded  July  10,  1835.  This  recorded  plat 
bears  the  certificate  of  Joseph  Conway, 
clerk  to  the  county  couunissioners.  The 
town  comprised  within  its  modest  limits 
twenty  blocks  in  addition  to  the  one  set 
aside  for  a  public  square  upon  which  the 
county  buildings  were  to  be  erected  and 
upon  which  the  handsome  modern  court 
house  now  stands.  The  lots  were  most 
generous,  as  befitted  a  time  when  land  was 
cheap.  They  measured  eighty  feet  front 
and  had  a  depth  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet. 

Colonel  George  Davenport,  John  W.  Spen- 
cer and  John  Vanatta,  the  county  com- 
missioners, entered  the  town  site  of  Stephen- 
son for  the  purposes  of  a  county  seat,  Maj' 
11,  1836.  Its  description  was  "the  north- 
west fractional  quarter  of  Section  35,  con- 
taining 61.95  acres."  This  entry  was  made 
in  the  land  office  of  this  district  at  Galena. 

To  add  to  the  official  dignity  of  the  local 
courts,  the  commissioners  ordered  September 
7,  1835,  "that  Joseph  Conway  be  authorized 
to  get  two  seals,  one  for  the  circuit  court  of 
Rock  Island  County  and  one  for  the  county 
commissioners'  court  of  Rock  Island  County, 
the  device  to  be  a  sheaf  of  wheat  and  a  plow." 
These  courts  were  removed  from  Farnhams- 
burg to  the  new  county  seat,  Stephenson,  in 
November,  1835. 

One  incident  of  these  early  days,  having 
peculiar  interest  through  later  national  legis- 
lation and  civil  war  was  the  onlering  of  the 
court  that  a  tax  of  one-half  per  cent  be 
levied  "on  slaves  or  indentured  negro  or 
mulatto  servants,  pleasure  carriages,  dis- 
tilleries, horses,  nuiles,  cattle,  watches  and 
their  appendages,  household  furniture,  clocks, 
wagons,   carts,   sheep  and  town  lots." 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


By  this  listing  of  slaves  among  real  and 
personal  property  with  a  recognized  cash 
value  to  be  the  basis  of  a  percentum  tax  the 
ownership  of  slaves  was  recognized  in  this 
section  which  later  took  important  and 
active  part  in  the  war  which  destroyed  and 
discoimtenanced  the  entire  system  of  slave 
ownership.  The  occasion  of  the  tax  levy 
upon  "indentured  negro  servants"  was  the 
holding  of  slaves  by  some  of  the  officers  at 
the  Fort  Armstrong  garrison.  When  these 
officers  were  transferred  to  this  post  they 
brought  with  them  these  "indentured  negro 
servants."  This  practice  though  not  sanc- 
tioned by  the  constitution  and  laws  of  the 
State  of  Illinois  was  possible  under  the  old 
territorial  laws,  enacted  when  Illinois  was 
a  part  of  the  Territory  of  Indiana.  Under 
these  territorial  provisions  permitting  slaves 
to  be  introduced  into  this  free  soil  as  "inden- 
tured servants,"  many  lived  in  Illinois.  In 
1810  there  were  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight 
slaves  in  this  state.  Ten  years  later  the 
number  had  increased  to  nine  hundred  and 
seventeen.  Ten  years  later  in  1830  there 
were  seven  hundred  and  forty-six  slaves 
within  the  borders  of  Illinois.  It  was  about 
this    time    that    Dr.    Emerson,    the    surgeon 


of  the  post,  brought  to  this  section  as  his  ser- 
vant, the  famous  negro,  Dred  Scott.  When 
Fort  Armstrong  was  evacuated  in  1836, 
Scott  went  with  his  master  to  Fort  Snelling 
in  .Minnesota  and  there  proceedings  were 
commenced  which  culminated  in  the  Dred 
Scott  decision  by  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States,  one  of  the  history  making 
incidents  of  ante-bellum  times.  Dr.  Emer- 
son afterwards  made  Davenport  his  home, 
erecting  a  handsome  residence  on  East 
Second  Street.  There  he  died  and  wa"s 
buried  at  an  early  cemetery,  now  the  crossing 
of  Sixth   and    LeClaire  Streets. 

In  1829,  it  is  a  matter  of  history  that  a 
number  of  slaves  were  held  for  a  short  time 
in  Rock  Island  County  on  a  farm  just  above 
:Moline.  Their  owner,  a  southern  man, 
brought  them  with  him  when  he  moved  to 
this  section.  He  brought  his  holding  to  the 
number  of  seventy-five  expecting  to  give 
them  their  freedom  and  place  them  tipon 
lands  entered  in  this  section,  but  the 
colored  people  preferred  to  return  to  their 
"sunny"  southern  home,  and  were  allowed 
to  do  so  after  experiencing  the  rigors  of  one 
northern  winter. 


COUNTY  COURT  HOUSE. 


As  attractive,  perhaps,  as  any  court  house 
in  the  states  and  more  remarkable  in  archi- 
tecture bjf  far  than  many,  is  the  handsome 
county  building  of  Rock  Island.  Stately 
and  inviting  for  business,  this  edifice  stands 
a  monument  to  the  progressive  spirit  of  the 
people,  who,  keeping  pace  with  the  advance- 
ment of  the  times,  put  it  there. 

Way  back  in  1826  a  sijiall  but  well  designed 
liuilding    known   as   "John    Barrel's   house," 


enclosed  within  its  walls  the  first  gathering 
of  men  to  transact  Rock  Island  County 
business.  That  house  stood  in  Farnhams- 
burg  and  besides  being  the  first  county  court 
house,  served  as  postofTice  and  hotel. 

The  first  jail  was  built  in  1836— then  the 
city  was  the  town  of  Stephenson.  John  W. 
Spencer  in  October,  1835,  was  awarded  the 
contract  to  build  this  jail,  which  was  origi- 
nally a  hewed  log  building,  two  stories  high 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COU  N  TIY 


73 


and  twenty-two  feet  square.  The  brick 
portion  of  the  structure,  afterward  added, 
was  built  by  Daniel  Doty  in  1839.  It  stood 
on  lot  No.  5  in  block  No.  15  in  the  old  town 
until  it  was  sold  to  a  German,  who  converted 
the  brick   portion   into  a  residence. 

It  was  in  this  building  that  the  nnu'derers 
of  Colonel  Davenport  were  confined,  and 
from  which  they  were  led  forth  to  expiate 
their  crimes  upon  the  gallows  on  the  morning 
of  October  ^Oth,  1S45.  Birch  and  Baxter 
were  also  confined  there:  the  former  took  a 
change  of  venue  to  Warren  Covuity  where  he 
broke  jail  and  escaped.  Baxter  escaped  the 
gallows  on  the  grounds  of  liaving  no  willful 
intention  to  take  the  life  of  his  l)enefactor; 
for  wliile  he  laid  the  plot  for  the  robbery  of 
Colonel  Davenport's  house,  and  jjlanned 
with  the  robbers  to  be  ready  to  enter  it  on 
that  memorable  Fourth  of  July,  he  did  it 
thinking  that  the  house  would  be  unoccupied. 
But  in  that  he  was  disappointed:  all  the 
family  had  gone  to  the  celebration  excepting 
the  colonel.  When  the  robbers  entered, 
they  unexpectedly  foimd  him  in  the  house 
and  to  make  sin-e  of  escaping  with  their 
phmder,  murdered  him.  Baxter  was  sen- 
tenced to  the  penitentiarj-  for  life  but  was 
afterwards  parolled  on  the  pn.mise  that  he 
would  leave  this  part  of  the  country. 

The  present  jail  was  built  in  1857  at  an 
initial  cost  of  $60,000.  Additions  of  note 
have  since  been  added.  Until  this  date,  18-57, 
the  jail  building  contained  besides  the 
sheriff's  office  and  residence,  the  offices  of 
circuit  clerk,  recorder,  and  the  county 
clerk. 

A  contact  with  >Ionah  H.  Case  to  furnish 
200,000  bricks  at  eight  dollars  a  thousand, 
was  the  first  step  toward  the  erection  of  the 
then,  new  court  house.  That  was  in  April, 
1836.  In  June  the  contract  for  the  building 
was  let  to  Samuel  Smith  for  $10,500,  to  be 
completed  December  1,  1837.  The  building, 
a  square  brick  structure,  was  of  two  stories 
with  a  central  cupola.     It  stood  on  the  square 


reserved  for  that  purpose  when  the  town  was 
mapped  out  and  on  the  land  of  the  present 
temple  of  justice. 

Immediately  after  the  jail  fire  in  1882,  the 
people  began  to  agitate  a  new  court  house. 
In  January  1883,  the  board  of  supervisors 
decided  to  erect  an  office  building  of  sufficient 
capacity  for  the  offices  of  county  judge,  cir- 
cuit clerk,  and  county  clerk:  consequently,  a 
contract  was  made  with  S.  J.  Collins  for  a 
one-story  brick  building,  situate  on  the  south- 
east corner  of  court  house  square,  at  a  cost 
of  aljout  S13,00(),  the  building  being  com- 
pleted during  the  year. 

Diu'ing  the  time  of  its  construction,  office 
room  was  obtained  in  the  old  court  house, 
and  improvised  space  in  the  jail  building. 
As  Rock  Island  County  grew  it  was  soon 
apparent  that  extensive  improvements  and 
additions  to  the  court  house  would  be  neces- 
sary. This  rehabilitation  would  have  cost 
the  county  so  mucli  money  that  it  seemed  to 
the  wise  men  quite  the  wTong  thing  to  do, 
but  rather  appeal  to  the  people  to  decide  at 
the  polls  whether  or  not  it  was  their  desire 
to  bear  the  expense  of  a  new  and  modern 
building.  Supervisor  Joseph  Fitzpatrick  of 
Milan  championed  the  movement.  He  intro- 
duced a  resolution  at  the  April  term,  1893, 
calling  for  a  committee  to  investigate  the 
needs  of  the  county  and  the  probable  cost 
of  a  new  court  house,  to  report  to  the  board 
at  the  July  meeting,  with  recommendations 
as  to  the  time  and  money  necessary  to  erect 
such  a  court  house  as  would  compare  with 
the  wealth  and  progress  of  the  county. 

This  committee  composed  of  Supervisor 
Joseph  Fitzpatrick,  A.  F.  Vinton,  James  (i. 
Britton  and  Conrad  Schneider  made  a  favor- 
able report  and  thought  $125,000  would  be 
about  the  right  amount. 

An  election  was  held  November  6,  1894, 
and  the  proposition  to  issue  bonds  to  the 
amount  of  $125,000  was  carried  by  the 
following  vote:  For  the  proposition  to  issue 
bonds,    3,913;    against    proposition,    2,174; 


74 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


majority  for  said  proposition,  1 ,789  Accord- 
ingly the  contract  was  let,  Charles  J.  Larkin 
winning.  Work  on  the  founrlation  com- 
menced June  26,  1895,  and  October  1,  1896 
the  corner  stone  was  laid.  The  arrangements 
being  in  charge  of  the  Old  Settlers'  Asso- 
ciation. 

The  following  men  constituted  the  Court 
House  Committee:  Charles  L.  Walker,  chair- 
man; Phil  .Mitchell,  Hon.  William  Jackson, 
John  Ohiweiler.  T.  S.  Silvis,  (deceased),  Hon. 
Charles  J.  Searle,  H.  P.  Simpson,  William 
McEniry,  J.  F.  Robinson,  (deceased),  C.  F. 
Lynde,  S.  J.  Collins,  S.  S.  Hull,  Hon  E.  E. 
Parmenter,  (deceased),  W.  P.  Quajde,  (de- 
ceased). After  the  formal  notice  was  made, 
the  following  orations  were  delivered  by 
Edward  D.  Sweeney.  C.  J.  Searle  and  Judge 
J.  M.  Gould  at  the  laying  of  the  corner  stone 
of  the  new  court    house,  October  1,  1896. 


THE  ORATIONS. 

(Orations  printed  in  part.) 

Edw.\rd  D.  Sweexky. 
Mr.  Chairman  and  Fellow  Citizens: 

We  celebrate  today  the  laying  of  the  corner 
stone  for  the  new  court  house,  and  the  occa- 
sion is  an  event  which  awakens  in  us  emotions 
of  the  deepest  interest.  While  it  is  true  that 
this  vast  assemblage  of  citizens  are  of  divers 
nationalities,  of  varied  political  faiths,  and 
of  many  religious  beliefs,  we  all  stand  before 
this  mute  block  of  granite  as  before  the 
throne  of  the  Eternal  on  equal  footing,  no 
s])ecial  privilege  of  nobility  or  preference 
places  one  before  the  other. 

The  significance  of  this  great  gathering  is  a 
tribute  of  respect  to  the  grand  temple  of  jus- 
tice planned  to  rise  from  this  corner  stone; 
and  an  acknowledgement  of  homage  to  the 
fair  Goddess  of  Justice,  who,  with  sightless 
e3'es  and  extended  hand  under  the  law,  holds 
the  balances  in  which  causes  between  man 
and  man  are  weighed  without  partiality  or 


favor,  and  determined.  The  law-abiding 
people  of  this  great  county  as  by  one  common 
impulse,  from  the  various  pursuits  of  life,  the 
farmers  from  their  fields,  the  merchants  from 
their  counters,  the  mechanics  from  their  shops, 
the  bankers  from  their  desks,  and  the  hum- 
blest toilers  from  their  work,  have  come  to 
witness  the  simple  act  of  the  laying  of  this 
stone.  It  must  be  that  in  this  there  is  much 
that  ought  to  challenge  our  thoughtful  con- 
sideration and  engage  our  earnest  contempla- 
tion for  the  hour  which  we  are  permitted  to 
spend  togetheron  thisevent.  It  is  the  transition 
moment  from  the  old  to  the  new;  it  is  the 
passing  of  a  great  milestone  in  the  career  of 
our  county.  More  than  fiftj'  years  of  history 
is  about  to  close  its  record  today,  and  a  new 
book  presents  itself  in  which  we  are  to  record 
events,  yet  in  the  bosom  of  the  future;  to  be 
born  each  day  and  each  month  in  the  coming 
years.  The  thought  which  occupies  every- 
one here  assembled  must  be  in  reference  to 
the  old  court  house,  its  associations  of  law- 
yers, and  judges,  of  law  suits,  of  law  and  its 
administration,  and  of  officers — and  this  is 
mj'  theme. 

The  early  beginnings  of  all  communities 
are  remembered  with  the  greatest  of  interest 
and  cherished  in  the  fond  recollections  of 
those  who  have  participated  therein.  The 
County  of  Rock  Island  was  organized  on  the 
8th  day  of  July,  1833,  it  having  been  formerly 
a  part  of  Jo  Daviess  County,  and  the  first 
term  of  the  circuit  coiu-t  was  held  at  the 
house  of  John  Barrel,  beginning  on  the  28th 
day  of  April,  1834.  This  house  stood  on  the 
banks  of  the  Sylvan  Waters,  just  west  of  the 
Cable  residence,  and  was  chosen  by  the 
county  commissioners  as  the  tem])orary 
place  of  holding  the  court  and  the  village  was 
called  Farnhamsburg.  In  this  house  was 
held  the  covirt  until  abandoned  at  the  Sep- 
tember term,  1837;  in  all  six  terms  of  court. 
At  each  of  these  terms  there  was  a  grand  jury 
selected  and  chosen,  and  in  looking  over  the 
list    of    names    which    compose   these  grand 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


75 


juries,  I  find  that  Benjamin  Ggble,  the  old 
settler  who  lays  the  corner  stone  today,  was 
a  grand  juror  at  three  of  these  terms.  It  is 
very  evident  that  they  in  those  days  had  as 
good  an  opinion  of  Mr.  Goble  as  we  of  the 
present  day,  while  we  think  he  is  a  little  too 
old  to  do  heavy  mason  work,  yet,  if  called 
upon,  that  he  would  be  as  willing  to  serve  as 
a  grand  juror  to  punish  wrong  doers  as  he 
was  in  those  early  times.  I  also  find  the 
name  of  ou.r  venerable  and  worthy  friend, 
Michael  Ilartzell,  that  he  served  two  terms 
as  a  grantl  juror  in  vindicating  the  law  in  this 
new-forming  comnuniity.  I  also  find  that 
John  Tindall,  the  sturdy  and  prosperous 
farmer  of  Bowling  Township,  and  Charles 
Tilterington,  the  leading  farmer  of  Edging- 
ton,  the  father  of  our  present  county  treasurer, 
each  served  a  term  as  a  grand  juror  in  the 
house  of  John  Barrel;  all  of  these  ionr  are 
now  present  on  this  glad  day  to  witness  the 
laying  of  the  corner  stone  of  the  new  court 
house,  which  to  them  must  be  an  event  of 
inore  than  usual  interest.  I  also  find  that 
\Mlliam  Bell  was  a  grand  juror  at  the  house 
of  John  Barrel  at  the  April  term.  1837.  This 
gentleman,  who  alwaj-s  took  such  an  interest 
in  the  affairs  of  our  county  and  City  of  Hock 
Island,  and  always  had  a  pleasant  word  and 
smile  for  everybody,  is  absent  in  body,  but 
we  know  must  be  present  in  mind.  He  is 
living  with  his  daughter,  Rosa,  at  Toledo, 
Ohio,  and  in  a  ripe  old  age. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  our  long  coiu't 
dockets  of  hundreds  of  cases  and  terms  of 
court  dragging  through  tedious  months,  to 
which  has  been  added  the  county  court,  now 
given  common  law  jurisdiction  with  a  civil 
and  criminal  docket,  ami  with  its  long  [jrobate 
docket  ui)on  which  are  the  estates  and  through 
which  already  has  passed  nearly  all  the  titles 
to  real  estate  within  the  limits  of  the  county. 
The  population  of  the  county  has  grown  from 
350  to  about  45,000;  at  the  time  of  the  organi- 
zation there  was  one  straggling  village  on  the 
site  of  the  City  of  Rock  Island  and  here  and 


there  a  settler  throughout  the  county.  Now 
there  are  six  incorporate  towns  and  villages,  fviU 
of  activity  and  business,  and  two  large  com- 
mercial cities,  teeming  with  industry,  thrift 
and  enterprise,  growing  in  importance  and 
multiplying  in  wealth;  then  the  taxable  pro- 
perty of  the  county  was  a  few  hundred 
dollars,  now  it  is  over  eight  millions.  For  a 
few  years  there  were  only  two  terms  of  court 
in  each  year,  but  very  soon  the  legislature 
gave  this  county  three  terms  of  the  circuit 
court,  with  a  probate  court  in  session  sub- 
stantially all  the  year  round. 

The  number  of  criminals  which  come 
before  the  courts  of  our  coimty  for  correction 
are  surprisingly  small.  Few  comities  in  the 
state  send  a  less  number  to  the  penitentiary, 
schools,  and  the  jails  for  punishment,  in 
accordance  with  their  jiopulation  than  the 
Count}-  of  Rock  Island.  As  evidence  of  how 
carefully  the  legal  limits  are  observed  among 
us  stands  forth  the  fact  that  in  the  affairs  of 
our  county,  transacted  by  our  honorable 
board  of  supervisors,  every  step  of  the  way 
in  which  they  proceed  being  regulated  and 
determined  by  law,  not  a  legal  contest  is 
raised  or  issue  made  concerning  the  new  court 
house,  the  greatest  building  ever  yet  erected 
in  the  county,  which  is  rising  to  is  comple- 
tion and  will  be  bviilt  from  foimdation  to 
dome  without  the  circuit  coiu't  having  taken 
cognizance  of  it  in  any  manner  whatever 
except  to  hear  the  hammers  of  the  workmen 
and  to  finally  obey  the  summons  to  quarter 
itself  in  the  magnificent  court  room;  as  grand 
as  the  old  hall  of  William  Rufus,  the  pride  of 
England  for  a  thousand  years;  which  is  Ijeing 
provided  for  it  in  accordance  with  law,  there 
to  administer  the  law  for  the  people  "with 
malice  towards  none  and  witii  charity  for 
all". 

.\mong  the  names  of  those  who  have  served 
their  day  and  stamped  upon  the  events  of 
the  times  in  which  they  lived,  the  imjiress  of 
their  character  and  have  gone  to  their  reward, 
and  are  in  your  memories  while  I  speak,  are; 


76 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


Joseph  Knox,  Ira  0.  Wilkinson,  E.  R.  Bean, 
John  B.  Haw  ley,  Alfred  Webster.  J.  J. 
Beardsle}-.  Robert  W.  Sniitli  ant!  Patrick 
O'Mara. ' 

The  oratory  of  Joseph  Knox  will  always  be 
remembered  by  those  who  have  heard  him. 
The  iiaipression  that  his  oratory  made  upon 
my  mind  when  a  young  man,  was  that  it  was 
close  akin  to  that  of  Demosthenes.  History 
records  that  when  the  issue  was  before  the 
Athenians  whether  thej'  would  submit  to 
Phillip  of  Macedoa,  or  resist  him  with  arms, 
that  Demosthenes  espoused  the  cause  of  war; 
in  this  he  was  opposed  by  the  accomplished 
orator.  Aschines.  When  Aschines  addressed 
the  people  they  woidd  say,  what  wonderful 
eloquence,  what  a  great  orator;  when  Demos- 
thenes would  speak  thej'  wotdd  leap  and 
shout,  "let  us  go  and  fight  Phillip."  ilr. 
Knox  was  often  greeted  with  similar  responses. 
Judge  Wilkinson  was  a  slave  to  his  profession; 
he  never  allowed  his  mind  to  be  occupied  bj- 
anything  which  wotild  draw  him  away  from 
the  pure  pursuit  and  practice  of  the  law.  He 
was  for  many  years  the  mentor  of  our  bar 
and  no  young  lawyer  struggling  with  legal 
difficulties  ever  went  to  him  but  he  received 
him  kindly  and  furnished  material  help  with- 
out claim  of  compensation.  He  did  not  lay 
down  his  work  until  the  hand  of  disease 
arrested  his  powers,  and  like  "Nicanor"  he 
"lay  dead  in  his  harness."  General  Hawley 
will  be  remembered  as  the  impetuous,  vigi- 
lant and  aggressive  advocate.  He  was  like 
the  plumed  knight  of  Ivry,  always  to  the 
front  in  the  thickest  of  the  contest,  pushing 
every  advantage  tmtil  victory  crowned 
efforts.  Patrick  O'Mara  was  the  silver- 
tongued  orator  of  the  bar,  young,  promising 
and  brilliant;  he  was  a  shining  mark  for  tlie 
shafts  of  death,  which  too  soon  claimed  hira 
for  a  prey.  Time  forbids  further  mention  of 
the  merits  of  the  dead,  btit  the  best  and  the 
highest  efforts  of  those  who  have  gone  and 
those  who  remain  are  to  be  found  in  the 
records  of  the  courts,  published  in  the    58 


volumes  of  .the  Appellate  and  in  the  15.5 
volumes  of  the  Supreme  Court  reports.  It  is 
in  this  work  the  real  test  comes  of  the  law- 
yer's knowledge  of  the  law  and  his  merits  as 
a  lawyer,  who  has  within  his  grasp  and  com- 
prehension the  highe.st  elements  of  law. 

There  have  been  nineteen  different  judges 
who  have  held  court  in  our  count}^  Rich- 
ard M.  Young  was  the  first  judge  who  ever 
held  court  in  otu-  county.  He  came  from 
Galena  and  was  succeeded  by  Daniel  Stone, 
who  came  from  the  same  place.  Sidney 
Breese  held  the  second  term.  He  afterwards 
became  a  member  of  the  supreme  court  and 
served  a  number  of  years;  was  elected  to  the 
United  States  Senate  where  he  served  a  term, 
after  which  he  went  to  the  supreme  bench 
again,  where  he  remained  until  his  death  in 
1S78,  full  of  years,  honors  and  good  deeds. 
Benjamin  R.  Sheldon  held  the  May  term. 
1849;  He  afterwards  went  on  the  supreme 
bench,  where  he  remained  until  his  death, 
a  good  man  and  a  strong  judge.  Thomas 
Ford  held  tlie  April  term  of  our  court  in 
1836;  he  afterwards  became  governor  of  the 
state  and  in  his  declining  days  wrote  Ford's 
History  of  Illinois,  the  best  yet  written  of 
tlie  state.  Of  those  who  are  not  now  in 
office,  I  know  of  only  two  who  are  living — 
the  Honorable  J.  W.  Drury,  who  was  circuit 
judge  from  1856  until  1859  or  '60,  and  the 
Honorable  Arthur  A.  Smith,  who  first  held 
court  here  in  1879  and  resigned  on  account 
of  ill  health  in  I  he  fall  of  1894. 

Thus  far  I  have  said  nothing  about  the 
offices  of  county  judge  and  county  clerk. 
The  county  clerk's  office  is  the  great  work- 
shop of  the  county;  in  that  office  all  the  taxes 
are  levied  and  extended,  the  judgment  for 
tax  sales  entered  and  the  record  of  the  sales 
made  and  kept.  In  that  office  all  the  busi- 
ness done  by  the  board  of  supervisors  is 
written  up  and  recorded;  aside  from  this  is 
the  probate  business  of  the  cotmty,  which 
has  grown  to  be  of  immense  magnitude, 
and  to   which  is  added  the  records  of  the 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


77 


county  court,  civil  and  criminal  proceedings; 
within  the  last  few  years  has  passed  through 
the  county  clerk's  office  the  proceedings  for 
the  paving  assessments,  which  has  been  a 
stupendous  work  in  itself.  To  appreciate 
the  volume  of  the  work  which  is  done  iu  this 
office  you  must  be  acquainted  with  its  vast- 
ness  and  its  importance.  I  would  be  pleased 
on  this  occasion  to  speak  of  the  men  who 
have  acted  as  county  clerks,  and  who  have 
been  responsible  for  and  so  ably  and  faith- 
fully discharged  their  obligations,  but  time 
forbids  any  lengthv  notice.  Of  the  ex- 
county  clerks  who  are  s+ill  with  us,  Joseph 
Conet  is  the  oldest.  He  will  be  remembered 
by  all  as  long  as  we  can  remember  anybody, 
as  being  the  most  accommodating,  courteous 
and  willing  public  servant  that  ever  served 
in  the  court  ho\ise.  The  readiness  to  serve 
anij  aid  anyone  who  had  business  in  his 
office  came  natural  to  him;  what  he  did  was 
disrobed  of  every  semblance  of  affectation 
or  effort.  Mr.  Conet  was  succeeded  by  Major 
Beardsley,  who  came  into  office  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  war  and  performed  herculean 
labors  in  the  interests  of  the  widows  and 
orphans  of  the  soldiers  who  died  or  had 
fallen  in  battle  during  the  Rebellion,  whom 
he  e'.er  carried  on  his  heart.  The  accounts 
kept  in  the  book  of  remembrance  bj^  Him, 
"who  neither  slumbers  or  sleeps"  will  show 
a  great  credit  to  the  major's  account  for  the 
disinterested  and  patriotic  work  of  these 
years.  John  V.  Cook  succeeded  the  major 
and  his  memory  is  embalmed  in  the  hearts 
of  all  who  knew  him;  he  was  succeeded  by 
Mr.  Donaldson,  whose  efficiency  and  relia- 
bility were  not  excelled  by  anj'  one.  Colonel 
Hjalmar  Kohler,  the  present  incumbent 
needs  no  commendation  from  me,  his  work 
shows  for  itself  and  his  manner  and  demeanor 
in  office  are  su.fficient  to  win  for  him  the 
highest  respect  and  regard. 

Of  the  e.x-probate  justices  and  county 
judges  there  are  only  two  living  today, 
Captain  T.J.  Robinson,  who  acted  as  associate 


justice,  with  John  W.  Spencer  as  judge 
in  1849.  and  J.  M.  (umld  who  takes  part  in 
the  exercises  of  this  occasion,  who  was  county 
judge  in  1854  to  18.57.  There  has  been  no 
more  responsible  position  in  our  comily  than 
that  of  lookinji'  after  the  trusts  in  the  hands  of 
executors,  administrators  and  guardians,  and 
faithfully  have  these  trtist  estates  l)een 
guarded  and  protected  by  our  county  judges. 
The  present  incumbent,  the  Honorable  l.ucian 
.\dams,  has  grown  gray  in  the  service  of  these 
trusts  and  no  one  has  ever  been  allowed  to 
suffer  in  his  hands. 

Three  members  of  Congress  have  been  sent 
from  our  Coimty.  The  Honorable  John  B. 
Hawley,  the  Honorable  William  H.  G est  and 
the  Honorable  Benjamin  Cable.  AVe  are 
indebted  to  these  gentlemen  for  a:reat  services 
in  seeming  ap])ropriations  for  the  National 
armory  on  the  Island,  for  the  great  bridge 
across  the  Mississippi  River,  the  Moline 
daiu,  the  viaduct,  the  new  go^•ernluent  build- 
ing now  being  erected,  and  the  Hennejiin 
Ca'^nal. 

The  soldiers  of  Illinois  were  foremost  at 
Donaldson,  Shiloh,  A'icksburg,  Chickamauga, 
Lookout  Mountain  and  in  Sherman's  march 
to  the  sea.  General  Sherman  was  their  great 
leader  in  that  famous  march,  but  it  is  said  if 
the  old  hero  had  fallen  by  the  way,  the  boys 
would  have  gone  right  on  to  the  sea.  The 
Illinois  soldiers  l:)rought  home  from  the  fields 
of  the  south  three  hundred  battle  flags  taken 
from  the  enemy,  and  it  was  an  Illinois  flag 
that  floated  over  the  advance  guard  of  the 
soldiers  who  first  marched  into  Richmond 
with  President  Lincoln  at  their  head,  in 
April,  186.5.  All  honor  to  the  old  soldiers 
and  love  and  charity  to  all  their  kith  and  kin. 

Solomon's  Temple  surpassed  all  former 
ones  in  its  glory  and  grandeur,  but  in  follow- 
ing years  there  was  erected  a  second  temple, 
and  the  glory  of  the  latter  house  exceeded 
the  former.  The  days  of  the  early  pioneers 
were  full  of  noble  deeds,  efforts  and  struggles, 
around  which  a  halo  of  heroism  lingers,  while 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLANE    COUNTY 


the  names  of  the  men  and  women  who  took 
part  in  the  stirring  events  of  those  days  are 
held  in  tender  remembrance  by  tlieir  descend- 
ants and  the  peojile  of  today.  No  state  in 
the  I'ninn  excels  Illinois  in  the  race  of  noble 
pioneers  who  wrought  out  of  the  broad 
untracked  and  uniilled  prairies  the  beginnings 
of  the  greatest  agricultural  state  of  the 
Mississippi  valley,  and  which  laid  the  foun- 
dations of  greatest  and  grandest  common- 
wealth of  the  Union,  and  no  county  in 
all  of  the  one  hundred  and  two  in  the  state 
can  boast  of  a  nobler  band  of  early  settlers 
than  can  our  County.  The  limit  line  of 
pioneer  and  old  settlers'  life  is  drawn  at  the 
vear  18-50  and  all  time  subsequent  is  counted 
out.  I-et  due  honor  and  credit  be  given  to 
the  early  settlers  and  old  pioneers  and  to  all 
who  have  heljied  in  the  early  efforts  to  lay 
the  base  of  the  institutions  of  which  we  are 
so  proud  today  and  to  which  we  can  point 
with  becoming  pride;  but  no  one  will  think  of 
comparing  what  has  been  accomplished  in 
the  advancements  of  civilization  since  the 
date  of  the  limit  with  what  has  gone  before. 
In  1850  the  City  of  Rock  Island  had  been 
organized  only  one  year  and  was  a  mimicipal 
infant,  and  Moline,  now  the  proud  city  of 
factories,  schools  and  churches,  was  still  a 
village,  and  ouside  of  these  there  was  not  an 
organized  town  or  village  in  the  county;  the 
iron  horse  had  never  sounded  his  sonorous 
tones  on  the  shores  of  the  Father  of  Waters: 
the  great  plow  factories  of  the  Twin  Cities 
were  only  in  the  prophecies  of  the  dim  future; 
the  magnificent  water  works,  now  sending 
flowing  water  through  every  street  and  into 
every  house,  were  unthought  of;  paved 
streets,  which  have  come  to  us  within  the 
last  eight  years,  and  which  make  our  cities 
the  rivals  of  those  in  the  old  world  of  a  cen- 
tury's growth,  were  not  even  in  the  dreams 
of  the  oldest  inhabitant;  while  every  man 
was  his  own  letter  carrier,  express  messenger 
and  "telephone  girl."  Never  since  the  days 
when  Adam  and  Eve  went  forth  from  the 


Garden  of  Eden,  unsandaled  and  uncovered, 
was  human  nature  so  well  clothed,  so  well 
fed,  so  well  housed  and  surrounded  with 
the  conveniences  and  luxuries  of  life,  as 
today;  we  are  all  pleased  to  hear  the  old 
settlers  talk  of  the  "good  old  times,"  and 
never  tire  of  hearing  rehearsed  the  events  of 
early  pioneer  life:  but  we  who  did  not  live 
in  these  "good  old  times"  may  be  excused 
for  speaking  of  the  "good  new  times." 

Today  the  forces  of  the  "good  old  times." 
and  the  forces  of  the  "good  new  times"  meet 
on  this  common  platform  to  lay  the  corner 
stone  of  the  new  court  house  and  blend 
without  rivalry  in  a  united  effort  for  the 
common  weal. 

At  the  April  term,  A.  D.,  1893,  of  the 
board  of  supervisors.  F.  M.  Sinnet,  Esq., 
was  elected  chairman,  and  in  his  address 
to  the  board,  returning  thanks  for  his  election, 
among  other  things  he  said  that  the  necessity 
existed  for  the  erection  of  a  new  court  house, 
and  he  believed  that  the  times  were  propi- 
tious for  its  erection.  During  this  session 
of  the  board,  Joseph  Fitzpatrick.  Esq., 
then  su.pervisor  from  Black  Hawk,  came 
to  the  f)ffice  of  Sweeney  tt  Walker  and  talked 
to  the  same  effect,  and  Jlr.  C.  L.  Walker 
prepared  resolutions  setting  forth  that  the 
necessity  existed  for  a  new  court  house  and 
that  the  times  were  propitious  for  the  build- 
ing of  the  same.  The  resolutions  were 
delivered  to  Mr.  Fitzpatrick  who  introduced 
them  in  the  board  then  in  session  and  they 
were  adopted.  The  resolutions,  among  other 
things,  provided  for  the  appointment  of  a 
committee  to  report  on  the  feasibility  of  the 
project  at  the  next  meeting  in  Jul}-. 

In  the  meantime  Charles  J.  Searle.  our 
young  and  vigorous  state's  attorney,  with 
his  accustomed  zeal  and  enthusiasm,  took 
hold  of  the  work  and  put  the  report  of  the 
committee  in  shape,  which  was  presented  at 
the  next  session  of  the  board  and  adopted, 
and  the  cause  of  the  new  court  house  vs'as 
sqiiarely  before  the  people.     The  press,  which 


HISTORIC    ROCK    I S  L  AN  E    COUNTY 


79 


has  always  been  a  great  factor  in  the  pushing 
forward  of  the  welfare  of  the  county  in  all 
channels,  took  hold  and  advocated  the  enter- 
prise, the  people  with  great  unanimity 
seconded  the  move  and  the  board  of  super- 
visors, pushed  on  until  the  building  of  the 
new  court   house  became  a  fixed  fact. 

Messrs.  Larkin  and  Collins  and  the  Rock 
Island  mechanics  have  completed  a  credit- 
able foundation — one  strong  enough  to  sus- 
tain the  National  Capitol — from  which  will 
rise  a  building  worthy  of  our  county  and  the 
times  in   which   we  live. 


Ch.^rles  J.   Searle. 

Mr.  President,  Citizens  of  Rock  Island  County , 
Ladies  and  Gentlemen: 

I  feel  highly  flattered  at  being  accorded  the 
privilege  of  taking  part  in  the  important 
ceremony  of  laying  the  corner  stone  of  your 
new  "Temple  of  .Tustice,"  and  while  the 
nature  of  a  statistical  paper  for  permanent 
preservation,  requires  me  to  indulge  in  a 
greater  use  of  statistics  than  is  conducive  to 
present  any  temporory  interest,  I  have 
striven,  in  the  very  limited  time  I  have  had 
to  bestow  upon  the  task,  to  cull  out  of  the 
records  and  traditions  of  the  county  such 
statistical  information  as  in  my  opinion 
would  most  interest  those  present,  jis  well  as 
future  inhabitants  of  the  county,  to  whose 
curious  gaze  the  contents  of  this  corner  stone 
will  be  revealed,  perhaps  a  century  from  now. 

My  endeavor  shall  be  to  confine  myself 
almost  exclusively  to  matters  of  local  interest, 
but  no  historical  or  other  information  con- 
cerning Rock  Island  County  would  be  complete 
without  takingsomewhat  into  consideration  the 
history  and  growth  of  our  country  as  a  whole. 

The  records  of  the  world's  history  disclose 
the  rise  and  fall  of  many  jireat  and  prosperous 
nations,  but  history  never  recorded  such 
great,  rapid,  and,  we  hope,  enduring,  progress 
of  a  people  as  has  been  witnessed  in  the 
United    States    since    its    formation.     Pre- 


eminently a  peaceful  nation,  our  area  has 
grown  from  ,S27.844  square  miles  in  1789,  to 
3,603.844  square  miles  in  1S95,  and  that  too, 
mostly  by  peaceful  conquest.  Our  popu- 
lation has  grown  from  3,929,214  in  1790.  to 
62,622,2.50  in  1.S90.  Under  the  benign  influ- 
,ence  of  the  free  institutions  handed  flown  to 
us  by  our  illustrious  forefathers,  from  a  few 
scattered  settlements,  skirting  along  the 
Atlantic  seaboard,  we  have  developed  into 
a  mighty  nation.  A  nation  whose  institu- 
tions are  not  beyond  improvement,  but  in  the 
main,  filled  with  a  happy,  prosperous  people. 
A  nation  of  inestimable  wealth.  A  highly 
civilized  nation,  filled  with  chtuxhes.  schools 
and  libraries.  A  nati(m  makinp;  unprece- 
dented strides  in  industry,  art,  science  and 
education.  A  nation  that  is  indeed  the  "land 
of  the  free  an<l  the  Ik  hop  of  the  brave."  A 
nation  of  the  utmost  possibilities  of  resources 
and  development,  and  destined,  I  hope,  to 
be  diu'ing  all  time,  the  greatest,  grandest 
nation  the  world  ever  saw. 

Illinois,  ovu-  beloved  state,  taking  its  name 
from  the  Indian  word.  "Illini."  signifying 
"Superior  Men,"  has,  in  the  short  space  of 
seventy-seven  years,  from  its  admission  in 
1818,  grown  to  be  a  mighty  empire  of 
3,826,351  people.  The  virgin  soil  of  her 
wonderful  prairies,  the  wealth  of  her  prime- 
val forests  and  the  hidden  treasures  of  her 
mines,  have  made  her  the  gem  of  that  great 
galaxy  of  states  known  as  the  "Great  North- 
west," which  has  no  etpial  in  fertility,  re- 
soiu'ces  and  possibilities  of  development  on 
the  face  of  the  earth. 

tireat  as  our  National  and  State  develop- 
ment have  been,  Rock  Island  Coimty  has 
kept  pace  with  our  common  country:  and 
that,  too,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  we 
came  so  comparatively  late  in  the  order  of 
settlement.  Marquette  and  .loliet  were  likely 
the  first  white  persons  to  set  eyes  on  the  then 
wild,  beautiful  and  romantic  scenery  of  Rock 
Island  County,  at  that  time  the  home  of  the 
Indian  and  the  buffalo,  in  the  vear  1673.     The 


80 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


first  white  settler  was  Colonel  Georsje  Daven- 
port, who  located,  with  his  family,  on  the 
beaiitifu!  island  in  the  Mississippi  River 
between  here  and  Daven]iort  in  1816,  a  time 
within  the  memory  of  qiiite  a  number  of  the 
grand  old  patriarchs  within  the  sound  of  my 
voice.  Little  did  the  unbroken  wilderness 
surrounding  that  solitary  habitation,  distant 
hundreds  of  miles  from  any  other,  forbode  the 
marvelous  development  that  has  taken  place 
here  since  its  erection.  The  first  house 
erected  on  the  main  shore  of  our  county  was 
by  Colonel  George  Davenport  and  Russell 
Farnham,  in  the  eastern  part  of  our  present 
city.  The  first  white  child  born  in  this 
vicinity  was  George  Davenport,  in  1S17.  The 
first  lands  that  were  entered  were  entered 
October  19,  1829,  by  Colonel  George  Daven- 
port and  Russell  Farnham,  the  governn;ent 
land  office  then  being  at  Galena,  Illinois.  The 
first  marriage  was  that  of  James  L.  Burtis  to 
Angeline  Beardsley,  in  1833.  In  1805  for 
the  first  time  the  flag  of  the  Union  proudly 
waved  .over  Rock  Island  County's  present 
domain,  is  beautiful  field  of  blue  then  only 
contained  a  constellation  of  seventeen  stars 
instead  of  forty-five,  as  now. 

The  early  settlement  was  slow,  for,  while 
nature  was  kind  and  presented  few  obstacles 
to  settlement,  the  savage  and  treacherous 
Indian  did.  It  required  the  Black  Hawk 
War  of  1832,  that  had  for  battle  ground  the 
beautiful  prairies  and  unbroken  forests  of 
Rock  Island  County,  to  drive  the  able  and 
revengeful  Black  Hawk  and  his  tribe  bej^ond 
the  Mississippi,  to  make  way  for  the  advanc- 
ing tide  of  settlement   and   civilization. 

It  was  not  till  1S33,  that  the  inhabitants 
had  increased  sufficiently  to  justify  the  legis- 
lative act  of  that  year,  providing  for  the 
organization  of  the  county,  and  even  then 
the  total  vote  of  the  county  was  only  sixty- 
five.  The  first  seat  of  justice  was  established 
in  the  same  year,  at  John  Barrel's  house,  in 
what  was  then  called  Farnhamsburg,  now  a 
part  of  the  City  of  Rock  Island.     In  1835 


the  seat  of  justice  was  changed  by  com- 
missioners appointed  by  an  act  of  the  legis- 
lature, to  the  present  site,  in  what  was  then 
called  the  town  of  Stephenson.  Richard 
il.  Young  was  the  first  judge  to  preside  over 
the  circuit  court,  Joseph  Conway  was  the 
clerk,  Benjamin  F.  Pike,  sheriff;  Thomas 
Ford,  state's  attorney,  and  Joel  Wells  the 
foreman  of  the  grand  jury.  Lists  of  the 
jurors,  witnesses  and  parties  to  suits,  dis- 
close the  names  of  the  ancestors  of  a  great, 
many  of  our  present  citizens,  manj"-  of  whom 
are  prominently  known,  but  which  my 
limited  time  will  not  permit  nie  to  give.  The 
circuit  then  including  Rock  Island  County 
was  known  as  the  Fifth  Judicial  Circuit,  and 
included  the  counties  of  Cook,  LaSalle,  Put- 
nam, Peoria,  Fulton,  Schuyler,  Adams,  Han- 
cock, McDonough,  Knox,  Warren,  Jo  Daviess, 
Mercer  and  Henry.  The  first  attorneys  at 
the  bar  were  Ford.  Turney,  Smith,  Maxwell, 
Strode,  Walker  and  Mills;  these  were  soon 
followed  by  such  well  remembered  characters 
as  Knox,  Drury  and  Wilkinson.  The  first 
hotel,  tavern  as  they  were  then  called,  -was 
opened  in  1833,  belonging  to  Jonah  H.  Case, 
whose  family  has  ever  since  been  prominent 
in  the  coimty.  Private  schools  were  opened 
at  an  early  date,  and  free  schools  were  estab- 
lished in  1856.  The  first  church  (Methodist 
Episcopal)  was  built  in  1844;  the  first  library 
opened  in  1855,  and  the  first  newspaper,  the 
Rock  Island  Banner  and  Stephenson  Gazette 
was  started   in   1839. 

The  City  of  Rock  Island,  including  the 
towns  of  Stephenson  and  Farnhamsburg, 
and  outlying  additions,  was  organized  in 
1841.  What  was  known  as  "Rock  Island 
Mills"  was  in  1843  organized  into  the  beau- 
tiful City  of  Moline,  "the  city  of  mills." 
Camden,  afterwards  "Camden  Mills"  and 
now  Milan,  was  laid  out  in  1843;  Port  Byron, 
in  1836;  Cordova,  in  1837;  Hampton,  in 
1834;  Rapid  City,  in  1833;  Coal  Valley,  in 
1856;  .\ndalusia.  in  1859;  Edgington.  in 
1843,  and   Reynolds,  in   1876. 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


81 


The  assessed  valuation  of  the  county  in 
1833.  immediateh^  after  its  organization  was 
so  low  that  the  taxes  collected  only  amounted 
to  the  sum  of  $53,723^,  so  that  it  can  be 
readily  seen  that  the  county's  affairs  did  not 
permit  any  great  defalcations  on  the  part  of 
the  county  officials.  The  population  of  the 
county  in  1840,  at  the  time  of  the  first  census, 
was  2,610  souls. 

But  few  in  numbers,  and  poor  though  they 
then  were,  the  people  of  the  county  in  1835, 
with  commendable  public  spirit  and  ambi- 
tion, and  with  a  realization  of  the  future  needs 
of  the  county,  resolved  to  build  a  court  house. 
They  let  the  contract  for  $10,500,  furnishing 
the  brick  themselves  at  a  cost  of  $1,600, 
making  a  total  cost  of  $12,100  at  the  time 
of  the  acceptance  of  the  completed  building 
in  1838.  Humble  as  it  now  seems,  it  was 
then  a  grand  structure,  one  of  the  finest 
buildings  in  the  state,  and  was  the  pride  of  the 
city  and  county  for  years.  Its  erection  had 
entailed  an  expenditure  of  perhaps  not  less 
than  $10  for  every  man.  woman  and  child 
in  the  county,  which  in  view  of  the  poverty 
of  the  ]ieo]3le  and  the  scarcity  of  money  then 
in  circulation,  was  indeed  an  evidence  of  the 
greatest  puldic  spirit;  an  amount  of  money 
harder  to  raise  then  than  $1,000,000  would 
be  now  by  the  people  of  this  county.  Could 
the  walls  of  the  old  building  relate  the  scenes 
they  have  witnessed,  what  a  story  they  could 
tell.  From  it  have  issued  more  than  17,000 
official  licenses,  authorizing  the  solemn,  God 
ordained  rites  of  matrimony;  and  there  we 
find  the  sad  record  of  thousands  of  deaths; 
records  of  joy  and  happiness  on  the  one  hand, 
and  of  grief  and  sorrow  on  the  other.  There 
are  recorded  the  story  of  elections,  the  history 
of  the  rise  and  fall  of  many  an  ambition. 
There  are  preserved  the  evidences  of  the 
titles  of  the  people  to  their  homes  and  their 
belongings;  the  administration  of  the  estate 
of  departed  loved  ones;  the  financial  records 
of  the  county;  the  enlistment  of  the  heroic 
volunteer  for  the  preservation  of  our  National 


life,  and  his  honorable  discharge;  in  the  record 
of  the  11,697  civil  causes  that  have  been 
recorded  on  the  dockets  of  the  circuit  court, 
we  have  a  record  of  conquest  and  defeat, 
justice  and  injustice,  poverty  and  wealth, 
anxiety  and  exultation,  hope  and  fear.  The 
criminal  records,  disclosing  4,554  cases,  tell 
us  a  tale  of  injustice,  hate,  malice,  revenge, 
crime  in  all  its  hideous  forms,  from  the  most 
trivial  offenses,  to  robbery,  rape  and  murder. 
If  its  walls  would  reverberate  the  echoes  it 
has  heard  and  flash  upon  our  vision  the  sights 
it  has  seen,  what  sights  we  would  indeed 
behold,  what  sounds  we  would  hear!  We 
would  see  every  phase  of  human  character, 
good  and  bad.  We  would  witness  the  play 
of  every  emotion  of  the  human  mind  and 
heart.  We  would  see  the  joyous,  hopeful 
bride,  the  grief  stricken  mother;  we  would 
see  the  anxious,  uplifted  faces  of  litigants  as 
they  scrutinized  the  jury,  or  waited  with 
bated  breath  for  the  decision  of  the  judge; 
we  would  hear  the  exultant,  victorious  laugh 
of  the  victor,  and  the  heart-broken  sobs  of 
the  convicted  criminal,  his  relatives  and 
friends;  we  would  see  many  a  fierce  combat 
between  giants  at  the  liar;  we  would  be 
startled  at  their  audacity;  we  would  wonder 
at  their  display  of  earnestness  and  passion; 
we  would  be  thrilled  by  their  elocpience  as 
they  pleaded  for  the  property,  liberty  and 
lives  of  their  clients;  we  would  anxiously 
await  the  verdict  of  the  jury;  and  at  last  we 
would  listen  to  the  solemn  sentence  of  the 
upright  judge.  But  the  old  building  has  long 
been  inadequate. 

From  a  popiUation  of  2,610  in  1840  we  now 
number  nearly  50,000  souls.  Instead  of  two 
marriages  on  record  as  in  1833,  last  year  we 
had  390.  To  keep  abreast  of  the  times  and 
to  meet  the  demands  of  the  coimty,  the  people 
have  elected  to  build  this  fine  building. 

On  the  20th  day  of  June,  1895,  the  contract 
for  its  construction  was  let  for  $112,201. 
According  to  the  contract,  it  is  to  be  fully 
completed  by  November  1,  1896.     From  all 


82 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


indications,  it  will  be  a  grand  and  stately 
structure,  an  ornament,  and  the  pride  of  the 
county  for  generations  to  come,  and  com- 
mensurate with  the  needs  and  demands  of  the 
county.  It  will  jjerhaps  remain  the  seat  of 
justice  of  the  county  for  a  century.  In  it 
will  be  repeated,  only  on  a  large  scale  and  in 
a  more  multifarious  form,  the  history  of  the 
old  court  house.  In  it  the  county's  affairs 
will  be  hereafter  conducted,  justice  will  be 
administered,  rights  secured,  guilt  punished, 
innocence  vindicated;  the  constitutional  rights 
of  life,  liberty  and  the  pursuits  of  happiness 
conserved.  The  time  is  not  far  distant  when 
coiu-t  will  have  to  be  held  throughout  the 
year;  yes,  when  the  court  will  have  to  be 
held  in  sections,  for  this  court  house  will 
still  be  in  use  when  this  county  will  have  a 
population  of  150,000  people  or  more. 

Well  may  the  people  of  Rock  Island  County 
anticipate  the  era  of  wonderful  increase  of 
population,  wealth  and  progress  we  are  just 
now  fairly  entering  upon,  by  the  erection 
of  this  grand  building;  for  second  to  none  in 
natural  resources,  industry  and  thrift,  we 
will  be  in  the  van  of  enterprise  and  progress. 


J.    M.    CIOULD. 

Mr.  Chairman,  Friends  and  Fellow  Citizens; 

Having  been  informed  that  the  board  of 
supervisors  had  requested  that  the  ceremony 
and  laying  of  the  corner  stone  of  the  new 
court  house  should  be  by  the  Old  Settlers' 
Association  of  the  county,  and  that  I  had 
been  requested  to  make  some  remarks  upon 
the  occasion,  I  deem  it  will  be  proper  to  do 
so  in  a  sort  of  historical  line,  and  will  say  that 
I  will  not  trespass  upon  your  time  with  a  long 
harangue. 

This  county  was  in  early  times  a  part  of 
the  present  County  of  Pike,  which  extended 
north  to  the  state  line;  afterwards  embraced 
in  what  is  now  Jo  Daviess  County.  The 
first  court  in  this  county  was  lield  in  a  log 
house,  as  I  am  informed,  located  near  where 


the  residence  of  Hon.  Benjamin  T.  Cable 
stands,  the  town  being  named  Stephenson. 
On  the  18th  day  of  November,  1848,  I 
arrived  in  the  village  of  midline,  to  become 
a  resident  of  the  county,  being  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Deere,  Tate  &  Gould,  for  manu- 
facturing farming  implements,  Messrs.  Deere 
&  Tate  being  the  practical  members.  My 
department  was  the  financial.  I  opened  and 
kept  the  first  set  of  account  books,  by  double 
entry,  in  the  county,  learning  at  the  time 
that  the  system  was  not  used  in  Scott  County', 
Iowa.  We  did  not  have  any  banking  facili- 
ties in  either  of  the  three  towns.  Cook  & 
Sargent,  of  Davenport,  occasionally,  could 
sell  us  bills  of  exchange  upon  St.  Louis,  and 
sometimes  New  York,  but  not  often  upon  the 
latter  named  city.  Our  business  away  from 
here  was  generally  with  St.  Louis,  as  our 
only  transportation  facilities,  except  by 
wagon  to  Chicago,  were  by  the  river.  Our 
remittances  were  usually  made  in  the  season 
of  navigation  by  the  captains  or  clerks  of  the 
steamboats.  There  were  no  regular  paydays 
for  our  employes,  and  we  seldom  paid  much 
money  to  them,  except  upon  final  settlement, 
when  they  were  either  discharged  or  resigned. 
We  gave  orders  upon  merchants  with  whom 
we  could  arrange  for  credit,  in  the  three  towns 
for  such  goods  as  were  needed,  and  usually 
boarded  our  single  men  with  parties  whom 
we  could  supply,  in  our  dealings  with  farmers, 
such  articles  as  they  could  use,  namely: 
vegetables,  meat,  fuel,  etc.  We  had  a  daily 
mail  coach  to  and  from  Chicago  and  St.  Louis, 
which,  in  the  winter,  was  the  only  means  of 
public  communication  with  other  towns. 
Letters  for  Chicago  and  St.  Louis  were  sent 
by  stage,  which  followed  the  river  to  Albany, 
then  via  Union  Grove,  now  Morrison,  Dixon 
and  thence  for  St.  Louis  via  Peoria  and  zig- 
zag to  destination,  requiring  from  five  to 
seven  days  to  get  replies  to  their  letters  sent 
to  St.  Louis,  and  four  or  five  days  to  Chicago. 
At  that  time,  and  imtil  about  1850  to  1853, 
there  were  four  saw  mills,  one  grist  and  one 


HISTORIC    ROCK    IS L AND    COUNT Y 


83 


merchant  flouring  mill,  one  foundry  and 
machine  shop,  and  one  woodenware  factory 
in  Moline;  one  boat  yard  and  marine  waysj 
and  one  saw  mill  in  Rock  Island.  Davenport 
had  no  manufacturing  intlustry,  I  think,  until 
about  1854.  Previous  to  1849  the  coimty 
business  in  every  comity  in  the  state  was 
transacted  by  a  board  of  county  commission- 
ers composed  of  three  members,  and  on 
account  of  the  prevailing  custom  of  not  pro- 
viding by  a  proper  assessment  of  taxation  to 
pay  claims  against  this  county  the  warrants 
were  from  10  to  45  and  50  per  cent  l)elow  par; 
the  tliscount  being  based  upon  the  proximity 
to,  or  from  the  time,  they  could  be  used  in 
payment  of  taxes,  and  I  think  that  every 
other  county's  finances  were  about  in  the 
same  condition. 

At  one  session,  the  records  of  which  I  saw, 
and  probably  the  same  was  true  of  others  of 
the  board,  claims  were  allowed  merchants 
for  supplies  for  paupers  and  for  other  pur- 
poses. Proliably  claimants  in  making  prices 
ff>r  such  supplies,  included  a  high  profit, 
knowing  warrants  woukl  be  issued  upon  a 
treasur}'  that  had  no  funds,  and  in  addition 
persuaded  the  board  to  add  one  hundred  per 
cent  to  the  claim,  and  then  inserted  these 
words:  "Double  for  depreciation  of  county 
orders,  and  a  warrant  for  twice  the  sum 
issued."  Under  the  revised  constitution  of 
1848,  the  law  abolishing  the  county  commis- 
sioners' court,  and  creating  what  was  termed 
a  county  court  in  1849,  with  one  county 
judge  and  two  associate  justices  of  the  peace, 
was  enacted.  At  the  first  election  under 
the  new  law,  John  W.  Spencer  was  first  judge, 
and  Thomas  J.  Robinson  and  .James  Weaver- 
ling  associates,  were  elected :  the  three  persons, 
at  regular  quarterly  sessions  of  the  board 
in  December,  March,  June  and  September  in 
each  year,  and  at  as  many  special  sessions  as 
were  necessary,  attended  to  all  the  county 
business,  the  same  as  is  now  transacted  by 
our  board  of  su~pervisors;  the  probate  matters 
were    adjudicated    by    the    county    judge    at 


twelve  sessions,  upon  the  third  Monday  at 
each  quarter,  and  the  first  Monday  of  the 
other  eight  months,  holding  each  session  as 
long  as  circumstances  required  and  special 
sessions  if  needed;  the  fees  were  $2.50  each 
per  day  fen-  actual  time  spent  for  the  county. 
Judge  Spencer  resigned  at  the  end  of  three 
years,  and  William  Bailey  was  elected  to 
serve  the  remainder  of  the  term.  In  Nov- 
ember, 1853,  I  was  elected  county  judge. 
George  E.  Holmes,  of  Port  Byron,  and  John 
Kistler,  of  Buffalo  Prairie,  were  my  associates 
— two  gentlemen  several  years  my  seniors. 
We  accepted  the  offices  and  qualified.  I 
think  it  was  at  our  first  session  for  business — 
if  not  the  first  it  was  not  later  than  the 
second — which  was  in  the  southwest  corner 
room  of  the  present  court  house,  then  occu- 
pied by  the  county  clerk,  and,  I  think,  was 
the  sheriff's  quarters  also.  The  next  room 
north  was  the  county  assessor's  and  treas- 
urer's office;  the  southeast  corner  room, 
which  was  one-half  of  the  present  super, 
visor's  room,  was  occupied  by  tlie  circuit 
clerk  and  ex-officio  recorder,  who  was  Major 
Frazier  Wilson;  the  next  room  north,  upon 
the  east  side,  was  rented  to  George  W.  Pleas- 
ants (now  Judge  Pleasants)  and  Henderson, 
lawyers.  We  discovered  that  the  records  of 
the  county  were  in  a  very  unsafe  condition 
respecting  the  risk  of  fire,  all  being  in 
wooden  cases  in  the  rooms  named,  and 
concluded  that  the  matter  was  of  so  much 
importance  that  a  building  must  be  erected 
which  would  be  nearly  fireproof,  and  having 
only  a  very  poor  substitute  of  a  jail, 
would  combine  the  two  departments  under 
one  roof.  We  had  no  money  and  county 
warrants  were  so  much  Ijelow  par  that  it 
was  utterly  impossible  to  use  them,  and  the 
only  course  to  pursue  was  to  get  a  special 
law  passed,  which  could  l)e  done  at  that 
period,  permitting  the  issue  of  bonds  for 
$20,000  which  we  succeeded  in  accomplishing 
and  sold  them  at  par  as  they  bore  interest 
at  ten  per  cent.     We  procured   the  erection 


84 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


of  the  present  jail  with  several  offices.  Now 
we  have  come  to  our  court  house  beautiful, 
or  at  least  the  foundation. 

THE    COMPLETED    NEW   COURT    HOUSE    OF    1S97. 

A  detailed  description  of  the  exterior  of 
the  new  court  house  does  not  seem  necessary; 
it  stands  out  with  such  grandeur.  A  typical 
temple  of  justice.  The  finely  prgportioned 
dome,  the  four  turrets,  and  two  pavilions, 
most  materiall}'  add  to  the  structure.  Its 
dimensions  are  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
long,  fift}'  feet  wide,  with  extended  pavil- 
ions and  turrets  on  the  two  sides.  The 
main  structure  is  sixty  feet  high,  the  central 
dome  towering  to  a  height  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet.  The  magnificent,  strong  and 
stable  presentation  of  the  interior,  including 
the  marble  work,  wood  work,  painting,  tile 
flooring,  bronze,  iron,  fresco  and  other  orna- 
mental work,  harmonize;  all  reflecting  great 
credit  on  the  architects,  Gunn  and  Curtis; 
Charles  J.  Larkin,  the  contractor,  and  Stephen 
J.  Collins,  superintendent. 

In  the  basement  is  the  engine  room,  fans, 
steam  pi^e,s.  engineer's  work  room,  and  store 
room  for  old  time  files  and  records.  The 
boiler  room  is  in  a  separate  brick  building 
in  the  rear  of  the  jail  building,  a  tunnel 
running  from  the  boiler  room,  to  the  engine 
room  of  the  court  house.  On  the  first  floor 
are  grouped  the  offices  of  the  sheriff,  the 
master  in  chancery,  the  coroner,  the  janitor, 
the  county  superintendent  of  schools,  ladies' 
waiting  room,  the  county  surveyor,  public 
and  ladies'  lavatories,  and  waiting  rooms. 
Broad  stairways  lead  to  the  \ipper  floors, 
also  a  good  elevator. 

On  the  second  floor  are  the  offices  of  county 
judge,  circuit  clerk,  county  clerk,  county 
treasurer,  also  county  court  room  and  super- 
visors' room.  The  circuit  and  county  clerks' 
offices  have  large,  well  lighted,  roomy  vaults 
adjoining,  fitted  with  metallic  furnishings. 

On  the  third  floor  circuit  court  room, 
judge's    private   room,    court    stenographer's 


rooms,  court  library  room,  clerk  of  the 
court  room,  rooms  for  state's  attorney 
(private  and  reception),  jui;y  rooms,  and 
witness  rooms.  On  the  fourth  floor  is  the 
Memorial  Hall  designed  for  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic  members,  and  other  loyal 
societies.  The  furnishings  throughout  all 
the  offices  are  exceedingly  rich,  tasty,  and 
substantial. 

The  following  material  was  used  in  its 
construction:  Over  2,000  perch  of  LeClaire 
stone  was  used  in  the  foundation,  which  is 
laid  on  rock  foundation,  with  one  foot  of  rock 
concrete  on  the  bottom  to  fill  holes  and  level 
off.  The  base  or  water  table  is  of  Carthage, 
Mo.,  granite;  the  die  and  sill  course  of  dressed 
blue  Bedford  stone.  The  first  and  second 
stories  of  rock-faced  buff  Bedford  stone  and 
the  two  upper  stories  of  sand-rubbed  buff 
Bedford.  Eighteen  thousand  cubic  feet  of 
stone  was  used  above  the  foundations;  360 
tons  of  iron  beams  in  the  buildings,  120  tons 
of  steel  was  used  in  the  construction  of  the 
tower,  and  about  eightj^  tons  of  steel  was 
used  in  the  ornamental  work.  One  million 
six  hundred  thousand  hard  brick  was  pur- 
chased and  used  in  the  structure:  eighty 
tons  of  copper  for  cornices  and  roofing; 
40.000  square  feet  fire  proofing  for  arches; 
15.000  square  feet  of  plain  plastering,  besides 
a  large  amount  of  ornamental  stucco  work: 
30.000  feet  of  maple  flooring,  together  with 
11,000  square  feet  Mosiac  flooring;  7, -500  feet 
Tennessee  marble  wainscoting. 

The  floors  contain  2,2.50,000  pieces  of 
marble.  Four  nations  contribute  to  the 
floor;  black  marble  from  Belgium,  red  from 
France,  white  from  Italy,  and  pink  from 
Tennessee. 

The  board  of  supervisors,  through  their 
broad  and  liberal  spirit,  together  with  the 
strenuous  and  faithful  efforts  of  the  citizens' 
committee  brought  about  the  result  of  giving 
the  county  the  handsome  building  we  have. 
The  dedication  ceremonies  occurred  March 
31,  1897,  and  were  unusually  prominent,  the 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


85 


new  court  house  being  opened  for  inspection, 
the  circuit  court  in  session  in  the  old  court 
house,  adjourning  to  the  new  court  house  for 
the  dedication  ceremonies,  and  occupancy 
by  the  court,  and  the  presentation  by  the 
chairman  of  the  board  of  supervisors  of  the 
keys  of  the  new  building  to  the  sheriff  of  the 
county. 

The  following  addresses  were  made  by 
William  Jackson  and  Charles  L.  Walker, 
the  sentiment  of  which  toward  the  bench  and 
the  bar  were  exceptionally  complimentary. 

Address  by  Hon.    William  J.   Jackson. 
May  it  please  the  Court: 

I  desire  to  make  a  motion  for  the  adjourn- 
ment of  this  court,  but  preliminarj^  thereto 
I  wish  to  say  a  few  words,  which  I  hope  may 
be  deemed  appropriate  to  this  occasion  and 
the  circumstances  under  which  this  court  is 
now  in  session. 

This  day  is  an  interesting  one  to  the  mem- 
bers of  this  bar  and  the  people  of  this  county. 
We  have  just  withdrawn  forever  from  a 
forum  that  for  more  than  sixty  years  has 
stood  in  the  midst  of  the  people,  as  the 
visible  place  or  temple  where  the  law  has 
been  administered,  under  which  the  people 
have  lived,  and  under  its  benign  and  protect- 
ing influence,  have  prospered.  It  has  been 
'sacred  to  the  people,  because  therein  the 
sovereignity  of  the  law  was  asserted,  a  sov- 
ereignty that  assumed  the  form  of  organized 
law,  which  has  always  commanded,  and  still 
commands,  the  fealty  and  respect  of  the 
citizens  of  Rock  Island  County. 

In  this  beatuiful  edifice  in  which  we  are 
now  assembled,  we  are  to  continue  the  admin- 
istration of  public  justice,  to  decide  under 
the  forms  of  law  and  in  a  spirit  of  impartiality, 
so  far  as  it  can  be  done  by  human  agencies, 
the  claims  of  contending  litigants,  and  to 
preserve,  protect,  and  maintain  the  rights 
of  the  state,  and  the  individual  rights  and 
interests  of  the  people,  collectively  and 
respectively. 


Almost  sixty-four  years  have  passed  since 
the  first  session  of  this  circuit  court,  which, 
on  the  28th  day  of  April,  1834,  was  held  at 
the  plain  and  unpretentious  log  and  frame 
house  of  John  Barrel,  in  the  eastern  part  of 
this  city.  Judge  Richard  M.  Young  presiding. 
The  machinery  of  justice,  thus  set  in  motion, 
was  started  under  very  humble  circumstances. 
The  house  of  John  Barrel  contained  no 
paneled  ceilings,  frescoed  walls,  or  marble 
wainscoting.  There  was  harmony  and  uni- 
formity of  design,  finish  and  color,  both  in 
the  interior  and  exterior,  yet  it  was  more  in 
keeping  with  nature,  than  art;  yet  the  decrees 
of  that  court,  from  that  plain  forum,  were 
recognized  and  regarded  by  the  people,  the 
pushing,  hardy,  tolerant  and  hopeful  pioneers 
of  that  day,  who  had  pushed  ahead  into  this 
country,  then  the  far  west,  to  found  for 
themselves  and  the  generations  to  come 
after  them,  a  local  government. 

The  architectural  style,  beauty  and  finish 
of  this  edifice  especially  interests  the  members 
of  this  bar.  The  years  of  the  past  have  come 
and  gone;  the  administration  of  the  law  and 
the  business  of  the  courts  has  not  been  done 
in  marble  halls,  yet  it  has  been  well  done. 
At  no  time  have  the  people  considered  it 
necessary  to  assume  or  take  the  administra- 
tion of  the  law  out  of  the  regular  channels; 
they  have  always  entrusted  it  to  the  direction 
of  the  lawfully  constituted  authorities. 

There  is  not,  at  this  bar  today,  a  lawyer 
that  connects  us  with  the  beginning  of  our 
judicial  existence,  but  few  links,  however, 
intervene  between  this  assemblage  today 
and  the  very  beginning.  This,  how'ver, 
can  only  be  said  of  the  lawyers.  We  have 
with  us  today  in  this  room,  citizens  of  ad- 
vanced years,  who  were  active  citizens  of 
this  county  in  the  years  of  the  beginning; 
who  helped  to  lay,  firm  and  deep,  the  founda- 
tion of  law  and  order  in  this  county,  and  who 
can,  and  do,  today,  rejoice  that  the  work  was 
so  well  done  and  has  been  so  well  maintained. 
To  emphasize  this  present  thought,  we  would 


86 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


pray  that  in  the  conduct  and  lieart  of  the 
future  people  of  this  county,  there  shall 
dwell  that  sense  of  the  dignity  and  supremacy 
of  the  law  that  so  signally  characterized  the 
fathers. 

The  log  house  of  John  Barrel  was  soon 
superseded  by  the  brick  court  house,  to  which 
we  have  this  day  bidden  adieu,  and  while  we 
contemplate  the  grandeur  of  the  present 
edifice,  and  consider  the  burden,  voluntarily 
imposed  by  the  people  to  provide  for  its 
construction,  we  must  not  forget  that  the 
pioneers  of  this  county,  according  to  their 
numbers  and  ability,  assumed  an  equal 
burden  to  provide  the  court  house  that  we 
have  just  abandoned,  which,  in  the  day  of 
its  completion,  was  the  pride  of  this  part  of 
the  northwest. 

The  construction  of  this  court  house  in 
which  we  are  now  met,  is  not  the  result  of  a 
protracted  effort,  first  suggested  in  the  board 
of  supervisors  in  April,  1893,  by  Supervisor 
Joseph  Fitzpatrick,  the  means  to  erect  pro- 
vided by  the  people,  by  vote  in  1894,  the 
foundation  stone  laid  in  October,  1S9.t: 
and  completed  for  dedication  in  March, 
1897. 

The  necessity  for  a  new  court  of  justice  was 
promptly  recognized  by  the  honorable  board 
of  supervisors,  although  the  building  of  a  new 
structiu-e  involved  increased  taxation,  and 
added  to  existing  burdens,  yet  the  people  of 
this  county,  by  their  votes,  declared  that  the 
time  had  come  when  the  character  and  dignity 
of  the  county,  in  connection  with  its  execu- 
tive and  judicial  departments,  demanded  a 
temple  of  justice  that  would  truly  represent 
the  progress,  culture  and  improved  artistic 
taste  of  the  present.  The  people  decreed; 
it  has  been  done. 

We  look  around,  and  beyond,  and  behold 
this  edifice,  beautiful  in  design,  symmetrical 
in  proportion;  in  its  architecture  the  designer 
lives,  and  will  continue  to  live  to  tell  the 
onlooker  how,  in  his  brain,  there  was  planted 
that  quality  of  art  and  artistic  appreciation 


of  form,  color,  quality  and  proportion,  that 
could  conceive  and  plan  this  b\iilding,  about 
which  there  can  be  only  one  expression, 
"How  beautiful!" 

Not  only  does  the  building  display  the 
skill  and  artistic  talent  of  the  designer,  but 
also  the  skill  of  the  more  humble  craftsman, 
who,  by  cunning  manipulation,  mechanical 
conception  and  execution  could,  and  has, 
so  worthily  and  successfully  fashioned  and 
built  that  which  the  artist  in  beauty  designed.  . 

This  court  house  stands  as  a  monument 
to  the  good  taste,  broad  and  liberal  spirit  of 
the  board  of  supervisors  of  this  county,  who, 
notwithstanding  many  adverse  and  discour- 
aging criticisms,  yet,  believing  that  the 
people  of  Rock  Island  Countj'  were  worthy 
of  a  structure  that  should  represent  the 
intelligence  and  energy  of  the  people,  had 
the  courage  and  determination  to  build  this 
building.  For  the  push,  energy  and  official 
integrity  that  has  brought  the  work  to  so 
successful  a  termination,  we  will  today 
award  to  the  board  of  supervisors  that 
measure  of  credit,  recognition  and  praise 
that  is  their  due. 

We  should  not,  at  this  time,  when  speaking 
of  the  means  and  forces  that  insured  the 
successful  completion  of  the  court  house, 
forget  the  faithful  contractor,  and  the  super- 
intendent, who  have  so  well  performed  their 
labors,  and  won  for  themselves  the  recogni- 
tion of  their  fellow  citizens,  who  will  award 
to  them  the  credit  of  having  performed 
their  work  with  signal  ability  and  merited 
tribute  of  praise. 

The  board  of  supervisors  have  ordered  that 
on  the  31st  day  of  March,  1897,  the  people 
should  be  invited  into  this  public  edifice,  to 
cordially  and  quietly  enjoy  and  contemplate 
this  ])ublic  enterprise  so  auspiciously  com- 
l>leted;  hence  we  are  now  surrounded  with  a 
bu.sy,  earnest  throng  of  citizens,  who  are 
this  day,  with  music  attending,  treading  the 
broad  aisles  of  this  court  house,  enjoying 
the  delight  of  its  beauty,  and  expressing  by 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


87 


their  attendance  their  interest  in  the  work 
that  was  so  worthily  conceived,  and  has  been 
so  successfully  completed. 

And  now,  in  the  presence  of  this  court  and 
the  people,  what  shall  be  further  said  on  this 
occasion?  We  have  built  this  house,  doomed 
and  cupaloed,  principally  with  iron,  stone 
and  marble,  not  only  because  we  wanted 
to  build,  but  to  build  with  such  form  and 
grace  that  it  should  stand  in  the  midst  of  the 
people  as  a  public  recognition  of  the  suprem- 
acy and  majesty  of  the  law;  the  law,  not  as  a 
shifting  and  uncertain  influence  to  be  changed 
by  the  casting  of  a  die,  but  a  controlling  moral 
and  political  force,  that  stands  guard  by  day 
and  by  night,  shielding  and  protecting  all 
classes  alike;  not  only  the  house  of  luxury 
and  refinement,  but  an  all  powerful  influence 
encircling  and  protecting  the  cabin  of  the 
poor;  a  law  so  potent  that  it  tempers  the 
power  of  the  executive,  as  well  as  the  will  of 
the  people;  the  limitations  of  the  law  being 
its  safety,  its  adaptation  to  all  being  its 
strength  and  beauty.  The  majesty  of  its 
influence  was  well  illustrated  in  the  celebratetl 
speech  of  Earl  Chatham,  in  the  British 
Parliament,  "The  poorest  man  in  his  cottage 
may  bid  defiance  to  all  the  forces  of  the 
Crown;  it  may  be  frail,  its  roof  may  shake, 
the  storm  may  enter  it,  but  the  King  of  Eng- 
land cannot  enter  it, — all  his  power  dares 
not  cross  the  threshold  of  that  ruined  tene- 
ment." 

When  the  citizen  surveys  this  public 
structure,  he  can  not  only  enjoy  the  grandeur 
of  its  appearance,  but  the  mental  fact  that 
it  is  the  monument  of  a  free  people,  guided 
and  inspired  by  wise  and  just  laws,  and 
intent  upon  the  enforcement  of  them;  laws 
to  be  obeyed  until  repealed;  and  if,  in  the 
course  of  time,  experience  demands  a  change 
to  meet  new  conditions,  then  shall  the  change 
be  made,  not  by  wilful  disregard  of  existing 
enactments,  but  by  legal  and  constitutional 
methods,  for  only  by  such  methods,  and 
under    such    conditions,    shall    the   "govern- 


ment of  the  people,  by  the  people,  and  for 
the  people,"  survive,  and  not  perish  from 
the  earth. 

I  am  loath  to  close  my  remarks  without  a 
few  words  to  my  associates  at  this  bar. 

The  sixty-four  years  of  the  judicial  life  of 
this  court  is  behind  us.  Many  of  us  passed 
the  summit;  what  we  have  done,  or  left 
undone,  the  world  knows.  The  personal 
and  mental  characteristics  that  have  marked 
our  lives  and  actions  during  the  years  of  the 
past  will  probably  remain  unchanged  to  the 
end.  If  our  lives  have  not  been  well  rounded 
out  by  upright  conduct  and  moral  force,  the 
fault  has  been  with  ourselves.  Happy  for 
us  if  om-  personal  characters  have  so  impressed 
our  fellows  that  they  are  willing  to  concede 
that  our  lives  have  been  well  spent. 

But  there  are  at  this  bar,  at  this  time  more 
than  at  any  former  period  of  its  history, 
many  young  men  of  varied  talents,  who  will 
be  the  leaders  of  the  future.  It  is  an  inter- 
esting and  important  question  to  ask  what 
will  be  their  position  in  this  court,  and  what 
estimate  their  fellow  citizens  will  place  upon 
them.  Will  they  come  and  plead  at  this  bar 
only  for  personal  glory,  that  men  may  praise 
their  ingenuity  and  skill  as  lawj^ers?  Will 
they  simply  estimate  their  personal  impor- 
tance by  their  gains,  without  reference  to 
the  means  and  instrumentalities  used  to 
command  these  gains,  or  will  the  lawyers  of 
the  future  at  this  bar  be  men  whose  highest 
aim  shall  be  so  to  discharge  the  varied  and 
exacting  duties  of  the  profession,  and  their 
personal  duties  to  their  fellow  practitioners, 
that  inquiry  will  not  be  necessary  to  find 
out  to  what  plane  of  public  estimation  they 
have  attained, — but  the  constant,  truthful, 
kind  and  even  tenor  of  their  professional 
conduct  shall  lead  men  to  a  prompt,  instant 
and  cordial  recognition  of  their  personal 
worth.  I  hope  this  may  be  the  standard  of 
the  lawyers  of  this  county. 

A  word  to  the  judges  of  this  court.  I  speak 
after  an  experience  of  thirty-six  years;  diu-ing 


88 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


those  years  I  have  had  the  honor  to  appear 
before  all  the  judges  that  have  presided  in 
the  circuit  and  count}-  courts.  Considering 
the  arduotis  and  delicate  duties  that  a  judge 
has  ■  to  perform,  restraining  the  impetuous 
lawyer,  client  or  witness,  instructing  and 
encouraging  the  timid  and  independent,  decid- 
ing delicate  and  intricate  legal  questions, 
affirmed  by  positive  counsel  and  questioned 
by  others  equally  positive;  and  yet,  so 
deciding  the  questions  involved  that  the 
decision  shall  carry  with  it  the  respect  of  all. — 
duties  of  this  kind  would  appear  to  be  so 
difficult  that  complaint  would  seem  to  be  the 
rule;  3'et  this  bar,  and  the  people  of  thig 
county  have  a  right,  and  it  is  their  duty  to 
accord  to  the  judges  now  living  and  to  the 
memor}'  of  those  departed,  that  the  work 
of  the  judiciary  has  been  well  and  faithfully 
done;  and  the  kindly  and  earnest  expression 
of  good  feeling  of  the  lawj-ers  of  this  count}^ 
towards  the  judges  is  a  just  and  proper 
tribute  to  the  bench  of  the  courts  of  this 
county.  If,  in  the  future,  another  court 
house  shall  supplant  the  beautiful  one  in 
which  we  are  now  gathered,  and  it  is  then 
said  about  the  judiciary,  as  it  can  now  be 
said,  that  the  bench  has  been  an  inspriation 
and  kindh-  assistance  to  the  bar,  the  years 
of  the  future  in  that  regard  will  be  years 
of  pleasant  association  and  reciprocated 
kindnesses. 

And  now,  if  the  court  please,  in  view  of  the 
public  interest  now  manifested  in  this  cotirt 
house  dedication,  and  to  enable  the  judges, 
lawyers  and  officers  of  this  court  to  join  with 
their  fellow  citizens  in  this  gathering  of  the 
people,  I  move  that  this  court  do  now  adjourn. 

C.  L.  Walker's  Address. 
May  it  please  your  Honors: 

yiy  name  is  not  mentioned  in  the  program, 
nor  is  the  subject  which  I  wish  to  submit  to 
your  honors  referred  to  therein.  Yet  as  the 
matter  is  germaine  to  the  proceedngs  of  the 
day,  I  have  been  requested  by  the  committee 


in  charge  of  the  e.xercises  to  address  your 
honors  thereon,  and  I  therefore  beg  a  mo- 
ment's indulgence  before  your  honors  shall 
pass  upon  the  motion  to  adjourn. 

Thereupon  His  Honor  Judge  J.  Glenn, 
presiding,  granted  the  request. 

What  I  shall  say  will  be  on  behalf  of  the 
citizens'  court  house  committee  of  Rock 
Island  and  I  have  been  requested  first  to 
give  the  hi.story  of  its  organization  and  of 
the  work  of  this  committee. 

Prior  to  October,  1894,  the  court  house 
project  seemed  to  be  regarded  favorabh-  bj- 
the  people,  but  about  this  time  an  under- 
current of  opposition  developed  and  a  series 
of  articles  appeared  in  some  of  the  papers 
outside  of  this  city,  urging  the  voters  to 
vote  against  the  building  of  a  new  court 
house,  and  the  issuing  of  the  .$125,000  of 
bonds,  both  on  account  of  the  increased 
taxation  and  because  the  time  was  inop- 
portune. 

Owing  to  these  conditions  it  seemed 
necessary  that  some  sj-stematic  and  tmited 
efforts  be  put  forth  to  overcome  these  objec- 
tions and  to  stimulate  an  active  sentiment 
in  favor  of  the  project. 

To  this  end  some  of  those  in  favor  of  build- 
ing the  new  court  house  determined  to 
organize  a  committee  to  formulate  means 
and  measures  to  seciu-e  it. 

Accordingly  early  in  October  a  meeting 
was  called  at  the  office  of  State's  Attorney 
Searle  to  consider  the  matter.  Some  twenty 
citizens  attended  and  T.  J.  Robinson  was 
elected  chairman,  and  C.  J.  Searle  secretary. 
After  a  full  discussion  of  the  situation  a 
committee  was  appointed  to  report  at  a 
subsequent  meeting.  This  meeting  was  held 
within  a  few  days  thereafter,  and  a  sub- 
committee of  fourteen  was  selected  which 
should  have  full  charge,  and  take  such  action 
as  should  seem  advisable  to  secure  favorable 
action  by  the  voters. 

This  sub-committee  consisted  of  T.  S. 
Silvis,   E.    E.    Parmenter,    William   McEniry, 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    CO U \ T Y 


89 


S.  S.  Hull,  C.  F.  Lynde,  Phil  Mitchell,  William 
Jackson,  C.  J.  Searle,  H.  P.  Simpson,  W.  P. 
Qiiayle,  J.  F.  Robinson,  John  Ohhveiler,  S. 
J.  Collins  and  myself.  This  committee  or- 
ganized by  electing  H.  P.  Simpson  secretary 
and  myself  chairman,  and  as  thus  organized 
began  work. 

Of  this  committee  C.  F.  Lynde,  J.  F.  Rob- 
inson and  John  Ohlweiler  were  appointed  a 
committee  to  raise  the  necessary  funds,  and 
secured  subscriptions  from  seventy-two  citi- 
zens, of  sums  ranging  from  fifty  cents  to  fifty 
dollars,  aggregating  six  hundred  and  seventy- 
two  dollars. 

The  committee  decided  to  make  a  com- 
plete canvass  of  each  ward  in  this  city  by 
personal  interview  of  the  voters  and  see  that 
a  full  vote  was  polled;  and  at  the  same  time 
send  from  one  to  three  men  into  each  town- 
ship in  the  count}',  to  enlist  the  efforts  of  as 
many  influential  men  of  the  township  as 
possible,  and  employ  one  or  more  suitable 
men  in  the  township  to  continue  the  work 
until  the  polls  closed. 

The  committee  also  prepared  and  printed 
literature  consisting  of  original  matter,  e.x- 
tracts  from  the  "opposition  articles"  with 
appropriate  suggestions  and  distributed  them 
throughout  the  county  attempting  to  place 
pamphlets  in  the  hands  of  every  doubtful 
voter;  enlisted  the  acti\e  support  of  friendly 
papers,  and  thus  aroused  the  friends  of  the 
project,  turned  the  tide  of  disaffection  and 


carried   the  propositions  by   1,739  majority. 

The  committee  therefore  believes  that  its 
work  was  timeh'  and  thorough  and  made 
victory  possible. 

Of  the  money  collected,  $553.67  was 
devoted  to  the  above  purposes,  leaving  a 
balance  of  $118.33  in  the  treasury.  The 
board  of  supervisors  delegated  the  honor 
of  laying  the  corner  stone  to  the  Old  Set- 
tlers' Association,  but  refused  to  appropri- 
ate money  sufficient  to  defray  the  necessary 
expensas  of  the  exercises,  and  that  society 
being  without  funds  our  committee  appro- 
priated $47.94  to  cover  this  deficit. 

After  paying  these  bills  there  still  remained 
$70.39  in  the  treasury-,  and  after  thoughtful 
consideration  the  committee  concluded  that 
it  would  be  appropriate  and  wise  to  apply 
the  balance  towards  the  purchase  of  some 
suitable  memorial  to  be  placed  in  the  building, 
and  finally  decided  to  purchase  and  have 
hung  in  this  court  room  portraits  of  all  the 
chief  justices  of  the  United  States  Supreme 
Court  than  whom  the  names  of  no  abler 
judges  adorn  the  pages  of  judicial  .action. 

This  has  been  done  and  I  now  have  the 
honor  and  pleasure  of  jiresenting  to  this  court, 
on  behalf  of  the  seventy-two  subscribers  to 
the  fund,  the  portraits  which  you  now  see 
upon  the  walls  of  this  room,  and  the  com- 
mittee trust  they  will  be  accepted  by  your 
honors  as  suitable  appointments  to  this 
beautiful  temple  of  justice  and  right. 


90 


HISTORIC     ROCK     I  S  LAX  D     CO  U X T Y 


COURT,  BENCH  AND  BAR 


WILLIAM  JACKSON 


The  first  term  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Rock 
Island  County  was  held  April  28,  1834.  in 
the  house  of  John  Barrel  in  Farnhamsburg, 
Richard  M.  Young  presiding  Judge. 

Farnhamsburg  was  located  on  the  bank  of 
the  Mississippi  River,  in  the  east  part  of  the 
City  of  Rock  Island,  a  short  distance  west  of 
the  residence  of  the  Hon.  Ben  T.  Cable. 
The  first  house  built  on  the  present  site  of 
the  City  of  Rock  Island,  then  Farnhamsburg, 
was  a  log  house  built  by  Colonel  George 
Davenport  and  one  Russell  Farnham,  who 
was  engaged  in  business  with  Colonel  Daven- 
port. This  log  house  was  afterwards  enlarged 
and  kept  as  a  hotel  b}-  John  Barrel,  a  A'ir- 
ginian.  In  November,  1835,  the  records  and 
Court  were  removed  from  the  house  of  John 
Barrel  to  Stephenson.  I'nder  an  act  of  the 
Legislature  of  March  31,  1819,  the  State  of 
Illinois  was  divided  into  four  judicial  circuits. 
The  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State 
held  the  Circuit  Courts.  The  Circuit  Courts 
are  Courts  of  general  jurisdicture. 

The  County  Commissioners  Court  was 
e.stablished  March  22,  1819.  It  had  juris- 
diction throughout  the  County  in  revenue 
matters,  count}'  tax,  licenses,  and  other 
public  business.  Three  Judges  formed  the 
Court.  One  was  the  County  Judge,  the 
others  Associate  Justices.  This  Coiu't  con- 
tinued until  the  Count}'  Court  was  established 
by  act  of  February  12,  1849.  The  County 
Court  consisted  of  one  Judge.  It  had  probate 
jurisdiction.  Under  the  law  two  Justices  of 
the  Peace  were  elected.     These  had  authority 


to  act  with  the  County  Judge  to  transact  the 
business  formerly  done  by  the  County  Com- 
missioners Court,  and  so  continued  to  1857, 
after  which  the  Count}'  business  was  trans- 
acted by  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  the 
County  being  then  organized  under  the 
township  organization  law. 

The  following  persons,  residents  of  Rock 
Island,  were  at  various  times  members  of  the 
County  Commissioners  Court:  George  Dav- 
enport, John  W.  Spencer,  John  Vanatta, 
George  W.  Harlan.  John  S.  Miller.  Lucius 
Wells,  Nathaniel  Belcher,  Jacob  Coleman, 
Lemuel  Andrews,  Adolphus  Dunlap,  John  R. 
Taylor,  George  .•>.  Moore,  John  Kistler, 
William  L.  Lee.  M.  W.  Wright,  Samuel  Sloan, 
Jacob  Starr,  T.  C.  Temple,  Captain  T.  J. 
Robinson,  James  Weaverling,  William  M. 
Bailey,  John  M.  Gould,  George  E.  Holmes. 

The  County  Court  was  established  by  an 
act  of  the  Legislature  of  February  12,  1849, 
in  addition  to  its  jurisdiction  in  probate 
matters  and  matters  pertaining  to  the 
revenue.  The  Legislatm-e  conferred  upon  the 
Court  a  limited  law  jurisdicture,  which  it  still 
possesses,  although  enlarged. 

The  office  of  County  Judge  has  been  filled 
by  prominent  citizens  of  Rock  Island 
County : 

John  W.  Spencer,  1849  to  18.52; 

William  Bailey,  1852  to  1853; 

John  M.  Gould,  1853  to  1857; 

Cornelius  Lynde,  Jr.,  1857  to  1861; 

Joseph  B.  Danforth,  1861  to  1865; 

John  W.  Wilson,  1865  to  1871; 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


91 


Samuel  S.  Guyer,  1S71  to  1877; 

Lucian  Adams,  1877  to  1902; 

E.  E.  Parmenter,  1902  to  1906; 

Robert  W.  Olmsted,  now  acting  Judge, 
elected  in  April,  1907,  in  place  of  E.  E.  Par- 
menter,  deceased. 

Courts  of  Probate  were  first  established  by 
law  February  10,  1821.  In  the  County  of 
Rock  Island  Harmon  G.  Reynolds  was 
Probate  Justice  from  1S.39  to  1846.  He  was 
followed  by  Ira  0.  Wilkinson,  1847  to  1849. 

The  Circuit  Court  of  Rock  Island  County 
was  originally  in  the  fifth  judicial  circuit  of 
the  State  of  Illinois,  afterwards  in  the  sixth 
judicial  circuit.  In  1873  with  the  Counties 
Henry  and  Mercer  it  comjiosed  the  fifth 
judicial  circuit.  Afterwards,  under  the  act 
of  June  7,  1877,  the  Counties  of  Rock  Island, 
Mercer,  Henry,  Henderson,  Warren  and 
Knox  composed  the  tenth  judicial  circuit. 
Under  the  act  of  April  23,  1897,  the  Counties 
of  Rock  Island,  Mercer,  Whiteside  and  Henry 
now  compose  the  fourteenth  judicial    circuit. 

Gentlemen  eminent  as  jurists  in  this  State 
have  presided  in  the  Circuit  Courts  of  Rock 
Island  County;  we  find  on  record  the  names  of: 

Richard  A.  Young,  1834; 

Sidney  Breese,  1835; 

Thomas  Ford,  1836; 

Daniel  Stone,  1837  to  1841 ; 

Thomas  C.  Brown.  1841  to  1848; 

Benjamin  R.  Sheldon,  1848  to  1849; 

William  Kellogg,  1850  to  1851 ; 

Ira  O.  Wilkinson,  1850  to  1857; 

J.  W.  Drury,  1858  to  1860; 

John  H.  Howe,  1860  to  1861 ; 

Ira  O.  Wilkinson,  1861  to  1867: 

George  W.  Pleasants,  1867  to  1897; 


J.  J.  Glenn,  1878  to  1897; 

A.  A.  Smith,  1878  to  1894; 

Hiram  Bigelow,  1895  to  1902; 

Emery  C.  Graves,  1903; 

F.  D.  Ramsey,  1897 ; 

William  H.  Gest,  1897. 

Among  the  gentlemen  named  above  as 
Judges  who  were  residents  of  the  County  of 
Rock  Island  are  Ira  0.  Wilkinson,  J.  W. 
Drury,  George  W.  Pleasants  and  William  H. 
Gest.  Judge  Wilkinson,  after  leaving  the 
liench  in  1867,  went  to  Chicago,  where  he 
practiced  law  \nitii  18S1,  when  he  returned 
to  Rock  Island  County  and  resumed  practice. 
He  died  August  24,  1894.  Judge  Pleasants, 
after  he  became  Judge  in  1867,  continued  to 
preside  as  such  until  the  year  1897.  He  died 
October  22,  1902.  For  nineteen  years  he 
presided  as  one  of  the  Judges  of  the  first, 
second  and  third  districts  of  the  Appellate 
Courts  of  this  State. 

Judge  Drury  after  he  retired  from  the 
bench  in  1860,  resvinied  the  practice  of  the 
law  at  Davenport,  Iowa;  he  died  March  1, 
1S99. 

Judge  Gest  is  now  one  of  the  Circuit  Judges 
of  this  judicial  district.  The  members  of  the 
bar  of  Rock  Island  County  who  are  now  in 
actual  practice  are  about  sixty-five.  Many 
of  them  are  young  men  who  have  lately 
entered  into  the  practice  of  the  profession. 
The  oldest  memlaers  of  the  l.)ar  now  living 
and  nearly  all  are  in  actual  practice,  are 
John  T.  Browning,  Edward  D.  Sweeney, 
William  Jackson,  Lucian  Adams,  Henry  C. 
Connelly,  M.  M.  Sturgeon,  W.  J.  Entriken, 
William  A.  Meese,  William  R.  :\Ioore,  J.  T. 
Kenworthy  and  Charles  L.  Walker. 


92 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


ROCK  ISLAND  COUNTY  SOLDIERS'  MONUMENT 


The  feeling  inspired  in  a  great  number  of 
the  people  of  the  County,  to  pa\^  a  tribute  to 
the  soldiers  of  this  County,  who  had  and  would 
die  in  the  war  for  the  protection  of  the  Union, 
was  expressed  and  recognized  by  the  Board  of 
Supervisors  December  17,  1863,  by  the 
passing  of  a  resolution,  appropriating  $1,500 
toward  the  building  of  a  suitable  monument 
to  be  placed  in  Courthouse  Square  as  a 
memorial  to  the  soldiers  of  this  County  who 
died  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion;  and  that 
their  names  be  inscribed  thereon. 

For  the  purpose  of  carrying  out  the  intent 
of  the  resolution,  the  clerk  of  the  Court  was 
authorized  to  issue  county  orders  to  the 
amount  of  $1,500  to  the  County  Monument 
Committee  whenever  they  may  call  for  them. 
The  committee  appointed  were  Nathaniel 
Belcher,  B.  H.  Kimball,  S.  S.  Foster,  J.  Q. 
Wynkoop  and  S.  W.  Wheelock.  September 
12,  1S67,  the  Board  of  Supervisors  authorized 
Major  James  M.  Beardsley,  chairman  of  the 
Citizens'  Committee,  to  procure  plans  and 
specifications.  The  design  presented  by 
Leonard  W.  Volk,  Sculptor,  of  Chicago,  was 
accepted  by  the  committee  and  contracted  for. 

Committees  were  appointed  throughout  the 
County  to  solicit  contributions  from  every- 
bod}-,   which   received   a   hearty  recognition. 

December  17,  1868,  the  Board  of  Super- 
visors authorized  the  County  Clerk  to  draw 
an  order  on  the  County  Treasurer  for  the 
amount  necessary  to  complete  the  Rock 
Island  County  Soldiers'  Memorial  Monument, 
upon  the  order  of  the  County  Monument 
Committee,  after  they  should  have  expended 
the   amounts    already    appropriated    by    the 


County  and  donated  by  the  peojjle.  The 
approximate  cost  of  the  monument  was 
810,000;  larger  proportion  coming  from  the 
people's  donations. 

The  base  of  the  monument  is  Concord 
granite,  and  Athens,  Illinois,  limestone;  the 
shaft,  which  is  capped,  is  surmounted  by  a 
statue  of  a  Union  soldier;  all  of  Italian  marble, 
and  is  about  fifty  feet  in  height.  A  copper 
box  was  placed  in  the  base,  under  the  marble 
shaft,  where  was  placed  newspapers  of  the 
day,  and  historical  documents.  Names  of 
all  soldiers  enlisted  from  the  County  are 
engraved  on  the  bases. 

The  monument  was  first  placed  a  trifle 
north  of  midway,  between  the  east  entrance 
of  the  Court  House  and  the  street  sidewalk. 

In  removing  the  monument  to  its  present 
location  one  of  the  base  stones  were  broken 
and  replaced  with  granite.  On  the  base  of 
the    monument   is   inscribed   this   sentiment: 

"In  memory  of  its  patriotic  and  heroic  sons, 
who  served  their  country  during  the  Great 
Rebellion,  and  died  that  the  Nation  might 
live.  Rock  Island  County  dedicates  this 
Monument." 

On  Friday,  April  9,  1869— the  day  being 
the  fourth  anniversary  of  the  surrender  of 
Lee's  army  to  General  U.  S.  Grant  at  Appo- 
mattox Court  House,  Virginia — occurred  the 
dedication  of  the  Soldiers'  Memorial  Monu- 
ment. 

With  clouds  and  rain  the  previous  day, 
filled  the  feelings  of  the  people  with  disap- 
pointment; but  the  morning  dawned  clear 
and  beautiful.  The  crowds  gathered  from 
the  cities  and  country,  with  a  fine,  strong  and 


HISTORIC     RO  C  K     ISLAND     COUNT Y 


93 


large  representation  of  our  Iowa  neighbors. 
The  Court  House  square,  with  Illinois  and 
Orleans  Streets,  were  crowded.  The  city 
was  gaily  decorated  with  flags,  tiiuiting  and 
banners.  At  about  2  o'clock  the  police  and 
military  formed  at  Court  House  square;  the 
Masonic  orders  on  Buffalo  Street,  the  Odd 
Fellows  and  Good  Templers  on  Illinois;  the 
Fire  Department  on  Market  square,  and  the 
civic  societies  in  Court  House  square.  A 
long  line  of  march  was  made,  starting  from 
Court  House  square;  east  on  Orleans  Street 
to  Madison;  north  on  Madison  to  Illinois; 
west  on  Illinois  to  Otter;  south  on  Otter  to 
Orleans;  and  east  on  Orleans  to  Court  House 
square,  where  the  ceremonies  commenced. 
The  military  from  the  Island  made  a  most 
commanding  appearance.  General  T.  J.  Rod- 
man and  most  of  the  officers  were  present. 
The  Turner  Societies  with  their  fine  singing 
added  nuich  to  the  occasion.  Salutes  were 
fired,  whistles  blowing  and  church  bells  ring- 
ing.    After    the    invocation    to    the    people, 


Honorable  Emery  A.  Storrs  of  Chicago  was 
introduced,  and  made  the  main  address  of  the 
day,  a  most  eloquent  and  patriotic  oration. 

The  ceremonies  of  the  day  were  highly 
interesting  and  impressive,  and  indication  of 
the  community's  deep  respect  for  the  dead 
soldier.  The  occasion  was  the  most  memor- 
able in  the  history  of  Rock  Island  County — 
full  30,000  people  being  present. 

The  twelve  cannon  originally  placed  around 
the  Court  House  yard  were  given  to  the 
County  by  the  War  Department  through  an 
act  of  Congress,  and  are  cannons  captured 
from  the  Confederacy — several  of  them  being 
spiked.  Two  of  these  cannon  were  after- 
wards presented  to  Graham  Post  No.  212, 
G.  A.  R.,  Moline,  Illinois,  and  placed  in 
Riverside  Cemetery. 

Decoration  Day  ceremonies  have  been 
regularly  observed ;  first  by  the  Rock  Island 
Light  Artillery,  and  since  their  disbandment 
bv  G.  A.  R.  Posts  situate  here. 


TOWNSHIP  ORGANIZATION 


September  1,  1856,  on  ajiplication  of  three 
petitioners,  signed  by  over  fifty  legal  voters 
of  Rock  Island  County,  praying  for  the 
question  of  township  organization;  it  was 
ordered  liy  the  court  that  the  question  be 
submitted  to  the  voters  of  said  coimty,  to 
vote  for  or  against  township  organization  at 
the  next  November  election.  Abstract  of 
votes  given  at  said  election  resulted  as  fol- 
lows : 

For  township  organization,  2314. 
Against  township  organization,  147. 

Tuesday,  December  2,  1856,  the  court 
apiK)inted  Lemuel  Andrews,  NathanielBelcher 


and  Flavel  J.  Whitney  as  commissioners  to 
divide  the  county  into  towns,  in  accord- 
ance with  general  assembly  act  for  township 
organization,  passed  February  17,   1851. 

June  29,  30,  and  July  1,  1857,  credentials 
were  presented  to  the  board  of  supervisors 
by  the  representatives  of  the  following  named 
towns : 

Rock  Island,  R.  M.  Marshall,  Zachariah 
Cook;  Canoe  Creek,  I.  H.  Marshall;  Hampton, 
Lucius  Wells;  Drury,  Peter  Demoss;  Edging- 
ton,  James  Baker;  Bowling,  T.  W.  Vincent; 
Coal  Valley,  Lewis  Wilson;  Buffalo.  O.  H.  P. 
Moore;  Port  Byron,  David  S.  Hobert;  Walker, 
Rinnah  Wells;  Fremont,  A.  S.  Coe;  Camden, 


94 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


H.  J.  Brunot;  Moline,  Jeremiah  Cliainberliii: 
Cordova,  George  Marshall. 

September  IS,  1S57,  by  ortler  of  tliel:)oard 
of  supervisors,  the  names  of  the  following 
towns  were  changed: 

Town  of  Camden,  changed  to  Black  Hawk; 
town  of  Fremont,  changed  to  Penn;  to^\^l  of 
Buffalo,  changed  to  Copper;  town  of  Walker, 
changed  to  Zuma. 

January  6,  ISoS.  town  of  Copper,  changed 
to  Buffalo  Prairie;  town  of  Penn,  changed  to 
Coe. 

September  16,  1858,  a  part  of  Edgington 
Township,  was,  through  the  pra3'er  of  peti- 
tioners— citizens  of  Edgington  Township — 
by  order  of  the  board  of  supervisors,  named 
Andalusia. 

September  15,  1871,  bj-  petition  of  eightj-- 
three  legal  voters  of  Coal  Valley  To^Tiship, 
a  jiartition  of  the  township  was  made,  and 
named  town  of  Rural. 

March  3,  1873,  a  petitibn  was  presented  to 
the  board  of  supervisors,  by  Quincy  McNeil 
and  others,  to  annex  that  portion  of  the 
Town  of  Black  Hawk  north  of  Rock  River  to 
the  Town  of  Rock  Island. 

December  12,  1873,  by  a  vote  of  the  board 
of  supervisors — yeas,  nine;na}^s,  eight;  absent, 
one — it  was  ordered  that  the  portion  of  Black 
Hawk  Township  l3'ing  north  of  Rock  River 
and  south  of  the  corporate  limits  of  the  City 
of  Rock  Island,  be  detached  from  the  Town 
of  Black  Hawk  and  annexed  to  the  Town  of 
Rock  Island. 

December  14,  1877,  the  board  of  super- 
visors adopted  a  resolution  that  the  portion 
of  Rock  Island  Township,  south  of  the  cor- 
porate limits  of  the  City  of  Rock  Island, 
extending  to  the  north  shore  of  Rock  River, 
be  created  and  constituted  the  new  Town  of 
South  Rock  Island,  to  take  effect  March  1, 
1878.  The  corporate  limits  of  the  Cit}'  of 
Rock  Island  to  be  the  Town  of  Rock  Island. 

November  16.  1872.  Upon  petition  by 
three-fourths  of  the  voters  and  property 
holders  of  the  following  tract  to- wit:  N.  w. 


H,  Sec.  6,  T.  17.  H.  1,  4th  P.  M..  and  W. 
fractional  3^  (south  of  S3'lvan  Water)  of 
Sec.  31,  T.  18,  R.  1  W.,  4th  P.  M.,  the  city 
council  annexed  said  territory  to  the  Citv  of 
Rock  Island,  and  made  it  a  part  of  the 
Fourth  Ward  of  said  city. 

September  15,  1875.  at  a  meeting  of  the 
board  of  supervisors  the  above  tract  (a  part 
of  Moline  Township),  to  simplify  adminis- 
tration and  taxation,  was  annexed  to  the 
Town  of  Rock  Island. 

March  14,  1879.  Adopted  by  the  board  of 
super^^sors,  that  the  Town  of  Moline  be  sub- 
divided. The  incorporated  City  of  ^loline 
be  organized  as  the  Town  of  Moline;  the 
remaining  territory  of  iloline  Township  to 
be  hereafter  known  as  the  Town  of  South 
Moline. 

CORDOVA  TOWNSHIP. 

The  town  of  Cordova  lies  in  the  extreme 
northeast  end  of  the  county.  It  is  a  frac- 
tional township.  Iving  well  up  on  the  bhiffs, 
and  commands  one  of  the  finest  views  on  the 
Mississippi  River.  The  earliest  settler  was 
Herdman  East,  who  built  a  log  cabin  in  1836 
on  the  present  site  of  the  village  of  Cordova. 
Other  settlers  coming  that  year  and  in  1838 
were  J.  S.  Phillips  and  John  Marshall  from 
New  Jersey:  Guy  W.  and  Amazi  Rathburn, 
Nelson  and  Chauncey  M.  Tripp  from  New 
York:  William  Kellew  Dudy  Buck.  Peter 
Beardsley,  A.  G.  Adams,  Wm.  Armstrong, 
Jeremiah  Rice,  Robert  and  Wm.  Jenks,  Dr. 
Thos.  Baker,  Benoni  Haskins,  A.  Whiting, 
all  having  families.  Nathaniel  Belcher  and 
Miss  Jenks.  and  Joseph  Mills  and  Miss  Jenks 
were  among  the  first  married.  The  township 
is  quite  rough  and  broken,  though  some  fine 
farms.  The  principal  industry  is  the  manu- 
facture of  lime. 

TILLAGE  OF  CORDOVA. 

This  village  .situated  principally  in  the 
township  of  Cordova,  with  a  very  small 
portion  in  the  township  of  Port  Byron,  lies 


//  /  .S'  T  0  Hie     R  0  ( •  K     I  S  L  A  X  D     CO  U  X  T  Y 


05 


well  up  on  the  bluff  and  commands  one  of 
the  finest  views  on  the  Mississippi  River, 
which  stretches  away  in  both  directions 
until  lost  bj'  its  windings;  the  Ijluffs  at  this 
point  are  rather  abrupt. 

The  earliest  settler  of  this  place  was  Herd- 
man  East,  who  built  a  log  cabin  in  1836; 
John  Marshall  and  family.  Dr.  Thomas 
Baker,  Amazi  R.  Rathburn.  Theodore  and 
John  Butcher  coming  the  same  year.  William 
and  George  Marshall,  Jonathan  and  K.  S. 
Cool,  and  Joseph  R.  Sexton  came  in  1838. 

The  town  was  laid  out  in  1837  by  John 
Marshall  and  Dr.  Thomas  Baker,  and  the 
first  frame  houses  were  built  the  following 
year  by  these  gentlemen.  Lime  kilns  were 
early  established,  and  for  some  years  this 
was  a  busy  point.  The  first  school  was 
taught  by  Dr.  Baker  in  his  own  house,  where 
he  instructed  in  a  primiti\'e  way  his  own 
children,  together  with  those  of  his  neighbors. 

The  first  school  house  was  built  in  1863, 
and  conducted  under  the  common  school 
laws  of  the  state.  Since  Februar}'  16,  1865, 
a  board  of  education,  composed  of  six  mem- 
bers, control  school  affairs.  The  especial 
pride  to  which  the  residents  direct  attention 
is  their  fine  graded  school  which  numbers 
upward  of  300  scholars,  under  the  super- 
vision of  an  efficient  principal  and  corps  of 
teachers.  The  school  also  has  a  well  equi]iped 
circulating  library.  The  principal  product  of 
the  locality  is  corn,  of  which  large  shipments 
are  made.  The  first  postoffice  was  estab- 
lished in  1839,  John  Marshall  being  its  first 
postmaster,  who  also  kept  the  first  hotel.  In 
1853  the  first  grist  mill  was  erected  by 
Brigham  and  Marshall.  A  petition  for  village 
organization  was  filed  March  16,  1867.  An 
election  was  held  and  went  against  organiza- 
tion. In  1877  the  subject  was  again  sub- 
mitted to  the  voters  and  affirmed  in  favor  of 
village  organization,  and  on  the  23d  day  of 
April,  1877,  the  village  was  dulj-  organized. 
Cordova  is  situated  on  the  Mississippi  River, 
and  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railwav. 


COE  TOWNSHIP. 

Coe.  surrounded  by  the  townsliips  of  Canoe 
Creek,  Port  Byron,  Zuma  and  Cordova,  is 
considered  one  of  the  best  agricultural  jwr- 
tions  of  the  county.  John  Walker  was  the 
first  settler  in  1835,  followed  shortly  by  John 
Butcher;  his  brother,  Burrall  Butcher,  coming 
in  1836,  and  in  1851  locating  on  his  brother's 
section,  his  brother  having  left  for  Cali- 
fornia, but  died  on  his  way  there.  Samuel 
Allen  came  in  1837,  moving  from  what  was 
afterwards  the  village  of  Port  Byron.  Sam- 
uel Ennison  came  shortly  after  from  Indiana. 
Henry  Smith,  Henry  M.  Stockton  and  Isaac 
Hollister  also  coming  in  1837.  Mrs.  Charity 
Marshall,  a  widow  with  nine  children,  came 
in  1S38  from  New  Jersey.  The  first  to  wed 
in  the  township  were  Hiram  Walker  and 
Mary  Ennis,  and  David  Allen  and  Miss 
Remson. 

PORT  BYRON. 

In  the  year  1826  two  brothers.  Robert  and 
Thomas  Syms,  located  on  the  present  site  of 
Port  Byron,  and  established  a  wood  yard  for 
supplying  cord  wood  to  steamboats  on  the 
Mississippi  River.  Their  location  soon  came 
to  be  known  as  Syms'  W^ood  Yard.  They 
were  among  the  first  white  settlers  in  this 
locality,  other  residents  being  principally 
Sac  and  Fox  Indians. 

During  the  year  1828  Archibald  Allen, 
Conrad  Leek,  George  W.  Harlan  and  others 
came  with  their  families  and  settled  in  this 
township.  Archibald  Allen  traded  with  the 
Indians,  l)uying  skins  and  furs.  He  was 
afterwards  appointed  supervisor  of  roads, 
was  elected  to  the  office  of  constable,  and  from 
1833  to  1834  was  United  States  mail  carrier 
between  Fort  Armstrong  and  Galena.  He 
was  also  postmaster,  the  office  being  kept  in 
his  own  house,  which  was  located  just  north 
of  Syms'  Wood  Yard.  Prior  to  its  removal 
in  1836  it  was  known  as  Canaan.  Mr.  Allen 
built  the  first  frame  house  between  Quincy 
and  Galena. 


96 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


In  1830,  Thomas  Ilnl.hanl,  H.  Mast  and 
Britton  arrived  and  became  residents  of  the 
new  settlement.  During  this  j-ear  a  son  was 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Conrad  Leek,  which 
was  the  first  white  child  born  in  the  township. 
In  the  year  1831  a  son  of  Geo.  W.  Harlan 
died,  this  being  the  first  death  in  the  town- 
shij). 

During  the  }-ear  1832  Edmund  A.  I'hilleo 
was  killed,  the  result  of  a  quarrel  over  claims 
and  possession  of  land.  Mrs.  A.  Allen  was 
the  first  adult  person  to  die.  The  first  school 
was  taught  in  1833.  New  settlers  who  came 
in  1834  were  Walter  Phillips,  Geo.  R.  Allen, 
H.  M.  Smith  and  Presley  Quick.  The  next 
year,  1835,  Samuel  Allen,  William  McKenney 
and  a  Mr.  Hathaway  came  with  their  families. 
Samuel  Allen  kept  a  tavern  in  a  double  log 
house.  His  wife.  Aunt  Candace,  as  she  was 
known,  was  a  good  cook,  and  they  were  well 
patronized.  This  year  the  government  sur- 
veyed anil  subdi\ided  the  public  lands.  In 
1836  the  arrivals  were  Moses  Bailey,  Rufus 
B.  Chase,  Nathaniel  Belcher,  Jeremiah  H. 
Lyford,  Addison  N.  Philleo,  Astimus  Philleo 
and  his  daughter  Lucretia.  R.  B.  Chase 
manufactured  the  first  white  lime,  for  which 
Port  Byron  became  noted. 

About  this  time  a  town  was  platted  and 
Port  Bj-ron  became  a  pouit  of  considerable 
business  activity.  George  S.  Moore  erected 
a  store  building;  the  postoffice  at  Canaan  was 
closed  and  opened  at  Port  Byron,  with 
Nathaniel  Belcher  postmaster.  Mr.  Belcher 
built  a  hotel  and  the  first  frame  dwelling. 
Dr.  Jeremiah  H.  Lyford,  a  graduate  of  Dart- 
mouth College,  was  the  first  physician;  his 
]iractife  extended  over  a  large  territory,  both 
in  Illinois  and  Iowa. 

Colonel  Eads  was  a  resident  here  for  a  time, 
living  with  Archibald  Allen  ]irior  to  taking 
up  his  residence  on  "The  Heights,"  at  this 
time  known  as  LeClaire,  Iowa.  His  son  was 
the  famous  Jas.  B.  Eads,  also  living  at  Le- 
Claire during  the  late  forties  and  early  fifties, 
removing    from     there    to     St.     Louis.     He 


became  widely  known  as  a  builder  of  boats 
for  the  United  States  government,  constructor 
of  the  St.  Louis  bridge  and  the  jetties  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi  River. 

On  August  1,  1836,  the  first  election  was 
held  for  the  selection  of  representatives  in 
the  state  legislature  and  in  congress.  On 
November  7th  the  first  ])residential  election 
was  held,  at  which  eleven  votes  were  cast, 
all  for  Martin  Van  Buren. 

This  is  a  school  town.  The  Port  Byron 
Academy  is  a  flourishing  institution,  under 
the  management  of  the  Congregational 
chiu'ch;  it  has  close  relationship  with  Beloit 
College.  The  public  schools  are  on  a  high 
order  and  are  recognized  for  their  good  work. 

VILLAGE  OF  PORT  BYRON. 

The  village  of  Port  Byron  was  incorporated 
in  February,  18.56.  The  village  was  laid  out 
in  1836,  b}'  Sanuiel  Allen,  Dr.  P.  Gregg, 
Nathaniel  Belcher  and  Moses  Bailey;  the  land 
was  held  in  common  by  them.  On  the  lanrl 
was  but  one  log  house  and  a  small  log  store. 
The  store  was  started  by  Walter  Phillips. 
Shortly  after  the  site  was  laid  out  Nathaniel 
Belcher  built  a  frame  store,  and  put  in  a 
stock  of  general  merchandise,  associating 
with  him  Mr.  Hambaugh.  The  first  grist 
mill  was  erected  in  the  spring  of  1849  by  T. 
G.  Temple  and  N.  Dorrance.  It  was  run  by 
steam,  and  had  one  set  of  burrs  for  wheat  and 
one  set  for  corn.  The  first  school  was  held 
in  the  old  log  store  of  Samuel  Allen  in  1838, 
Harriet  Dodge  being  teacher.  The  first 
school  house  was  of  brick,  and  was  built  in 
1864.  In  addition  to  the  public  school,  an 
Academy  was  erected  in  1883,  and  is  in  a 
flourishing  condition.  The  village  is  situated 
on  the  Mississippi  River,  and  its  railroad 
facilities  are  the  Chicago,  Jlilwaukee  &  St. 
Paul  Railway. 

CANOE  CREEK  TOWNSHIP. 

It  was  about  seventy  years  ago  that  white 
people  first  settled  in   what   became  Canoe 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNT Y 


97 


Creek  Townsliip.  These  first  settlers  were 
Jonas  Carter,  John  M.  Walker  and  Joseph 
Martin.  They  came  with  ox  teams  from 
Wayne  County,  Illinois,  and  landed  at  Canoe 
Creek  on  the  26th  day  of  August.  1835. 
Their  first  work  was  to  cut  down  some  small 
trees  and  make  a  pen  for  their  stock,  and  then 
to  cut  some  larger  ones  and  split  them  up  to 
make  a  rude  shelter  for  themselves.  Mr. 
John  M.  Walker  is  the  only  one  of  the  three 
now  living.  After  selecting  his  claim  he  went 
back  to  his  former  home  and  was  married. 
He  and  his  young  bride  then  made  their 
wedding  trip  on  horseback  from  Wayne 
County  to  Canoe  Creek.  Mr.  Walker  still 
resides  on  his  first  choice  of  land.  His  wife 
passed  away  a  few  years  ago.  Abstractors 
would  have  an  easy  time  tracing  Mr.  Walkers' 
title  to  the  land  he  owns.  He  has  a  deed 
signed  by  James  K.  Polk,  president  of  the 
United  States,  and  it  has  never  been  trans- 
ferred. 

Mr.  Carter  and  Mr.  Martin  went  to  work  at 
once  on  their  arrival  and  biiilt  log  houses  on 
their  claim.  These  were  the  first  houses  in 
what  is  now  Canoe  Creek  Township.  A  part 
of  the  land  covered  by  their  claim  is  now 
owned  by  Wallace  Woodburn  and  a  part  by 
William  Pearsall.  The  land  at  that  time  had 
not  been  surveyed  bj'  the  government,  except 
into  townships.  Al)out  three  years  after- 
wards it  was  subdivided  into  sections. 

At  this  time  there  was  only  one  house 
where  the  Cities  of  Rock  Island  and  Moline 
have  since  grown  up.  Mr.  Walker  informs 
the  writer  that  their  nearest  neighbor  to  the 
north  at  that  time  was  at  Savanna,  where  a 
man  lived  who  ran  a  ferry;  and  the  nearest 
one  to  the  east  was  at  Dixon,  where  there  was 
a  stage  station. 

Their  first  market  place  was  Chicago,  to 
which  place  they  hauled  all  of  their  surplus 
grain  and  drove  the  stock  which  they  had  for 
sale.  They  would  haul  a  load  of  wheat  to 
Chicago  and  trade  it  for  salt.     This  was  slow 


and  tedious  work  in  those  days,  and  there 
were  no  good  roads  and  no  bridges. 

They  would  often  find  streams  with  full 
banks,  swollen  by  heavy  rains,  and  would 
have  to  camp  for  days  waiting  for  the  water 
to  subside  so  they  could  cross  with  a  reason- 
able degree  of  safety.  At  a  later  date 
Savanna  and  Galena'  became  milling  places, 
^'ery  often  one  would  take  a  sack  of  wheat 
and  go  on  horseback  to  one  of  these  places  to 
have  it  ground  into  flour.  When  they  went 
by  team  it  usually  took  several  daj's.  The 
mills  had  small  burrs  and  ground  but  slowly 
and  each  customer  had  to  wait  his  turn  to 
have  his  grist  ground. 

Money  was  scarce  in  those  days.  People 
did  not  go  to  the  stores  every  week  as  now, 
for  groceries  and  other  supplies.  One  old 
settler  has  stated  that  one  year  his  grocery 
bill  was  made  up  of  three  items:  one  dollar's 
worth  of  sugar,  a  gallon  of  kerosene  oil  at 
seventy-five  cents,  and  a  barrel  of  salt. 
Wild  game  furnished  most  of  the  meat; 
Johnny  cake,  corn  bread,  and  a  little  -white 
bread,  potatoes  and  wild  fruits,  honey  and 
maple  syrup  made  up  their  bill  of  fare;  and 
it  was  not  so  bad  either.  Housewives  spun 
their  own  yarn  and  did  their  own  weaving. 

The  scarcity  of  money  is  illustrated  by  the 
statement  of  one  old  settler,  who  states  that 
before  he  could  raise  the  fifty  cents  per  acre 
to  pay  the  government  for  his  land,  he  had  to 
pre-empt  it  several  times.  First  by  himself, 
then  his  wife  and  his  children,  making 
repeated  filings  in  order  to  hold  the  land  until 
the  money  could  be  raised. 

The  first  house  was  of  logs  and  was  built  by 
Jonas  Carter. 

The  first  frame  house  was  built  by  George 
Kendall.  The  first  school  house  was  built  of 
logs  and  was  located  on  Canoe  Creek. 

The  first  frame  schoolhouse  was  the  Poplar 
Grove  schoolhouse,  and  was  built  by  John 
Denison.  The  first  school  was  taught  by  Miss 
Johanna  Herd. 


98 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


The  first  deed  conveying  real  estate  was 
signed  by  James  K.  Pcilk.  president  of  the 
United  States. 

The  first  ferry  was  at  the  big  rock  on  the 
lleredosia. 

The  first  church  built  was  the  Bethesda. 

The  first  person  buried  in  Bethesda  Ceme- 
tery was  Jlrs.  Parry  Henderson. 

The  first  person  buried  in  Mt.  Marie  Ceme- 
tery was  Mrs.  Maria  Liphardt. 

HILLSDALE  VILLAGE 

Is  in  Canoe  Creek  Township  and  is  not 
incorporated.  It  is  a  small  village  but  has 
good  school  facilities,  general  stores,  black- 
smith shop  and  two  hotels.  The  first  post- 
office  was  established  in  1842  or  184.3,  with 
Moses  Hubbard  as  postmaster.  The  second 
postoffice  was  called  Hill's  Crossing.  At  this 
crossing  a  station  was  established  by  the 
Sterling  &  Rock  Island  Railroad,  now  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quinc}-,  and  the 
village  was  laid  out  in  1868  by  Richard  Hill 
and  named  Hillsdale.  It  is  the  shipping 
point  for  a  part  of  Canoe  Creek  and  Zuma 
Townships. 

ZUMA  TOWNSHIP. 

The  first  white  child  born  in  what  is  now 
Zuma  Township  was  Mary  Ann  Sturdivan; 
the  first  white  boy  was  L.  \\'.  Beal,  long 
afterwards  colonel  in  the  army.  The  first 
school  house  was  built  in  1854.  It  is  known 
as  the  Wake  school  house  and  is  where  all  the 
elections  are  held.  The  first  frame  house 
built  was  by  Mr.  Center  on  what  is  known  as 
the  John  Moody  place.  The  houses  in  those 
days  were  small,  rude  and  inconvenient.  If 
they  had  floors  they  were  usuallj-  of  good 
solid  oak,  an  inch  and  a  quarter  or  more  in 
thickness.  I  remember  of  only  two  houses 
in  those  early  days  of  1850  that  were  painted; 
those  were  Nelson  Wells  and  Joseph  Shanks. 
Polished  floors  were  unknown  and  rugs  and 
carpets  verj-  scarce.  The  people  who  settled 
in  Zuma  in  those  earlj'  daj's  were  generous 


and  hospitable;  the  stranger  was  always 
welcome.  They  believed  like  President 
Roosevelt  in  having  plenty  of  good  girls  and 
boys,  and  in  those  daj-s  the  bo3's  helped  their 
fathers  and  the  girls  their  mothers. 

Mr.  J.  B.  Walker  has  lived  in  Zuma  the 
longest;  he  was  born  in  1838.  The  first  brick 
house  was  built  by  Hiram  Walker  in  1853. 

There  were  no  carriages  or  buggies  in  those 
days.  If  a  yoimg  man  wanted  to  take  his 
best  girl  out.  they  had  to  go  on  foot  or  horse 
back  or  ride  in  a  lumber  wagon.  And  the 
people  seemed  happy  in  those  days,  had  good 
times  and  enjoyed  themselves  just  as  well  as 
they  do  today,  if  not  better. 

Among  those  who  settled  here  fifty  years 
or  more  ago,  and  whose  farms  are  now  occu- 
pied by  persons  of  the  same  name  are  the 
following:  Nelson  Wells,  Monroe  Swank, 
Ambrose  Searle,  James  Searle  (on  Rock 
River),  Madison  Bowles,  George  Wake,  A.  H. 
Mead,  J.  A.  Donahue,  Charles  Schaffer,  A.  E. 
Herren,  Davis  Daily,  Hiram  Walker  and 
Wesley  Hanna. 

The  first  school  house  was  built  by  sub- 
scription in  1855,  and  was  called  the  Oak 
Grove  school  house. 

In  1856  the  Syms  school  house  was  built 
with  public  funds  raised  by  taxation. 

The  first  frame  house  was  built  by  Ambrose 
Searle  in  1838.  The  frame  was  hewed  out, 
rafters  and  all.  The  shingles  and  lath  were 
split  or  ' '  rived "'  out  of  oak  with  an  instru- 
ment called  a  "frow."  The  boards  were  of 
maple  and  were  sawed  at  a  mill  between 
LeClaire  and  Princeton,  Iowa,  owned  by  a 
Mr.  Barber. 

The  first  cider  was  made  by  Gregory  Brown 
in  the  fall  of  1857,  from  apples  raised  on  his 
farm  near  Rock  River. 

Chinese  sugar  was  introduced  into  this 
township  in  1857  and  some  molasses  was  made 
by  Munroe  Swank. 

The  first  postoffice  was  established  in  the 
township  in  1848  and  was  called  Fairport. 
It   was  located  on  section  twenty-eight,  on 


HISTORIC     RO  C  K     I  S  LAND     CO  U  N  T  Y 


99 


the  hank  of  Rock  River,  and  Truman  f!orton 
was  postmaster. 

In  the  3-ear  1856  A.  F.  Rnssell  Wu\  out  a 
town  site  at  what  is  called  Zuma  Center.  It 
soon  had  a  store,  blacksmith  shop  and  shoe 
shop. 

JOSLIN 

Is  situateri  in  the  southeastern  part  of 
Zuma  Townshi]\  and  is  a  station  on  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad.  It 
was  located  by  Benjamin  B.  Joslin,  who  came 
to  this  county  in  1853  and  acquired  600  acres 
of  good  land  in  the  locality,  and  marked  out 
the  village  at  the  time  of  the  building  of  the 
old  Sterling  Railroad.  N.  B.  Joslin,  his  son, 
started  the  first  store  in  1870  and  was  the 
first  postmaster.  The  village  is  not  incor- 
porated, is  small  but  has  two  general  stores, 
one  implement  store,  a  new  church,  several 
dwellings  and  a  good  farming  community 
surrounding  it.  The  railroad  station  is  named 
Joslyn,  but  the  old  family  name  is  Joslin. 

ZUMA  CENTER 

Is  situated  in  Town  of  Zuma  and  is  not 
incorporated.  In  1S56  A.  F.  Russell  laid  out 
a  town  site  which  was  named  Zuma  Center. 
It  soon  had  a  store,  blacksmith  shop  and  shoe 
shop.  The  bounds  consist  as  laid  out  of 
three  streets,  two  blocks  and  thirty  lots.  It 
is  a  small  place  with  church,  school  and  three 
houses. 

OSBORN. 

Named  after  Fred  Osborn.  a  long  time  resi. 
dent  and  land  owner  of  the  locality.  The 
village  is  not  incorporated.  It  is  situated  in 
the  southern  part  of  Zuma  Township,  near 
Rock  River  and  on  the  Chicago,  Burlington 
&  Quincy  Railroad,  and  near  the  old  Cleve- 
land ferry  crossing.  The  postoffice,  railroad 
depot  and  half  a  dozen  houses  constitute  the 
village.  At  one  time  years  ago  the  Sterling 
branch  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railroad    had    a    bridge    here    across    Rock 


River,  the  railroad  line  continuing  to  the 
Briar  Bluff  coal  mines,  but  the  bridge  was 
afterwards  removed  to  Barstow. 

HAMPTON  TOWNSHIP. 

This  township  is  situated  north  and  east  of 
Moline  Township,  the  Mississippi  River  form- 
ing the  northwestern  boundary,  and  the  Rock 
River  the  southern.  The  township  consists 
of  bluffs  along  its  northern  and  southern 
boundaries,  with  wide  rich  bottoms  along  the 
rivers  and  a  broad  valley  running  east  and 
west  through  its  center,  extending  from  the 
Mississippi  River  to  Rock  River.  Martin 
Culver  made  the  first  land  claim  in  1826. 
Rev.  John  Kinney  and  two  brothers  made  the 
next  claims  in  1827.  During  1828  Henry 
McNeal,  Joel  Thompson,  Michael  Bartlett, 
Asaph  Wells  and  Joel  Wells,  Jr.,  settled  in 
the  same  vicinity.  The  first  birth,  was  the 
daughter  of  Henry  McNeal — Mary  Ann — 
born  October  5, 1832.  The  first  death  occurred 
in  1829  or  1830,  on  board  the  Steamer  Joseph- 
ine, on  her  way  to  Galena;  a  lady  from  Eng- 
land coming  to  Galena  to  visit  her  son,  died 
just  as  the  boat  was  landing,  and  she  was 
buried  at  Hampton.  The  first  couple  married 
in  the  town  was  Joel  Wells  and  Mary  Mc- 
Murphy,  by  Jonas  Wells,  justice  of  the  peace, 
in  1835.  Within  the  township  are  si.x  vill- 
ages: Hampton,  Watertown,  Silvis,  Carbon 
Cliff,  Barstow  and  Rapids  City,  all  incor- 
porated villages  but  Barstow.  The  township 
contained  some  rich  coal  beds ;  some  of  which 
have  been  worked  for  many  years.  Charles 
Ames  opened  the  first  coal  mine.  Heagy  and 
Stoddard,  and  Taylor  Williams  operated 
quite  extensively  in  coal  on  sections  15,  16 
and  22,  where  was  located  the  mining  town 
of  Happy  Hollow,  now  extinct,  having  at  one 
time  a  population  of  1,000  hard  working,  busy 
people.  A  railroad  connecting  these  mines 
with  the  Western  Union  Railway,  now  the 
C,  M.  &  St.  P.,  at  Watertown,  was  built  in 
the  winter  of  1872  and  1873.  Taylor  Wil- 
liams and  H.  M.  Gilchrist  &  Co.,  operated  in 


100 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


coal  at  Rapids  City;  Samuel  Hdwies.  I).  G. 
Porter  and  Silvis  Bros,  operating  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  township. 

Joel  Thomp.son  was  the  first  postmaster, 
and  received  his  appointment  in  the  winter 
of  1837.  Lucius  Wells  taught  the  first  school, . 
in  a  log  cabin,  in  1833  and  1834.  Elihu 
Wells  was  the  first  teacher  under  the  school 
laws. 

In  the  years  of  1833  and  1834,  Henry  Mc- 
Neal  furnished  all  the  wood  for  the  Mississ- 
ippi River  steamboats  above  the  DesMoines 
rapids,  and  for  forty  years  thereafter  Hamp- 
ton was  one  of  the  principal  points  for 
furnishing  coal  and  wood  to  the  river  steam- 
ers. Henry  McNeal  owned  the  first  tax 
receipt  issued  in  Rock  Island  County  for 
taxes  paid.  Hampton  Township  is  well 
supplied  with  railroads:  Chicago,  Rock  Island 
&  Pacifie;  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul; 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy,  and  the 
Davenport,  Rock  Island  &  Northwestern 
traversing  her  territory. 

VILLAGE  OF  RAPIDS  CITY. 

Rapids  City  was  surveyed  and  laid  out  in 
1838.  About  1833  a  grist  mill  was  built  by 
the  Wells  Brothers;  a  saw  mill  Ijeing  subse- 
quently added.  Another  grist  and  saw  mill 
was  built  by  Joseph  Cox  in  1838.  A  Mr. 
Runkle  and  a  Mr.  Blanchard  sold  the  first 
goods.  Joseph  Garnett,  the  first  blacksmith 
shop  in  1847.  Henry  S.  Shurtliff  started  a 
regular  grocery  store  in  1855,  and  afterwards 
added  dry  goods.  In  1857  E.  M.  Prudens 
started  a  general  merchandise  store. 

August  12,  1875,  the  county  court,  after 
canvassing  the  votes  of  an  election  called  and 
appointed  prior,  to  vote  on  village  organiza- 
tion— the  residt  of  which  was  forty-six  votes 
for  organization  and  one  vote  against — the 
court  decreed  the  Village  of  Rapids  City  to 
be  incorporated.  It  is  situated  on  the 
Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway. 


TIPPECANOE. 

Tippecanoe  Milage  was  platted  and  filed 
for  record  the  2d  day  of  September,  1839; 
the  formality  of  going  through  the  necessary 
forms  of  recording  was  done,  and  on  February 
18,  1840,  was  approved  by  the  county  com- 
missioners. The  plat  was  six  blocks  long  an 
two  and  one-half  blocks  wide;  recorded  by 
Joseph  Cox,  Samuel  Cox  and  David  Jennings 
the  17th  day  of  February,  1840.  It  was  ■ 
located  between  Rapids  City  and  Hampton, 
on  the  Mississippi  River,  about  o])]iosite 
Sycamore  Chain.  A  very  few  people  know  of 
its  ever  having  had  an  existence.  It  evi- 
dently was  a  paper  town. 

VILLAGE  OF  HAMPTON. 

The  Village  of  Hampton,  in  Hampton 
Township,  was  surveyed  and  platted  soon 
after  the  organization  of  Rock  Island  County. 
Among  the  earliest  business  men  were  Joel 
Thompson,  Alonzo  P.  Clapp,  Dower  and 
Hammond,  Samuel  and  David  Lambert,  M. 
W.  Wright  and  Francis  Black,  followed  by 
L.  F.  Baker,  H.  F.  Thomas,  H.  O.  Norton, 
Dr.  George  Vincent,  S.  L.  Brettun,  and  Wm. 
B.  Webster.  The  first  postoffice  was  estab- 
lished in  the  winter  of  1837,  Joel  Thompson 
being  commissioned  postmaster,  followed  by 
Francis  Black,  Samuel  Heagy  and  L.  F 
Baker.  From  the  earliest  settlement  Hamp- 
ton was  one  of  the  principal  points  for  sup- 
plies for  the  farmers  in  the  upper  end  of  the 
county,  and  even  considerable  territory  in 
Henry  County.  Here  they  brought  their 
grain  and  sold  their  pork,  which  was  packed 
by  M.  W.  Wright  and  Francis  Black,  and 
shipped  down  the  river  by  the  steamboats. 
In  after  years  the  coal  interests  were  the 
principal  business  reliance;  Heagy  and  Stod- 
dard and  Taylor  Williams  being  extensive 
operators.  In  1884  Heagy  and  Stoddard  were 
succeeded  by  the  Northern  Mining  &  Railway 
Company,  who  ceased  operations  about  fifteen 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


101 


years  ago.  The  educational  interests  of  the 
village  are  well  attended  to,  having  a  good 
school  house  and  good  instructors. 

The  oldest  person  liorn  in  the  township,  if 
not  in  the  county,  now  living,  is  George 
McNeal,  who  was  born  in  1834  in  a  log  cabin 
which  stood  just  south  of  the  town  hall  in  the 
same  block  in  which  he  now  resides. 

The  assessors'  plats  show  there  exists  in  the 
Village  of  Hampton,  an  old  village  called 
Milan,  which  was  platted  in  1837.  The  plat 
showing  about  thirty  blocks.  In  this  dis- 
trict at  the  present  time  are  only  four  or  five 
houses.  In  that  year  the  postoffice  depart- 
ment at  Washington,  D.  C,  was  petitioned 
for  a  postoffice  at  this  place  to  be  called 
Milan.  There  being  a  postoffice  of  that  name 
already  in  the  state,  the  department  estab- 
lished the  postoffice  under  the  name  of 
Hampton,  from  which  name  the  township 
and  village  derive  their  names. 

BARSTOW. 

Barstow  is  not  an  incorporated  village. 
When  the  Sterling  branch  of  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  A:  Quincy  Railfoad  was  com- 
pleted through  Hampton  Township,  a  station 
was  established  on  land  owned  by  Joel  G. 
Franklin,  and  named  Franklin  Crossing,  a 
postoffice  being  soon  after  established  and 
given  the  same  name  as  the  railroad  station, 
and  Mr.  Franklin  being  commissioned  its 
first  postmaster. 

When  the  main  line  of  the  railroad  was  run 
to  this  place,  the  name  was  changed  to 
Barstow,  and  shortly  afterwards  the  name  of 
the  postoffice  was  likewise  changed.  A  large 
transfer  in  mail,  passenger  and  freight  busi- 
ness is  done  here,  to  and  from  the  Sterling 
branch,  and  despatched  and  received  to  and 
from  the  main  lines  to  St.  Paul  and  St.  Louis. 
The  village  now  comprises  about  twenty-five 
buildings  and  houses,  an  eating  house,  depot, 
restaurant,  a  general  store,  blacksmith  shop, 
school  house  and  postoffice. 


VILLAGE  OF  WATERTOWN 

Is  located  in  Hampton  Township,  and  was 
platted  in  1857.  The  first  store  was  started 
that  year  by  Lucius  Curtis,  who  became  the 
first  postmaster.  The  Western  Illinois  Hos- 
pital for  the  Insane  is  located  there.  On  the 
14th  day  of  March,  1905,  fifty-one  legal  voters  _ 
of  a  district  prescribed,  petitioned  the  county 
court  for  the  organization  of  the  Village  of 
Watertown.  The  15th  day  of  April,  1905, 
was  set  apart  for  an  election  t<.)  be  held  at  the 
M.  W.  A.  hall  to  vote  for  or  against  village 
organization;  the  result  being  sixteen  votes 
for     incorporation     and     forty-four    against. 

April  24,  1905,  another  petition  was  pre- 
sented to  the  county  coiu't  by  forty-five 
petitioners  for  village  organization  and  an 
election  day  appointed  for  the  13th  day  of 
May,  1905;  the  result  being  sixty  votes  for 
village  organization  and  thirty-eight  votes 
against  organization. 

An  election  held  the  17th  day  of  June, 
1905,  for  village  trustees,  resulted  in  the 
election  of  Frank  H.  Sovey,  John  Rah,  Henry 
C.  McNeal  and  David  Y.  AUsbrow.  A  tie 
vote  occurring  of  forty-nine  votes  for  Eric 
Bowman  and  Henry  Hillberg.  Each  came 
into  court  on  the  23d  day  of  Jvme,  1905,  and 
agreed  to  decide  by  lot.  One  of  the  officers 
of  the  court  was  blindfolded,  two  slips  of 
paper  with  each  candidates  names  written 
thereon  were  placed  in  a  hat,  and  the  officer 
drawing  therefrom,  Eric  Bowman  was  de- 
clared elected  the  si.xth  trustee. 

VILLAGE  OF  CABBON  CLIFF 

The  village  of  Carbon  Cliff  lies  in  the  south 
part  of  Hampton  Township,  and  is  principally 
noted  for  its  pottery  and  tile  works. 

November  13,  1906,  thirty-seven  legal 
voters  of  Hampton  Township,  desiring  village 
incorporation,  petitioned  the  county  court 
for  same.  The  court  ordered  an  election  to 
be  held  on  the  8th  day  of  December,  1906, 
for  or  against  village  organization,  the  elec- 


102 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


tioii  to  be  held  at  Hennegan's  store.  The 
result  of  said  election  was  fifty-five  votes  for 
village  organization  and  twenty-eight  votes 
against  same.  An  order  was  issued  calling 
for  an  election  for  six  trustees  of  the  village 
the  12th  of  January,  1907.  W.  R.  Carey, 
William  Gearhardt,  J.  A.  Hennegan,  Clans  F. 
'Hansen,  R.  X.  O'Donnell  and  P.  N.  Hennegan 
being  elected. 

TOWNS  OF  ROCK  ISLAND  AND  MOILNE 

A  history  of  the  towns  of  Rock  Island  and 
Moline  would  apparently  be  similar  and 
coincident  to  the  history  of  the  cities  of  Rock 
Island  and  Moline,  the  two  towns  being  the 
corporate  limits  of  the  two  cities.  The  date 
of  the  formation  of  these  two  townships  is 
noted  in  Township  Organization. 

SOUTH  MOLINE  TOWNSHIP 

Was  organized  as  a  town  March  14,  1879. 
It  comprises  all  the  territor}^  originally  in 
Moline  Township,  lying  south  and  east  of  the 
corporate  limits  of  the  City  of  Moline.  The 
history  of  the  township,  with  the  exception 
of  its  e.xtreme  eastern  portion  is  so  strongly 
interwoven  with  Moline,  it  is  hard  to  draw  a 
historical  line.  Among  its  earliest  settlers 
were  David  Sears,  Charles  Atkinson,  Joseph 
Danforth,  Joel  W^ells  and  Huntington  Wells. 

VILLAGE  OF  SILVIS. 

November  14,  1906,  thirty-six  petitioners 
representing  over  300  resident  popidation, 
jjetitioned  the  coimty  court  of  Rock  Island 
County,  Illinois,  for  the  organization  of  the 
Village  of  Silvis.  An  election  was  ordered  to 
be  held  December  1,  1906,  for  or  against 
village  organization. 

The  corporate  limits  of  said  village  to  be  as 
described  in  ]ietition,  about  two  square  miles. 
Result  of  election  was  seventy-nine  votes  for 
organization,  and  six  votes  against.  An 
election  for  six  trustees  was  held  January  12, 
1907.  R.  Walsh,  J.  W.  Pike,  James  Shannon, 
Wm.  Emniert,  F.  J.  Ball  and  Herbert  Love 


being  elected.  The  general  railroad  sho]w  of 
the  C,  R.  I.  &  P.  R.  R.  are  located  here 
em])loying  from  1,.500  to  2,000  men. 

VILLAGE  OF  EAST  MOLINE. 

On  the  22d  day  of  November,  1902,  forty- 
two  legal  voters  of  the  district  petitioned  the 
county  court  for  the  organization  under  the 
general  law,  of  a  village  to  be  named  the 
Village  of  East  Moline.  The  20th  day  of 
December  was  appointed  as  an  election  day 
to  vote  for  or  against  village  organization; 
election  to  be  held  at  John  Deere  school 
building.  The  result  of  said  election  was 
forty-seven  votes  for  organization  and  seven 
votes  against.  December  2.3,  1902,  the  votes 
were  canvassed  by  the  judge  of  the  county 
court  and  two  justices  of  the  peace,  and 
announced  and  adjudged  for  village  organiza- 
tion. 

January  17,  1903,  Andrew  L.  Mills,  Thomas 
J.  Gorman,  Albert  E.  Bergholtz,  Frank  E. 
Palmer,  August  G.  Schipper  and  James  B. 
Hock  were  elected  trustees. 

This  is  a  rapidly  growing  village,  and  famous 
for  its  number  of  manufactories.  At  present 
the  village  is  unable  to  accommodate  the 
hundreds  of  working  men  who  are  employed 
there  and  at  Silvis,  a  few  miles  above,  and 
where  the  Rock  Island  shops  are  located. 
The  employees  of  the  gigantic  shops  are  com- 
pelled to  live  in  Rock  Island,  Moline  and 
Davenport,  for  the  most  part  owing  to  the 
fact  that  not  a  sufficient  number  of  houses 
have  been  erected  for  their  occupancy. 

East  Moline  was  incorporated  as  a  village 
December  23,  1902.  It  is  situated  in  South 
Moline  Township,  seven  miles  east  of  Rock 
Island,  and  four  miles  east  of  Moline. 

The  Rock  Island  System,  the  C,  M.  &  St. 
P.,  the  D.,  R.  I.  A  N.  W^  Railroads  and  the 
Mississippi  Valley  Traction  Company  electric 
line  enter  the  village. 

This  village  offers  unprecedented  oppor- 
tunities for  investment  and  factory  locations. 
The     population     is   now     about      600.       It 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


103 


has  telegraph,  express  and  telephone    facili- 
ties. 

The  village  of  East  Moline  was  incorporated 
as  a  city  in  January,  1907. 

COALTOWN. 

What  was  considered  old  Coaltown  was 
more  of  a  locality  than  a  village,  embracing 
a  territory  contingent  to  numerous  coal 
mines  in  the  southeast  portion  of  the  present 
township  of  Hampton  and  a  small  part  of 
South  Moline  Township,  and  a  very  active 
locality  it  was  in  the  early  days.  At  one 
point  where  Samuel  Bowles,  who  came  to  this 
county  in  1835,  discovered  the  first  coal  bed 
in  this  vicinity,  and  at  one  time  built  a  church 
there.  The  vicinity  was  called  Bowlesburg; 
another  vicinity  Tinkerville.  The  Silvis 
mines  are  still  running,  and  a  branch  of  the 
D.,  R.  I.  &  N.  W.  Railway  run  there. 

SOUTH    ROCK    ISLAND    TOWNSHIP. 

The  township  extends  south  from  the  cor- 
porate limits  of  the  City  of  Rock  Island  to 
the  north  shore  of  the  Rock  River.  This 
township  is  exceedingly  productive  of  agri- 
cultural products.  Its  chief  distinction  lies 
in  its  jjhenomenal  growth.  From  a  mere 
pasture,  hills  and  farm  lands  it  has  developed 
into  one  of  the  most  desirable  residence 
portions  of  Rock  Island  County.  The  prin- 
cipal place  of  interest  is  the  noted  Black 
Hawk's  Watch  Tower,  which  at  the  present 
time  is  quite  a  summer  resort.  From  this 
tower  Black  Hawk  kept  watch  for  his  ene- 
mies, either  red  or  white. 

There  are  few  locations,  if  any,  in  the 
great  northwest,  that  will  compare  with  it  in 
natural  beauty  of  scenery.  Black  Hawk's 
Watch  Tower  is  a  prominent  point  of  ground, 
rising  almost  perpendicularly  some  two 
hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Rock 
River;  and  from  its  summit  one  can  look  out 
over  miles  and  miles  of  pastoral  beauty,  and 
seventeen  miles  of  the  Rock  River  Valley. 


ROCK  ISLAND  CITY 

Was  located  opposite  the  western  end  of 
Vandruff's  Island,  on  the  north  shore  of  the 
Rock  River,  taking  in  the  site  of  the  old 
Sac  Indian  village.  It  was  eighteen  blocks 
long,  running  north  from  the  river,  and  east 
and  west  nine  blocks.  It  was  platted  and 
accepted  by  the  County  Commissioners  July 
20,  1836,  and  recorded  July  22,  1836.  A 
beautiful  paper  city. 

VILLAGE  OF  SEARS 

Is  located  in  the  Town  of  South  Rock  Isl- 
and. Forty-three  legal  voters  of  South  Rock 
Island  petitioned  the  County  Court  to  have 
the  privilege  of  voting  on  the  incorporation 
of  the  Village  of  Sears,  under  the  general 
law;  petitioners  describing  bounds  and  affirm- 
ing the  district  contained  a  population  of  350. 

May  3,  1894,  an  election  was  held  for  or 
against  incorporation,  resulting  in  fifty-three 
votes  for  organization,  and  six  votes  against. 
May  26,  1894,  the  following  six  trustees  were 
elected:  C.  H.  Dibbern,  John  E.  Breen,  B. 
Patterson,  J.  McCarty,  J.  F.  Mead  and  E.  D. 
Fisher. 

BLACK  HAWK  TOWNSHIP 

Derives  its  name  from  the  noted  chief  of 
the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians,  who  for  many  years 
had  his  home  within  the  present  limits  of 
South  Rock  Island  Township. 

This  township  originally  was  full  six  miles 
square,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  hundred 
acres  cut  off  from  the  northwest  corner  by 
the  Mississippi  River,  and  with  Rock  River 
flowing  from  the  east  nearly  through  its 
center.  Afterwards  the  township  was  divided 
and  Rock  River  became  the  northerly  line  of 
Black  Hawk  Township,  and  that  part  of  the 
original  township  north  of  the  river  was 
named  South  Rock  Island  Township. 

The  first  marriage  license  in  the  township 
was  issued  on  August  22,  1833,  to  Benjamin 
Goble  and  Barbara  Vandruff,  both  now 
asleep   in   the  beautiful   Chippiannock  Ceme- 


104 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


tery.     They    lived    for    many    years    on    Big 
Island. 

Joshua  Vandruff  was  an  early  pioneer  and 
lived  on  what  was  then  called  Lowell  Island. 
His  sons,  Joshua.  Jr..  John,  Henry,  Jacob  and 
James,  all  had  farms  on  Big  Island,  where 
they  lived  for  many  years.  Other  early 
settlers  in  the  township  were  William  Dick- 
son and  Col.  John  Dickson,  the  latter  for 
many  years  justice  of  the  peace;  James 
Johnston,  G.  W.  Heflin,  James  Dickson.  Ira 
Whitehead.  X.  D.  Bradley,  Wm.  Young, 
Daniel  Pinkley,  David  Brownlee,  Garret 
Davis,  John  BuUe}-,  Morgan  Fergurson.  A. 
L.  Buck  and  N.  Bruner. 

The  township  has  an  abundant  supply  of 
coal  and  wood  and  is  traversed  by  two  rail- 
roads— the  Chicago.  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  to 
Peoria,  and  the  Cable  and  Mercer  County 
Branch.  The  Peoria  line  was  built  in  1854. 
It  also  has  an  electric  car  line,  connecting 
Milan,  Black  Hawk's  Watch  Tower,  Rock 
Island,  Moline  and  Davenport.  The  cele- 
brated Hennepin  Canal,  connecting  the  Great 
Lakes  and  the  Mississippi  River,  is  completed 
through  this  township. 

It  also  has  one  of  the  finest  water  powers 
in  the  state  and  some  time  it  will,  no  doubt, 
be  more  largely  utilized. 

At  one  time  there  were  three  paper  mills 
on  Rock  River  and  two  large  flouring  mills, 
one  owned  bj'  James  Johnston  and  one  by 
the  Sears  company.  All  were  consumed  by 
fire. 

There  are  now  two  churches  in  this  to-UTi- 
ship  and  eight  school  houses.  No  other 
township  has  better  educational  facilities. 

Martin  Wliistler  was  the  first  merchant  to 
open  a  general  store  in  the  township. 

The  stars  and  stripes  were  first  hoisted  here 
in  the  summer  of  1805,  by  Lieutenant  Pike. 

The  first  land  entered  was  on  October  19, 
1829,  b}'  William  T.  Brasher,  covering  the 
location  now  occupied  bj^  the  cemetery. 

Black  Hawk  Township  comprises  a  section 
noted  not  onlv  for  the  beauty  of  its  landscape, 


but  also  for  being  an  exceedingly  prosperous 
farming  community.  The  bottom  land  is 
very  rich  and  produces  immense  crops  of 
corn,  hay,  jjotatoes  and  small  grain,  while  the 
finest  apples,  peaches,  grapes  and  berries  are 
raised  in  large  abundance,  and  all  find  ready 
market  close  at  hand.  It  is  not  surpassed — 
perhaps  not  equalled — by  any  other  section 
of  the  state,  or  the  great  west.  Farmers,  as 
a  rule,  are  well-to-do,  prosperous  and  happy, 
and  a  hajjpy  home  amidst  such  surround- 
ings means  an  extension  of  life.  The  south 
side  of  the  township  has  a  line  of  beautiful 
bluffs  and  are  made  practical  from  being 
underlaid  with  a  vein  of  most  excellent  coal, 
from  four  to  six  feet  thick. 

With  rich  soil,  beautiful  scenery,  cheap 
fuel,  clear  running  streams,  extensive  water 
power,  transportation  bj'  rail,  both  steam  and 
electric,  by  river  and  canal;  nearby  markets 
and  a  healthful  climate;  what  more  can  be 
desired,  and  what  is  there  lacking  to  make  it 
an  ideal  farming  communitj'? 

With  farms  paid  for,  and  carrying  an 
unquestioned  value  of  SI 00  to  §120  an  acre, 
and  with  good  health,  why  should  not  our 
farmers  be  contented  and  consequently  happy. 

LOWELL 

Was  located  on  the  north  shore  of  Lowell 
Island — now  Vandruff's  Island.  It  was  sur- 
veyed in  June,  1844,  and  plat  approved  by 
count}'  commissioners  the  second  of  Sep- 
tember, 1844,  and  filed  of  record  the  16th  of 
October,  1844.  The  plat  was  executed  for 
Joshua  VandrufT,  Zadoc  Kalbaugh  and 
Thomas  Patterson,  and  was  four  blocks  long, 
east  and  west,  and  three  blocks  wide,  facing 
north  on  the  main  branch  of  the  Rock  River, 
about  where  the  first  present  north  wagon 
bridge  crosses  the  river.  Regularly  named 
streets  were  Kalbaugh.  Patterson  and  Mill 
running  north  to  the  dam.  Lemuel  Andrews 
kept  the  first  store.  It  was  short  lived.  An 
old  canal  was  built  here  in  the  early  forties, 
to  surmount  the  Rock  River  rapids;  for  the 


HISTORIC     ROC  K     I  S L A N D     C 0 U N T Y 


105 


construction  of  which  the  government  appro- 
priated $100,000  in  gold.  Foot  prints  still 
show  where  it  existed. 

VILLACK  OF  .MILAN. 

On  the  south  shore  of  Rock  River,  in 
Black  Hawk  Townshi]),  stands  Milan,  deriv- 
ing a  thrifty  trade  from  her  adjacent  farming 
country.  Cheap  coal  and  abundant  water 
power  make  ililan  essentially  a  manufactur- 
ing point,  though  sad  to  relate,  a  nemises  has 
aj)i«irently  ]>ursued  every  establishment  ever 
erect eil  there. 

Milan  was  originally  called  Camden,  and 
was  laid  out  by  William  Dickson  in  1843.  In 
1848  the  name  was  changed  to  Camden  Mills, 
on  account  of  there  being  another  Camden  in 
ychuyler  Count)'.  In  1S70  the  name  was 
changed  to  Milan.  The  ])Iace  was  incor- 
porated as  a  village  in  1865. 

When  white  settlers  first  arrived  here,  the 
famous  Sac  village  of  Black  Hawk  stood  on 
the  op])osite  side  of  the  river.  A  colony  of 
Kickapoos  occupied  the  south  shore  below 
the  town.  In  1828  Rinnah  Wells  came  here 
and  .settled  among  the  Indians,  who  did  not 
leave  their  village  till  1S31.  Joshua  \an- 
druff  came  the  year  following.  For  two  or 
three  years  these  pioneers  and  Indians  lived 
together,  and  had  their  friendly  intercourse 
and  their  disputes  and  qiiarrels.  Mr.  A'an- 
druff  built  where  Sears'  Mill  now  is,  and  lived 
there  until  he  built  his  house  on  the  island 
which  bears  his  name,  and  where  he  died 
and  was  buried  about  1859.  Hi.s  remains 
were  afterwards  taken  up  and  removed  to 
Chippiannock  Cemetery.  Mr.  Wells  died 
suddenly  in  1852,  being  fouiul  dead  in  his 
buggy  on  the  road. 

William  Dickson,  the  founder  of  the  town, 
was  the  father  of  Colonel  George  Dicksdu. 
for  many  years  justice  of  the  peace  in  Milan. 
He  was  born  in  Newburg,  N.  Y.,  March  27, 
1783.  His  father  was  a  Captain  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.  His  grandfather  and 
grandmother  were  murdered   by  the  Indians 


and  Butler's  Rangers  in  the  famous  Cherry 
Valley  massacre.  After  the  Revolution  the 
father  of  William  Dickson  moved  to  West- 
moreland County,Pennsylvania, where  William 
was  brought  up  till  he  was  eighteen,  when  he 
moved  to  a  farm  in  Erie  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, near  the  shore  of  Lake  Erie.  Here  he 
was  married  and  became  quite  a  noted  man 
of  his  time,  being  at  one  time  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Canal  Commissioners  of  the 
State  of  Pennsylvania.  He  raised  a  family 
of  nine  children,  seven  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters. In  the  sjiring  of  1S34  he  visited  this 
portion  of  Illinois  on  horseback,  and  returned 
home  in  the  fall.  In  1836  he  returned  here, 
and  was  one  of  the  ])roprietors  of  the  famous 
' '  Rock  Island  City  ''  scheme.  In  the  spring 
of  1837  he  brought  his  family  here,  and 
resided  on  the  site  of  the  old  Sac  town  till 
1S67,  when  he  sold  to  D.  B.  Sears  and  moved 
to  Milan,  where  he  died  NovemI)er  25,  1869. 

Colonel  John  Dickson  was  born  in  Erie 
County,  Pennsylvania,  February  6,  1813,  and 
came  to  Milan  in  1844. 

The  Dickson  and  Brunot  Flouring  Mill  was 
built  in  1843  by  James  Dickson  and  Felix  R. 
Brunot.  In  1846  Howard  and  Weeks  biult 
a  saw  mill  just  below  the  above.  In  1848  it 
was  converted  into  a  flouring  mill  and  carding 
machine  by  James  Dickson  and  N.  D.  Brad- 
ley. In  1843  Joshua  \'andr\iff  and  Zadoc 
Calbaugh  built  a  saw  and  flouring  mill  at  the 
north  end  of  the  dam  on  Vandruff's  Island. 
The  flouring  mill  was  struck  by  lightning  and 
l)urned  in  1857;  the  saw  mill  became  delapi- 
dated  and  fell  into  disuse,  and  finally  rotted 
down  about  1870. 

Today  Milan  has  no  manufactories  to  speak 
of,  and  serves  simply  as  a  village  trading 
point  for  the  farming  community.  The  glory 
of  her  earlier  days,  the  immense  in\-estments 
and  the  rugged  ami  acti\-e  life  which  once 
made  for  Milan  a  rejnitation  long  to  be 
remembered,  the  factories  and  shops  which 
once  represented   upwards   of  a   million   and 


106 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


a-half  of  dollars — all  have  become  a  memory 
and  constitute  a  ground  for  reminiscence  only. 

COAL    VALLEY    TOWNSHIP    AND 
VILLAGE. 

Coal  Valley  dates  its  staple  history  from  the 
spring  of  1857.  Large  deposits  of  coal  in 
the  vicinity,  and  the  opening  of  mines,  fixed 
its  location.  The  first  small  coal  mine  was 
known  as  the  "Bailey  Coal  Bank.'' 

In  1856  Ben  Harper.  S.  S.  Guyer  and 
David  Hakes  acquired  a  large  tract  of  land 
containing  large  deposits  of  coal ;  thej-  organ- 
ized a  company  to  mine  coal  and  construct  a 
railroad  to  get  it  to  market — the  railroad 
being  completed  from  Coal  ^^alley  to  Rock 
Island  in  October,  1857.  The  first  coal 
loaded  on  a  railway  car  at  the  Valley  was 
handled  by  Robert  Lee,  afterwards  super- 
intendent of  the  mines  of  the  Coal  Valley 
Mining  Company  at  Coal  Willej',  Cable  and 
Sherrard;  and  considered  one  of  the  best  coal 
mine  experts  in  the  state.  At  present  he  is 
resting  on  the  laurels  of  a  good  honest  bus}^ 
life. 

Opening  the  mines  gave  a  strong  impetus 
to  the  new  town.  The  first  business  house 
was  a  general  store,  owned  by  Mr.  Herrick; 
afterwards  by  Bailey  and  Boyle,  then  by 
Cable,  Lee  and  Bardsley.  The  building  is 
quite  a  landmark.  The  first  physician  to 
locate  was  Dr.  Thomas  Martin,  coming  from 
Camden  Mills.  The  first  meat  market  by 
Mr.  Grantz,  then  by  Thomas  Corns,  who 
came  from  Camden  Mills  and  to  Rock  Island 
Count}-  in  ISoI.  The  first  lumber  j-ard  was 
owned  bj-  Frederick  Wej-erhaeuser,  the  great 
lumber  and  timber  king. 

The  first  blacksmith  was  David  Rowland, 
who  was  assisted  by  INIurt}'  Connor. 

The  first  carpenters  and  builders  were  John 
Petty,  William  Myers  and  Richard  and  P. 
Callahan. 

The  first  hotel  was  kept  by  L.  Evans,  and 
called  the  Coal  \'alley  House. 


The  first  brick  were  manufactured  by  John 
T.  Hass. 

About  1859  Philander  L.  Cable  of  Rock 
Island  purchased  an  interest  in  the  mines  of 
Harper,  Guyer  i^-  Hakes,  and  later  acquired 
entire  control,  with  R.  R.  Cable  an  interest. 
The  Cables  never  having  any  trouble  witlt  the 
miners;  helping  them  to  get  their  homes;  and 
it  is  understood,  dividing  with  them  the 
market  price  of  coal — one-third  to  the  firm.- 
one-third  to  the  railroad  and  one-third  to  the 
miners;  which  would  seem  mutually  equitable 
and  just.  The  first  shoemaker  was  Peter 
Schroeder,  a  German.  The  first  settlers  in 
the  Valley  were  largely  foreigners — Welch. 
English,  German  and  Irish;  but  a  more 
hospitable  community  was  never  known. 
Latch  strings  of  all  the  homes  were  always 
on  the  outside.  The  first  mail  to  Coal 
Valley  was  by  stage.  Mr.  Dack  of  Rock 
Island  was  carrier.  Mail  was  received  once 
a  week.  The  first  postoffice  was  kept  in 
what  is  now  J.  K.  Stenstrom's  shoe  store. 
The  first  postmaster  was  Thomas  Jones,  who 
was  also  mine  boss  for  Hakes,  Guj-er  &  Harper. 
After  the  railway  was  built  the  mail  was 
brought  twice  a  week,  then  three  times  a 
week,  and  in  the  early  sixties  became  dail}-. 
At  one  time  Frederick  Weyerhaeuser  was 
postmaster;  the  present  incumbent  being 
Thomas  J.  Murphy,  who  has  filled  the  position 
for  ten  years. 

The  Coal  \'alley  Mining  Company's  mines 
being  nearly  exhatisted,  the  company  sought 
a  new  field  at  Cable,  .\fter  the  removal  of 
the  company  from  the  "\'alley,  a  number  of 
other  mines  were  opened  by  the  Black 
Diamond  Coal  Company;  John  J.  Pryce  and 
others.  There  is  a  vast  field  of  coal,  within 
a  radius  of  two  miles  of  the  town;  the  owners 
of  which  are  the  Guinty  heirs,  the  Hillier 
heirs,  Robert  8ommerson,  Thomas  Lees,  the 
Black  Diamond  Coal  Company,  Dr.  W.  F. 
Myers    and  the  Banner  Coal  Company. 

Besides  the  coal  mines  the\-  have  a  fine 
farming  country;  merchants  of  all  kinds;  a 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


107 


grain  elevator;  two  large  general  stores;  two 
meat  markets;  grocery  stores;  two  black- 
smith shops;  shoe  store;  drug  store;  barber 
shop;  restaurant;  livery  and  feed  stable; 
brick  yard;  and  all  to  make  up  a  flourishing 
wide  awake  community. 

RURAL  TOWNSHIP. 

The  first  settlers  of  Rural,  which  formerly 
formed  part  of  Coal  Valley  Township,  were 
Thomas  and  Davis  Goodlow,  brothers,  who 
built  the  first  house  on  section  29.  John 
Farlow  being  the  second,  who  came  from 
Pre-emption  Township,  at  which  place  he 
was  the  first  settler.  He  built  the  small  house 
on  section  30  of  this  township.  The  first 
child  born  was  a  son  of  John  Farlow,  in  1839. 
The  first  marriage  was  that  of  David  Good- 
low  and  Nancy  Farlow.  Before  the  j-ear 
1840  the  following  persons  came  to  this 
township:  A.  L.  and  A.  N.  Sayre,  J.  M. 
Wilson,  Capt.  J.  A.  Jordan  and  Daniel  \'alen- 
tine.  Capt.  Jordan  and  Mr.  Valentine  lived 
just  over  the  line  in  Pre-emption,  but  most 
of  their  land  being  in  Rural  they  finally  Ijuilt 
in  this  township.  The  first  school  was  taught 
by  Seth  Trego,  in  a  private  house.  The  first 
school  house  was  built  in  1846,  by  contribu- 
tions from  the  following  persons:  Capt.  J. 
A.  Jordan,  Albert  N.,  Alonzo  S.  and  j\I.  Sayre, 
J.  M.  Wilson,  Daniel  Valentine  and  William 
Crist.  These  persons  also  contriljuted  money 
to  secure  the  first  teacher,  Mr.  Shedd. 

Robert  Middleham,  Patrick  Campbell, 
Henrj^  Brown,  Charles  Wilkinson,  Jlichael 
Ballman,  Philip  Deal  and  Alexander  Cordon, 
all  of  whom  had  families,  arrived  in  what  is 
now  known  as  Rural  Townshij),  about  the 
year  1848.  At  that  time  the  nearest  habita- 
tion was  six  miles,  at  Milan  (Camden  Mills  at 
that  time.)  Rock  Island  then  was  the  nearest 
postoffice. 

Alexander  Bailey,  who  won  the  appellation 
of  "Old  Satan"  among  his  neighbors,  was 
also  among  the  early  Rural  settlers.  He 
scjuatted  on  and  held  the  southwest  corner  of 


section  1.  His  place  was  soon  known  as 
"Satan's  Kingdom,"  and  even  to  this  day 
the  land  he  held  as  a  squatter  is  called  ' '  The 
Kingdom." 

In  1850  Francis  Baile}'  settled  on  a  farm 
in  section  ll,  and  soon  thereafter  a  school 
house  was  built  on  his  land,  which  is  still 
known  as  the  Bailey  School  House. 

In  1851  William  and  Charles  Bailey,  with 
their  families,  lived  in  the  only  log  house  in 
what  is  now  Coal  Valley. 

John  C.  Bailey  relates  that  when  he  arrived 
in  Rock  Island,  in  1849,  that  he  labored  for 
$4.00  per  month  and  got  a  grocery  order  for 
pay.  The  family  settled  in  Rural  Township 
in  1851.  They  broke  prairie  for  several 
years  with  oxen  of  from  four  to  six  to  a 
plow.  Upon  one  occassion  they  broke  forty 
acres  of  ground  for  a  neighbor  and  received 
as  remuneration  the  munificent  sum  of  .$80.00 
all  in  silver  50  cent  jiieces.  At  another  time 
they  liroke  a  like  number  of  acres  for  the 
same  money  and  considered  that  they  were 
making  money  rapidh'. 

BOWLING  TOWNSHIP. 

Bowling  Township  is  botmded  by  Rural  on 
the  east,  Edgington  on  the  west,  north  by 
Black  Hawk  and  south  b}-  Mercer  County. 
The  country  is  quite  rolling,  with  splendid 
farms,  and  plenty  of  timber  land  and  prairie. 
The  first  settlers  were  Mr.  Bowling,  John 
Tyndall,  William  Tyndall  and  Edmond  Crop- 
per, in  1838.  William  Tyndall  came  to  the 
county  in  1835,  living  in  Stephenson  over  two 
years.  In  1841  James,  David  and  John 
Clarke  and  John  Johnston  and  Christopher 
Armstrong — all  from  Ireland — formed  the 
next  settlement,  known  as  the  Clarke  settle- 
ment, in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  town- 
ship. Curtiss  McKnight  settled  soon  after. 
The  first  school  was  held  about  1844  or  1845, 
in  a  small  frame  house  on  section  26. 

EDGINGTON  TOWNSHIP 

This  is  one  of  the  oldest  settlements  in  the 
county.     Three  score  and  ten  years  have  gone 


108 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


into  the  past  since  the  first  white  settlers  set 
foot  upon  its  soil. 

The  first  white  children  born  here  are  now 
among  the  old  men  ami  women  of  our  times. 
They  are  the  Dunlaps,  Edgingtons,  Titter- 
ingtons,  Montgomeries,  Parks,  Parmenters 
and  Eberharts.  Only  a  few  of  them  reside 
here  now  to  tell  the  story  of  their  childhood 
days.  Many  have  removed  to  other  parts  of 
the  globe,  and  some  have  passed  the  bourne 
whence  none  return,  and  so  the  name  of 
Edgington  has  now  a  halo  of  sacredness 
about  it. 

The  pioneers  have  all  passed  aw-ay,  and  the 
old  homes  are  inhabited  by  members  of  the 
old  families  or  strangers. 

The  first  settlers  were  James  Robison, 
Joseph  Dunlap  and  Daniel  Edgington.  It 
was  in  the  summer  of  1834,  when  Andrew 
Jackson  was  president,  and  the  State  of 
Illinois  had  attained  the  age  of  sixteen  years, 
that  they  planted  homestead  stakes.  Robi- 
son moved  up  from  Warren  Count}',  Illinois, 
and  Dunlap  and  Edgington  came  prospecting 
from  Steubenville,  Ohio.  Immigrants  came 
overland  in  wagons,  or  down  the  Ohio  and 
up  the  Mississippi  by  steamboat.  Pros- 
pectors came  mostly  on  horseback.  Robison 
and  Dunlap  located  on  section  5  and  Edging- 
ton on  section  6.  On  each  section  good 
springs  of  water  were  found.  Where  Jacob 
L.  Harris  now  lives,  James  Robison  built  his 
cabin,  and  returned  for  his  family  that  same 
fall. 

About  the  center  of  the  section,  on  the 
east  border,  Joseph  Dunlap  built  a  double 
log  house.  He  and  Edgington  returned  to 
Steubenville  and  brought  their  families. 
They  came  in  the  spring  of  1835.  Those 
three  cabins  formed  a  sort  of  triangle,  with 
a  path  leading  from  one  to  the  other.  Such 
was  the  beginning  of  the  settlement  of 
Edgington  Township. 

George  W.  Kell  and  Henry  Eberhart  and 
familj-,  came  in  the  spring  of  1835.  Charles 
Eberhart  and  family,  John  Titterington  and 


family,  with  Moses  and  Charles  Titterington, 
came  in  the  fall  of  1835.  The  Eberharts 
coming  from  New  Jersey  and  the  Tittering- 
tons  from  Ohio. 

In  1836  B.  McNutt  and  family  from  Ohio, 
William  Snell  and  family  from  Mississippi, 
Daniel  Montgomery  from  Pennsylvania.  Soon 
after  came  Alexander  Hazlitt  and  family, 
W.  D.  Hatton,  Parley  Laflin  and  family, 
Joseph  Asquith  and  family.  In  1838  George 
Parmenter,  Allen  Parmenter.  Lorenzo  Par- 
menter,  Seth  Parmenter,  H,  H.  Parks,  A.  J.- 
Webster and  Timothy  Dulton  increased  the 
settlement. 

Daniel  Edgington  was  the  first  justice  of 
the  peace.  The  business  of  the  justice  was 
not  very  onerous  in  those  days.  Squire 
Edgington,  however,  had  the  honor  of  per- 
forming the  first  marriage  ceremony  that  was 
solemnized;  the  parties  united  by  him  were 
John  P.  Cooper  and  Miss  Mina  Pace. 

The  first  school  was  taught  in  the  cabin 
home  of  Mrs.  Amanda  Cushman,  on  section 
6.  just  opposite  the  present  residence  of  Geo. 
T.   Harris.     Mrs.   Cushman  was  the  teacher. 

The  first  postoffice  was  kept  in  the  Cush- 
man home,  and  Mr,  C.  D.  Cushman  was 
postmaster.  It  was  not  against  the  law  to 
scratch  matches  on  mail  boxes,  for  there 
was  no  matches  nor  mail  boxes.  There  were 
no  postage  stamps,  no  envelopes,  no  money 
orders,  no  registering  of  letters. 

The  first  storekeeping  was  by  George  D. 
Parmenter,  in  his  own  residence  at  the  "four 
corners,"  where  the  Edgington  village  is 
located. 

The  first  and  only  grist  mill,  which  was  a 
great  thing  for  the  neighborhood,  was  con- 
structed b}'  Joseph  Dunlap,  at  his  own 
residence,  in  a  very  primitive  manner.  The 
building  was  of  logs.  Its  size  w:as  sixteen 
feet  square,  one  story.  The  burrs  were  two 
granite  boulders.  The  mill  was  run  by  horse 
power.  Its  grinding  capacity  was  about 
fifty  bushels  per  day.  To  make  a  fine  quality 
of  flour  the  bolting  was  done  by  hand  with 


//  I  ST  0  R  I  (•     U  O  ( '  A"     7  N  L  .1  X  D     CO  U  .V  T  Y 


109 


a  hair  seive.  But  the  wheat  flour  was,  for 
the  most  part,  a  first  class  quality  of  what  is 
now  called  graham.  Much  corn  meal  was 
used.  Neighbors  on  coming  to  the  mill 
usually  furnished  their  own  horse  power,  and 
did  their  own  grinding,  and  the  proprietor 
took  no  toll. 

EDGINGTON  VILLAGE 

Is  an  unincorporated  village,  situate  in  the 
Town  of  Edgington.  In  the  early  forties  and 
up  to  the  coming  of  the  railroad  it  was  quite 
a  thriving  place.  George  D.  Parmenter 
opened  the  first  store  in  1843.  in  his  house,  a 
log  cabin.  He  afterwards  built  what  was 
called  the  old  store,  selling  out  to  Isaac 
Negus  and  E.  Burrall.  The  firm  of  Negus 
&  Burrall  subsequently  built  a  larger  and 
better  building.  They  were  succeeded  by 
Charles  R.  Ainsworth,  and  he  by  Rufus 
Walker.  In  1855  Fish  &  Lee  commenced 
business  here,  afterwards  locating  in  Rock 
Island.  The  railroad  on  the  east  cut  off 
the  early  trade,  and  conditions  now  are  much 
more  quiet. 

TAYLOR  RIDGE  VILLAGE 

Is  not  incorporated.  It  is  situated  in 
Bowling  and  Edgington  Townships.  The 
Rock  Island  and  Mercer  County  Railroad  was 
completed  to  this  place  in  September,  1876, 
and  on  the  day  of  its  completion  twenty-three 
cars  of  stock  were  shipped  to  Chicago;  and 
on  the  following  day  seventeen  car  loads. 
The  village  is  surrounded  by  a  good  agricul- 
tural country.  It  was  laid  out  by  J.  L. 
Frankeberger,  a  civil  engineer  employed  on 
the  railroad,  and  contains  two  blocks  and 
twenty-four  lots,  two  stores,  a  blacksmith 
shop,  an  eating  house,  postoffice,  drug  store, 
hotel,  elevator  and  excellent  conveniences  for 
carrying  on  grain  and  stock  business.  The 
people  along  the  line  of  the  railroad  have 
shown  a  remarkable  degree  of  enterprise  and 
liberality  in  contributing  to  the  constructing 


of  this  road.  Mr.  James  Taylor  gave  the 
right  of  way  here  and  $1,000,  and  the  place 
was  named  Taylor  Ridge  in  his  honor.  The 
railroad  crosses  the  village  transversely. 

VILLAGE  OF  REYNOLDS. 

Wait  and  Walker  originally  platted  a  por- 
tion of  Section  36,  of  the  township  of  Edging- 
ton, for  a  village,  and  gave  it  the  name  of 
Reynolds,  in  honor  of  Elisha  P.  Reynolds,  the 
railroad  contractor  and  long  time  resident  of 
the  City  of  Rock  Island.  The  first  plat  con- 
tained three  blocks  of  forty  lots.  The 
village  as  at  present  is  situated  in  two  counties 
and  four  townships.  Edgington  and  Bowling 
Townships  of  Rock  Island  County,  and 
Perryton  and  Pre-emption  Townships  of 
Mercer  County.  The  Rock  Island  and 
Mercer  County  Railroad  was  completed  to 
Reynolds  October  6,  1876.  On  that  day  a 
half-mile  of  track  was  finished  by  3  o'clock 
and  at  6  o'clock  thirty-three  cars  of  stock 
were  shipped  to  Chicago.  A  glorious  day's 
result.  The  first  building  erected  was  the 
depot  building,  by  Rufus  Walker,  and  where 
was  sold  the  first  goods.  W.  D.  Goodner 
erected  the  first  hotel,  the  Commercial  House, 
in  1876.  The  first  blacksmith  was  H. 
Webster,  winter  of  1876.  The  first  harness 
maker  was  Emil  Helpenstell,  in  1877.  Joseph 
Flora  the  first  wagon  maker  in  1877.  The 
first  physician.  Dr.  F.  Stuart  in  1877.  The 
first  grain  buyers  were  Wait  &  Walker;  load- 
ing grain  directly  into  the  cars  from  the 
farmers'  wagons.  The  postoffice  was  estab- 
lished in  1876,  with  R.  B.  Olmstead  its  first 
postmaster. 

School  District  No.  7  was  formed  in  1877, 
the  first  school  being  taught  in  the  house  of 
Weaver  Kuhns  by  Miss  Jenny  Kuhns.  At 
present  they  have  a  fine  commodious  school 
house.     The  school  is  a  graded  one. 

An  election  held  at  the  bank  in  Reynolds, 
February  28,  1891,  for  village  organization, 
resulted  as  follows;  si.xty-seven  votes  being 
cast:     Thirty-three    \-()tes    for    organization, 


no 


HISTORIC     ROC  K  ■  I  S  L  A  A"  D     CO  U  N  T  Y 


and  thirty-four  votes  against  organization. 
May  17,  1894,  ui)on  petition  to  the  Cotintj- 
Court  of  thirty-one  legal  voters  of  the  district, 
June  2,  1894,  was  appointed  the  date  to  hold 
another  election  on  the  jiroposition  of  village 
organization.  Said  election  resulted,  fifty- 
six  for  incorporation,  and  twelve  against. 
July  3,  1S94.  J.  P.  Johnston,  W.  G.  Davis, 
J.  M.  Walker,  Gust  Olson,  W.  P.  Kuhns  and 
R.  P.  Wait  were  elected  village  trustees. 

TOWN  OF  ANDALUSIA. 

Andalusia  is  one  of  the  historic  towns  of 
Rock  Island  Countj-.  It  is  located  ou  the 
Mississippi  River,  about  ten  miles  west  of  the 
City  of  Rock  Island.  The  township  has 
about  six  miles  of  frontage  on  the  river,  but 
has  less  depth,  being  less  than  half  the  size 
of  a  congressional  to'WTiship.  Though  small 
in  size  it  is  one  of  the  hustling  townships  of 
the  county.  Its  historj^  dates  from  the 
earliest  settlement  of  the  country.  One  of 
the  first  settlers  was  Captain  B.  W.  Clark, 
father  of  Captain  W.  L.  Clark,  of  Buffalo, 
Scott  County,  Iowa,  now  the  oldest  living 
first  settler  in  the  State  of  Iowa. 

A  quarter  section  of  land,  which  forms  a 
part  of  the  present  town  plat  of  Andalusia, 
was  entered  by  Captain  B.  W.  Clark,  and  in 
the  fall  of  1832  he  built  a  hewn  log  house  at 
the  west  end  of  what  is  now  the  Milage  of 
Andalusia.  This  house  when  first  built  was 
the  only  one  between  that  of  Joshua  Yan- 
drufT  on  Yandruff's  Island,  at  the  foot  of 
Black  Hawk's  Watch  Tower,  and  Erastus 
Dennison's,  at  the  upper  "Yellow  Banks," 
now  New  Boston.  The  logs  used  in  Captain 
Clark's  house  at  Andalusia  are  still  doing 
good  service.  They  were  taken  down  long 
years  ago  and  hauled  across  the  river  on  the 
ice  to  the  Town  of  Buffalo,  and  at  the  jiresent 
form,  the  west  half  of  Henry  Springmeier's 
residence  at  that  place. 

The  next  house  built  here  was  on  the 
Sulphur  Springs  farm  in  the  spring  of  1834, 
by  Hackley  Sans.     The  next  was  built  by 


John  \'anaita,  during  the  fall  of  1834.  This 
was  afterwards  bought  and  occupied  by 
Jonathan  Buffum,  and  for  half  a  century  was 
known  as  the  old  BufTum  place,  now  owned 
by  A.  Hofer.  This  same  fall  Mr.  Dunlap, 
Daniel  and  John  Edgington  came  to  this  part 
of  the  new  west  and  located  lands  just  south 
of  Andalusia.  They  soon  returned  to  Ohio, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1835  chartered  a  boat 
and  brought  their  families  and  household 
goods  and  became  permanent  residents. 
The}'  also  brought  with  them  the  elder 
McXutt  and  his  son  John,  a  carpenter; 
Moses  and  Charles  Titterington  and  two  other 
brothers  and  their  families;  also  Charles  and 
Harr}'  Eberhart  and  families,  and  Adolph 
Dunlap,  a  noted  gunsmith.  James  Robison 
and  the  Parmenters  came  a  little  later. 

Clark's  Ferrj^  which  was  operated  between 
Andalusia  and  Buffalo,  became  the  most 
noted  river  crossing  above  St.  Louis.  Many 
of  the  first  settlers  of  this  section  of  the  west 
came  down  the  Ohio  River  by  boat  and  then 
up  the  Mississippi  to  Clark's  Ferry.  Many 
of  the  first  settlers  of  Scott,  Muscatine,  Cedar 
and  Linn  Counties,  Iowa,  crossed  the  river 
here.  Captain  Clark  operated  this  ferry 
until  1836.  when  he  sold  his  interests  on  this 
side  of  the  river,  including  the  ferry  to  Colonel 
Stephenson,  W.  S.  Hamilton  and  a  Mr.  White- 
side, of  Galena,  Illinois,  for  S17.000.  These 
men,  with  others,  laid  out  the  town  of 
Stephenson,  afterward  Rock  Island.  They 
also  laid  out  the  town  of  Rockport,  the  east 
side  of  which  was  Fancy  Creek,  and  the  west 
side  the  creek  on  the  west  side  of  the  Sulphur 
Springs  farm,  and  the  south  line  at  least  a 
mile  from  the  river.  They  had  it  platted  on 
paper  in  a  most  gorgeous  and  attractive 
manner  and  took  it  to  Washington,  D.  C, 
where,  it  is  said,  thej'  sold  thousands  of 
dollars  worth  of  town  lots  to  such  men  as 
Daniel  Webster,  Henry  Clark,  John  C.  Cal- 
hotm,  General  George  W.  Jones  and  other 
prominent  people,  none  of  whom  ever  saw 
the  lots.     Rockport  only  grew  on  paper  and 


HISTORIC     ROCK     I S  L  A N D     COU N T Y 


111 


finally  died  a  slow  and  easj^  death,  was  sold 
for  taxes  and  bought  up  by  Napoleon  Bona- 
parte Buford,  who  relaid  a  portion  of  it  into 
lots  and  named  the  new  town  Andalusia. 

Their  public  schools  have  the  well  earned 
reputation  for  being  amongst  the  best  in  the 
county. 

The  Memorial  Association  is  composed  of 
old  soldiers,  old  settlers  and  others.  Its 
organization  was  effected  by  the  members  of 
Alfred  Bing  Post,  G.  A.  R.  The  idea  was  to 
have  an  association  that  would  be  historical 
in  character  and  in  time,  when  the  old 
soldiers  have  all  passed  away,  would  succeed 
the  Post  in  a  way,  and  aid  in  perpetuating 
the  memories  of  war  heroes  and  also  of  the 
historic  characters  conspicuous  in  the  early 
settlement  of  the  country.  This  organization 
sets  an  example  worthy  to  be  followed  in 
other  communities. 

Captain  W.  L.  Clark,  in  his  reminiscent 
sketches,  tells  of  a  wedding  party  in  the  early 
days,  where  the  knot  was  tied  by  the  late 
Daniel  Edgington,  when  a  young  man  and 
justice  of  the  peace.  John  Cooper  and  Jane 
Fay  were  the  contracting  parties.  They 
lived  in  Buffalo,  which  was  then  in  an  unor- 
ganized territory,  so  they  came  to  Rock 
Island  County  for  a  license  and  were  married 
on  this  side  of  the  river.  The  young  justice 
had  never  performed  a  ceremony  of  this  kind 
before  and  was  more  or  less  nervous.  Thus 
it  happened  that  he  forgot  to  ask  all  the 
usual  questions  and  when  the  consent  of  the 
bride  had  been  signified  he  pronounced  them 
man  and  wife  without  propounding  the  usual 
queries  to  the  groom.  Mr.  Cooper,  who 
lived  many  years  in  Buffalo  often  asserted 
that  he  had  been  but  half  married. 

An  interesting  statement  by  Captain  Clark 
is  the  following: 

' '  Since  boyhood  I  have  lived  in  the  territory 
known  as  the  Louisiana  Purchase,  State  of 
Illinois,  Michigan  Territory,  Wisconsin  Terri- 
tory, Minnesota  Territory,  Black  Hawk  Pur- 
chase, Iowa  Territory,  and  the  State  of  Iowa, 


and  all  this  time  only  moved  one  mile.  I 
might  add  that  I  have  a  friend,  'Timber 
Woods,'  of  Burlington,  Iowa,  whose  oldest 
son  was  born  in  Michigan  Territory,  his 
second  son  in  Wisconsin  Territory,  his  third 
son  in  Iowa  Territory,  and  his  fourth  son  in 
the  State  of  Iowa,  and  all  were  born  in  the 
same  log  cabin,  standing  all  the  time  on  the 
same  spot." 

VILLAGE  OF  ANDALUSIA. 

Captain  B.  W.  Clark  was  the  original  owner 
of  the  village  plat,  which  was  a  ]mrt  of  the 
old  paper  city  of  Rockport.  In  1S43  Samuel 
Kenworthy  opened  a  store  in  his  log  cabin, 
which  stood  near  the  river  and  ferry  landing. 
In  1845  Colonel  N.  B.  Buford  bought  at  tax 
sale  the  lots  of  Rockport,  built  a  store  and 
warehouse,  and  named  the  place  Andalusia. 
In  1866  S.  M.  Boney  had  the  place  re-surveyed 
and  laid  out  into  lots  and  blocks  with  streets 
named.  In  early  days  the  village  did  a  good 
prosperous  business  with  the  farmers  and 
steamboat  shipping  trade.  An  election  was 
held  May  10,  1884,  in  the  Town  of  Andalusia, 
at  the  hall  of  Robert  Ross,  for  village  organi- 
zation; the  total  vote  being  seventy.  For 
village  organization,  thirty-nine  votes;  against 
thirty-one  votes.  Vote  was  canvassed  and 
approved  May  12,  1884,  by  County  Judge 
Lucian  Adams  and  Justice  of  the  Peace, 
David  Hawes,  and  James  W.  Ballard.  The 
third  day  of  June,  1884,  an  election  was  held 
in  the  village  of  Andalusia  for  six  village 
trustees,  seventy-five  votes  being  cast.  Trus- 
tees elected  were  William  Smith,  John  H. 
Brookman,  James  W.  Ballard.  I^enjamin 
Dill,  J.  H.  Britton  and  H.  Mosher. 

BUFFALO  PRAIRIE  TOWNSHIP. 

This  town,  under  original  organization,  was 
named  Buffalo;  afterward  changed  to  Copper, 
and  then  to  its  j^resent  name. 

Its  northern  boundary  is  the  Mississippi 
River,  the  southern   Mercer  County,  eastern 


112 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    CO  U  X  T  Y 


the  Townships  of  Edgington  and  Andalusia, 
and  west  by  Dniry  Township. 

John  Edgington  was  the  first  settler,  com- 
ing here  in  1S34  from  Jefferson  Coimty,  Ohio, 
with  his  wife,  who  was  Miss  Susan  Crabs, 
born  in  the  same  county,  just  married  and 
together  they  came  west.  John  Kistler  was 
the  next  to  locate  in  the  vicinity,  and  who 
became  quite  prominent  in  local  affairs. 

Samuel  Sloan  came  in  1839  from  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

The  first  boy  born  was  a  son  to  John  and 
Susan  Edgington,  ilarch  20,  1835.  named 
James.  The  first  school  was  in  1840,  taught 
b}^  a  venerable  Scotchman.  A  ver}-  thrift}- 
class  of  the  people  were  Germans,  who  came 
in  an  early  day.  The  township  is  composed 
of  prairie  land  and  timber,  about  equalh-, 
with  numerous  fine  and  well  improved  farms. 
It  is  said  that  Buffalo  Prairie  derives  its  name 
from  the  fact  that  in  the  early  settlement 
days  a  great  portion  of  the  prairie  land  had 
been  long  and  strongly  trodden  and  stamped 
by  the  buffalo  in  their  earl}-  grazing  grounds, 
together  with  their  deep  trail  paths  leading 
to  their  drinking  places. 

BUFFALO  PRAIRIE 

Is  situated  in  Buffalo  Prairie  Township, 
and  not  incorporated.  Is  a  small  place,  with 
postoffice  and  two  or  three  houses. 

DRURY  TOWNSHIP. 

Drury  TowTiship  was  named  in  honor  of  the 
Drury  famil)^  the  earliest  pioneers  of  the 
township.  It  is  situated  in  the  southwestern 
corner  of  the  county  and  embraces  one  full 
congressional  to^Tiship  and  parts  of  three 
others.  It  contains  some  verj-  rough  and 
broken  upland  and  some  smooth  bottom  land ; 
much  of  it,  however,  is  of  the  best  quality 
as  to  soil,  and  there  are  as  some  fine  farms  in 
this  township  as  can  be  found  in  the  county. 

Some  of  the  early  settlers  were:  Miles, 
Isaiah,  Reynolds,  Eli,  Silas  and  James  Drury, 
William   and   Ithamar    Re3'nolds,   Jacob   A. 


Seiver,  W^illiam  Huff.  I.,  B.  Elijah  and  James 
Essex.  Matthew  and  Jeremiah  LeQuatte. 
William  Womacks,  Solomon  Simpson,  An- 
thony Ricketts.  John  Ballard.  John  Har- 
baugh,  James  McPherson,  Harry  Hampton. 
S.  Prentiss,  William  Hays.  John  Boruff. 
Joseph  and  Antoine  Blair.  L.  V.  Reed  and 
M.  H.  Johnson. 

The  settlers  who  came  to  this  country  in 
the  thirties  and  the  early  forties  to  carve" 
homes  for  themselves  and  families  found  thej' 
had  undertaken  no  light  and  easy  task.  They 
had  many  difficulties  to  overcome,  many 
hardships  to  endure.  They  indeed  lived  the 
"simple  life,"  in  rude  log  cabins  and  with  few 
comforts,  while  luxuries  were  not  thought  of. 
All  settlers  were  neighbors,  although  they 
might  be  miles  apart.  All  were  on  a  common 
level  as  to  mode  of  life  and  largely  as  to 
resources.  All  were  ' '  horney  handed  sons  of 
toil."  Their  opportunities  for  mental  growth 
and  culture  were  of  their  own  creation,  and 
evolved  from  their  own  individualities. 
Xature  was  their  teacher  and  nature's  lessons 
were  well  learned.  In  those  early  days  there 
were  no  schools  for  the  children,  no  churches, 
no  doctors,  no  mills,  no  stores,  no  roads,  no 
bridges;  just  the  rich  soil,  groves  of  timber, 
pure  air  and  water,  and  a  healthful  climate. 
But  the}'  were  hopeful,  energetic,  industrious 
and  persevering.  Years  rolled  b}',  other  set- 
tlers came,  schools  and  churches,  roads  and 
bridges,  railroads,  cities  and  villages  were 
built,  and  those  who  have  lived  until  the 
present  day  have  witnessed  a  growth  and 
development  that  has  been  indeed  marvelous. 

Other  reminiscences  would  undoubtedly 
find,  many  times,  almost  similar  occurrences. 

Mr.  John  L.  Wray,  when  a  boy, worked  from 
six  in  the  morning  until  sundown  for  fiftj-  cents 
a  day,  which  was  considered  good  wages. 

Mr.  J.  A.  Seiver  speaks  of  "planing"  corn; 
that  is,  took  ears  of  corn,  before  getting  too 
hard,  and  shaved  them  across  the  bottom  of  a 
jack  plane  and  shaved  off  the  kernels.  The 
corn  shavings  making  good  mush  and  very 


//  /  S  TORI  C     R  0  C  K     I  S  L  A  N  D     CO  U  N  T  Y 


113 


good  bread,  yhortl}-  after  lie  was  married  he 
went  to  Cambridge,  Indiana,  for  a  housekee]i- 
ing  outfit.  He  got  a  Dutch  oven,  a  skillet  and 
an  iron  kettle,  and  these  amoimted  to  their 
cooking  utensils  for  some  time.  School 
teachers  received  so  much  a  pu])il  instead  of  a 
salary.  A  log  cabin  on  the  Miles  Drury  jslace 
was  used  for  a  school  house,  and  another  one 
on  Section  29,  commonly  known  as  the  ' '  bull 
pen."  Miles  Drury's  barn  was  used  as  a 
church.  The  people  were  obliged  to  go  to 
Drury's  Landing,  six  miles  away,  for  their 
mail,  and  paid  twenty-five  cents  postage  on 
every  letter.  Mrs.  Rosman  says  when  they 
went  visiting,  oxen  and  a  lumljer  wagon  was 
their  carriage.  They  sheared  their  sheep 
before  they  sold  them  in  Indiana,  and  clotli 
was  made  from  this  wool  by  her  mothei'.  who 
carded,  spun  and  wove  it  by  haml. 

Reynolds  Drury  settled  at  Drury's  Landing. 
where  he  opened  a  general  store,  bought  grain 
ami  pork  and  did  a  flourishing  business.  A 
postofHce  was  established  there  at  an  early 
day  and  it  became  for  a  time  the  priuci|(al 
market  place  for  this  section  of  the  covuitry. 
But  the  iniilding  of  railroads  changed  business 
centers  and  residents  of  the  tnwn  now  tratle 
at  Muscatine. 

Isaiah  and  Silas  Drury  had  a  grist  null,  a 
saw  mill  and  a  wool-carding  nuichine.  located 
on  Section  20,  on  Copperas  Creek,  built  as 
nearly  as  can  be  recalled,  in  1(S37  or  1838. 

l)i'.  Reynolds  was  the  first  physician  in 
this  township  and  in  the  lower  end  of  the 
county. 

Residents  of  Drury  Township  boast  of 
having  some  of  as  good,  and  as  fine  bred  live 
stock  as  can  be  found  anywhere,  but  to 
Buffalo  Prairie  Township  belongs  the  dis- 
tinction of  raising  "Alex,"  known  for  many 
years  as  the  fastest  horse  in  the  world. 
Daniel  Hayes  had  the  honor  of  breeding  and 
raising  this  speedy  animal.  Her  time  was 
2:03^. 

There  is  one  rural  free  delivery  mail  route 
in  the  township  and  three  postofficcs.     The 


latter  are  located  as  follows:  Ferdinand,  in 
the  southeast  corner  of  the  township,  with 
Mrs.  Ryan  as  postmistress;  Foster,  on  Section 
17,  with  J.  H.  Foster  as  postmaster;  and  Wray- 
ville,  in  the  center,  with  Helen  Wray  as  post- 
mistress. The  name  "Wrayville,"  was  sug- 
gested by  James  Britton,  who  was  teaching 
school  at  that  point,  when  a  name  was  wanted. 
The  educational  advantages  of  the  town- 
ship are  fully  equal  to  those  of  any  agricul- 
tural community.  We  have  nine  schools 
whose  districts  are  wholly  within  the  town- 
ship, and  two  union  schools,  one  being  in  the 
district  reaching  into  Mercer  Count}'. 

DRCRVS  L.ANTDINC. 

Was  nothing  but  a  steamboat  landing,  and 
at  one  time  in  the  early  days,  considerable 
shipping  was  done  from  its  old  warehouse, 
.lust  back  of  the  Landing  a  village  named 
Richmond  was  platted  by  S.  R.  Drury,  and 
filed  ilay  7,  1843,  and  afhrmed  by  the  County 
Commissioners.  It  was  five  blocks  long, 
imly  one  block  deep,  with  one  side  street 
sixty  feet  wide,  running  back  from  the 
^lississippi  Ri\cr,  a  slough  bordering  the 
place  on   b:)th   east   aiul   west  sides. 

ILLIXOIS  CITY 

Is  situated  in  Ijolh  Drury  and  Buffalo 
Prairie  Townships.  It  is  not  an  incorporated 
\-illage.  Has  a  church,  two  stores,  a  hotel, 
l.)lacksmith  shii|i,  postoftice  with  two  rural 
nuiil  routes,  public  school  aiul  ]iublic  square, 
and  about  fifty  houses,  with  a  |io])ulation  of 
a  little  over  two  hundreil.  Illinois  City  was 
laid  out  at  an  early  date,  and  quite  exten- 
sively platted,  its  owner  antici])ating  great 
results.  For  some  years  the  village  thrived 
nicely,  but  when  the  railroad  came  a  few 
miles  away,  trade  was  diverted,  and  ruined 
the  prospects  of  Illinois  City. 

CITY  OF  ROCK  ISLAND. 

The  City  of  Rock  Island  is  a  well  laid-out 
a.nd    substantially    built    town,    containing    a 


114 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


po])iilati()n  of  aliout  ^'J.OOO.  In  our  recently 
issued  city  directory  is  ^Wen  14,0.55  names; 
which  by  the  usual  multiple  of  2},^  would 
give  us  a  ]iopulation  of  81.G24.  It  is  situated 
on  the  Illinois  side  of  the  .Mississippi  River. 
at  the  foot  of  the  Upper  Rapids,  and  just 
lielow  the  western  extremity  of  Rock  Island, 
from  which  it  derives  its  name.  The  situa- 
tion of  the  city  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
that  can  be  imagined.  The  bluffs  on  the 
Iowa  side  approach  the  shore,  so  that  the 
City  of  Davenport  lies  chiefly  on  the  hillsides; 
on  the  Rock  Island  side  the  hills  recede  to  a 
distance  of  more  than  a  nule.  leaving  a  broad 
and  beautiful  plain  on  which  the  city  is  built. 
This  plain  is  sufficiently  elevated  to  afford  a 
dry  and  healthy  location,  and  is  Ijounded  by 
the  river  in  front,  forming  a  graceful  curve 
southward  at  the  lower  end  of  the  city,  and 
in  the  rear  of  the  distant  hills,  which  form  a 
charming  backgroimd  to  the  city  plat.  Here 
the  space  is  amply  sufficient  for  a  city  of  a 
hundred  thousand  inhabitants.  From  almost 
any  point  of  observation  in  this  city  the  views 
are  fine.  They  combine  a  landscape  of 
nunglcd  art  and  nature:  the  cities  of  Daven- 
])ort.  Rock  Island  and  Moline,  with  their  tall 
s]jires  and  smoking  factories;  the  Island  of 
Rock  Island  in  the  broad  liright  channel  of 
the  Mississippi,  and  connected  with  both 
shores  by  its  magnificent  iron  britlges.  Look- 
ing up  the  river  towartl  the  Island,  the 
bridges,  with  their  piers  and  spans,  are  seen 
stretching  across  a  space  of  three  cpiarters  of 
a  mile,  at  the  ])oint  formerly  occupied  by  old 
Fort  Armstrong,  while  in  the  distance  rises 
the  tall  smoke  stacks  of  the  Government 
works,  the  Arsenal  and  Armory — almost 
hidden  in  the  trees — which  in  this  part  of  the 
Island  have  been  preserveil.  and  the  grounds 
converted  into  a  beautiful  syhan  park- 
About  the  center  of  the  Island,  from  a  tall 
flag  staff  erected  on  top  of  a  high  structural 
iron  pier,  floats  the  Stars  and  Stiipes — symbol 
of  national  aiitliorit\-. 


The  Island,  the  Arsenal  works  and  groimds, 
and  tlie  wonderfid  improvements  of  the  water 
))ower.  constitute  the  chief  points  of  attrac- 
tion to  visitors  at  Rock  Island. 

EAIU.V    HISTOUV F.\RXH.IMSBURG    .\.XD 

STEPHENSON. 

The  City  of  Rock  Island  was  preceded  by 
the  Town  of  Farnhamsburg.  the  first  settle- 
ment on  this  side  of  the  river  within  the 
])resent  City  limits.  Here  the  first  house  was 
built  by  Colonel  Davenport  and  Russell 
Farnham.  partners  in  the  Indian  trade,  in 
1826.  It  stood  near  the  landing  from  old 
Fort  Armstrong,  about  a  block  south  of  the 
southern  approach  to  the  present  railroad 
bridge  over  Sylvan  Water,  and  on  an  elevated 
lime  stone  knoll.  The  county  road  from  the 
east  ran  in  front  of  it.  and  turned  from  the 
Moline  road  to  the  west  of  the  Lemuel 
Andrews  residence — now  Honorable  Ben  T. 
Cable's  residence — and  down  along  where  is 
now  the  Hurlington  and  ^lilwaukee  Railroad 
tracks,  until  it  reached  Twenty-fom-th  Street, 
where  it  met  old  Illinois  Street,  now  Second 
Avenue.  The  house  was  a  noted  place  in  the 
early  history  of  Rock  Island  County.  Here 
the  County  Covernment  was  formed,  the 
first  elections  held,  and  the  first  postoffice 
established;  it  was  the  seat  of  the  Circuit  and 
County  Courts  from  1833  to  1835.  In  the 
latter  year,  this  original  seat  of  justice  of  the 
county  was  sui^erseded  by  the  Town  of 
Stephenson,  and  a  ■village  laid  out  in  what  is 
now  the  lower  ])art  of  the  City  of  Rock 
Lsland.  It  was  laid  out  by  the  commissioners 
authorized  by  the  Legislature  to  establish  the 
seat  of  justice  for  Rock  Island  County,  anil 
contained  the  old  county  grounds,  with  a 
])ortion  of  the  county  buildings.  There  are 
still  standing  many  of  the  earlier  buildings 
erected  by  the  pioneers  and  here  were  inaug- 
urated man}'  of  the  first  institutions  of  Rock 
Island.  Stephenson  was  the  cradle  of  Rock 
Island,  the  nursery  of  much  of  that  intellec- 
tual and  social  life  which  has  since  expanded 
into  the  laraor  and  intenser  life  of  the  cit\-. 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


115 


The  founder  of  the  first  newspaper  here,  in 
1839,  thus  speaks  of  the  old  Town  of  Stephen- 
son, as  it  appeared  to  him  in  1840: 

"The  inhabitants  of  the  town  and  its 
environs  could  not  be  surpassed,  if  equalled, 
by  any  city  in  the  west,  for  men  of  intelli- 
gence— courteous  and  kind  in  everything. 
Our  judiciary  consisted  of  Judge  Stone,  who 
was  very  soon  superseded  by  Judge  Brown; 
our  bar  consisted  of  Joseph  Knox,  Joseph  B. 
Wells,  J.  \\'ilson  Drury,  and  H.  CJ.  Reynolds; 
the  clerk  of  the  court  was  an  old  bachelor, 
Joseph  Conway,  brother  of  Miles  Conway, 
who,  with  a  Mr.  Cooper,  composed  the 
magistrac}-  of  the  village;  while  our  medical 
department  was  represented  by  Doctor  Gregg 
alone,  a  man  eminent  in  his  profession. 

"There  were  three  stores  in  the  place,  kept 
by  John  Meller,  Lemuel  Andrews  and  a  Mr. 
Kauffman.  Two  more  came  afterwards,  viz: 
ilr.  Bond  and  Mr.  Moore.  There  was  one 
tinning  establishment,  Lee  &  Chamberlin's; 
one  saddler  shop.  J.  il.  Frizzell's;  one  cabinet 
maker's  and  one  gunsmith's  sho]);  three 
taverns,  ^Ir.  Bently's  en  the  river  l)aiik; 
Buffum's,  back  of  the  Court  House  Square; 
and  the  Rock  Island  House  on  Main  Street, 
kept  b\-  \'anConrt  iV:  Brothers.  This  was  the 
leading  hotel  at  that  da}-.  There  was  one 
restaurant,  and  one  other,  called  a  saloon  for 
the  want  of  a  more  ajjpropriate  name.  One 
minister  of  the  gos])el  (Presbyterian),  Rev- 
erent "Sir.  Stewart,  preached  in  a  little  school- 
house  liack  of  Doctor  Gregg's  residence  on 
Main  Street — our  only  church,  lyceum  and 
town  hall.  *  *  *  The  Powars  family, 
Guarnseys  and  old  "Sh.  ^'andruff,  who  lived 
on  the  island  in  Rock  River,  and  kept  a  ferry 
at  the  Rapids,  and  something  for  the  inner 
man,  were  among  the  first  settlers  of  Rock 
Island.  There  were  but  few  places  of  any 
note  above  Quinc}-,  Illinois.  Where  Keokuk 
now  stands  there  was  a  trading  post  ke])t  Ijy 
a  half-breed,  who  sold  liquor  to  the  Sac  and 
Fox  Indians,  and  engaged  in  towing  barges 
over  the  rapids  with   horses,  to  Fort  Mont- 


rose. At  the  east  side  of  the  Mississippi,  at 
the  head  of  the  rapids,  at  a  place  then  called 
Commerce,  was  situated  a  stone  warehouse, 
where  passing  steamers  discharged  freight  for 
the  surrounding  country.  The  JMormons  had 
a  short  time  ]ireviously  l)een  driven  out  of 
^lissouri,  and  they  encamped  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  river,  awaiting  transportation  to 
the  Illinois  side  to  build  the  City  of  Nauvoo, 
and  their  wagcms  and  equipages  presented  the 
apjiearance  of  an  army  encamped.  The  town 
of  Burlington,  Iowa,  had  but  few  houses.  * 
*  *  Bloomington.  now  Muscatine,  con- 
tained about  six  houses,  and  had  the  appear- 
ance of  being  a  very  sickly  jilace,  if  I  could 
judge  from  the  looks  of  the  citizens  who  came 
aboard  the  steamer."; 

This  had  reference  to  the  Summer  of  1838, 
when  the  writer,  Mr.  C.  McGrew,  came  up  the 
river.  In  all  the  distance  described,  from 
Quincy  to  the  lead  mines  at  Galena,  Stephen- 
son was  then  the  most  noted  steamboat 
landing.  Here  for  manj^  years,  travelers 
from  the  "Sangamon  Country"  and  Fort 
Clark,  reached  the  river  on  their  way  to 
Galena,   and   the   mineral  regions  north. 

TOWN  OF  ROCK  ISLAND. 

The  Town  of  Rock  Island  came  into  being 
as  a  new  edition  of  Stephenson,  enlarged  and 
revised  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  passed 
in  March,  LS41.  This  act  changed  the  name 
to  Rock  Island,  and  incorporated  the  latter 
as  a  town  under  a  board  of  nine  trustees. 
The  trustees  of  the  old  village  held  over  until 
the  next  annual  election  in  September,  but 
a  special  election  was  held  on  the  first  Jlon- 
day  in  April  for  four  other  trustees,  who, 
together  with  the  five  old  trustees,  constituted 
the  new  board.  The  additional  trustees 
elected  were:  John  Bufcn-d,  George  W.  Lynde 
Lemuel  Andrews  and  James  JI.  Bellows. 

The  boundaries  of  this  town,  as  defined  by 
this  act,  were  made  to  include  ' '  all  that  por- 
tion of  land  contained  within  the  limits  of 
the  plat  of  the  town  of  Stephenson,  and  all 


116 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     CorXTY 


tlie  adilitions  thereto,  as  of  record  in  the 
recorder's  office,  in  the  County  of  Rock 
Ishmd."  hy  c()ii:~ulting  the  records  we  found 
that  the  following  additions  had  been  made: 
Thomas  and  Wells'  Addition,  April  o,  1S36; 
Sjjencer  and  Case's  Addition,  May  17,  1836; 
and  Jones,  Garnse}-  and  Beardsley's,  known 
as  the  Chicago  or  Lower  Addition,  October 
22,  1836,  As  is  well  known,  numerous 
additions  have  since  been  made  to  the  city, 
extending  its  limits  to  something  like  ten 
scjuare  miles,  viz:  About  two  miles  and  a 
cjuarter  in  average  width,  by  about  three  and 
a  half  miles  in  length.  It  was  invested  with 
a  city  charter  by  ' '  An  Act  to  Charter  the  City 
of  Rock  Island,"  February  12,  1849.  Feb- 
rviary  16,  1857,  a  more  comprehensive  charter 
was  granted,  November  4,  1879,  by  an 
election  the  incorporation  was  changed,  and 
an  organization  effected  under  the  general 
laws  of  the  State,  of  1872,  A  canvass  of  the 
votes  bj-  the  City  Council  November  10, 
1879,  affirmed  for  organization,  under  the 
new  general  law,  and  on  December  10.  1879, 
was  certified  to  and  made  of  record  in  the 
County  Court.  Its  eastern  bounrlary  coin- 
cides with  the  western  corporate  limits  of  the 
City  of  Moline,  and  thus  the  two  cities  adjoin, 
and  aie  connected  by  three  street  railways,  as 
well  as  by  the  regular  passenger  trains  of  four 
railroad  systems. 

The  nearest  approach  to  a  "boom"  exper- 
ienced by  Rock  Island  was  in  1854,  when  the 
old  Chicago  and  Rock  Island  Railroad 
reached  Kock  Island  in  January  of  that  3^ear, 
being  the  first  railroad  to  reach  the  Mississippi 
River;  but  in  1857,  a  year  of  panic,  and 
heavy  migration  west,  gave  us  a  few  years 
set-back;  we  regained,  however,  in  good 
time,  and  since  have  had  a  steady,  legitimate 
growth,  one  to  be  proud'  of.  From  that 
])eriod  the  city  began  to  move  west  in  its 
i)uikling  operations,  and  of  late  years,  both 
east,  west  and  soutli.  The  greatest  credit 
for  the  vast  and  ra|)i<l  improvement  now 
enjoyed  by  Rock  Island  may  be  ascribed  to 


the  Citizens  Improvement  Association.  Tlie 
proposer  of  the  association  was  Richard 
Crampton,  who,  coming  from  a  trip  east, 
recognized  that  we  were  stagnant,  needed  a 
jjush  and  stu',  and  his  ideas  interested  W  .  T. 
Medill,  Will  R,  Johnston.  Dr.  Willard  A. 
Paul,  Fred  Flass  and  others,  and  the  associa- 
tion was  organized.  They  advocated  and 
secui-ed,  through  the  good  offices  of  tlie  City^ 
Council,  the  special  assessment  tax  for  home 
improvement. 

This  organization  of  business  men  perform- 
ing the  same  beneficial  work  now  being 
accomplished  by  the  Rock  Island  Clul).  It 
was  mainly  through  the  efforts  of  the  asso- 
ciation and  club  that  the  paving  of  our  streets 
was  secured,  new  additions  were  laid  out  into 
city  lots,  sidewalks  brought  to  a  high  stand- 
ard, factories  encouraged,  and  others  secured, 
the  force  at  the  Arsenal  enlarged,  new  bridges 
constructed,  new  railroads  promoted,  a  new 
Federal  building  secured;  all  these  materially 
increasing  the  population,  and  adding  stren.gth 
and  reputation  to  the  city. 

Rock  Island  has  a  strong  urban  population, 
beautiful  homes,  cheap  fuel,  the  finest  of  coal 
at  our  very  door,  an  abimdance  of  water 
furnished  by  a  fine  combbied  system  of  water 
works,  a  large  water  power  adjacent  to  our- 
selves and  neighb,oring  city,  awaiting  develop- 
ment, a  wealthy  farming  district  surrounding 
us,  and  a  location  that  capital  and  labor  can 
both  appreciate.  There  are  few  cities  that 
can  boast  of,  and  offer  more  advantages  for 
investment,  than  the  City  of  Rock  Island. 
The  Chicago.  Rock  Island  and  Pacific;  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  and  Quincy;  the  Chicago, 
^lilwaukee  and  St.  Paid,  and  the  Davenport, 
Rock  Island  and  Northwestern  Railroads 
entering  her  boiindarie-s — each  of  the  great 
roads  supplying  every  facility  for  both  pass- 
enger and  freight  traffic.  There  is  also  a  net 
work  of  electric  surface  cars  running  to  Dav- 
enport, Aloline,  East  Moline.  Silvis,  Milan, 
Watertown,  Rock  Island  .\rsenal.  and  a 
score  of  pleasure  resorts,  giving  her  one  of 


HISTORIC     ROCK 


1  SL. 

IND     COUNTY                     117 

10th. 

—Ohio. 

nth. 

— Swan. 

12th. 

—Otter. 

13th. 

— Beaver,  and  Sliort. 

14th. 

— Deer,  and  Stoddard. 

143^. 

— Cntter. 

15th. 

—Elk. 

16th. 

—Buffalo. 

17th. 

— Eagle. 

18th. 

— Washington. 

19th. 

— Jefferson,  and  (Ticny. 

20th. 

— Madison. 

21st. 

— Adams. 

22d. 

—Dock. 

23d 

— Broadway. 

24th. 

— Arsenal 

25th. 

— Davenport,  and  Keoknk. 

26th. 

— Stickney,  and  Raih'nad. 

27th. 

— Howard  Avenue. 

28th. 

— Twenty-eiKhtii. 

29th. 

— Cohimbia,  and  Twenty-ninth. 

30th. 

—Elm. 

31st. 

— Andre\\-s. 

32d. 

— Kimball,  and  Tliirty-second. 

3Sth. 

— Robbins,  or  College  Avenue. 

42d. 

— Sylvan,  and  Walnut. 

43d. 

— Francis. 

45th. 

— Brooks  .\ venue. 

1st. 

Ave. 

— Mississippi,  Water  and  Front 
Streets. 

2d. 

Ave. 

— Illinois. 

3d. 

Ave. 

— Orleans. 

4th. 

Ave. 

— Rock  River. 

5th. 

Ave. 

— Moline  Avenue,  His,hland,  and 
Canal  Streets. 

0th. 

Ave. 

— Commercial,  (commerce.  Pleas- 
ant, Green,  Cable,  Cirove,  and 
Sherman  Streets. 

7tli. 

Ave. 

— Toledo,  and  Spencer  Streets, 
and  Second  Avenue. 

8th. 

Ave. 

— Barnard,  and  Harper  Streets. 

8K  Ave. 

— Clark  Street. 

9th. 

Ave. 

— Indian  Boundary  Street,  and 
Prospect  Street,  and  Xinth 
Avenue  in  Etlgewood  Park. 

nth. 

Ave. 

— Atkinson  Street. 

9>2 

Ave. 

— Toledo,  and  Fnion  Streets, 

the  finest  street  car  systems  anywhere.  Her 
prosperity  is  evidenced  bj'  the  parks  and 
drives,  which  excite  the  admiration  of  all 
visitors;  her  substantial  and  commodious 
schools  and  colleges,  the  large  number  of 
churches  of  all  prominent  denominations, 
shops  and  stores  of  every  kind,  and  manu- 
factories with  millions  of  capital,  giving 
eni])loyment  to  thousands  of  men.  A  plow- 
factor}^  which  ranks  Avith  the  best  in  the 
country,  a  large  stove  factory  of  prominence, 
an  immense  table  oil  cloth  factory,  a  brewery 
with  1,500  barrel  capacity,  soda  and  mineral 
water  factories,  candy  factories,  inunense 
lumber,  sash  door  and  blind  interests,  large 
insurance  agencies,  good  hos])itals,  ample 
police  and  fire  protection,  the  best  of  hotels, 
has  a  magnificent  inU.)lic  library,  which  is  a 
home  production. 

EARLY  NAMES   OF   OUK   STUKETS. 

In  tlie  original  plat  of  the  town  of  Stephen- 
son the  allej's  were  named.  The  main  streets 
running  east  and  west,  parallel  with  the 
river,  were:  ilississippi,  Illinois,  Orleans, 
Rock  River,  and  Moline  Avenue;  its  continu- 
ations being  Highland,  and  Canal  Streets. 
Tiie  alley  between  Mississippi  Street  and 
Illinois  Street  was  named  Cherrj'  Alle}-,  tlien 
came  Molet,  Pink  and  Rose  Allej-s;  between 
Orleans  and  Rock  River  Streets,  Peach  and 
Phun  AUej's;  between  Illinois  and  Orleans 
Streets,  running  north  and  south,  in  the 
blocks  east  and  west  of  the  Court  House, 
The  names  are  surely  not  suggestive  of  some 
of  our  present  allevs. 

Streets  and  Avenues — old  names  and  new: 


XEW. 

ORIGIXAL. 

1st. 

— Pike,  and  Pine. 

2d. 

—St.  Clair 

3d. 

— Monroe. 

4th. 

—Carroll. 

5th. 

— Huron. 

(ith. 

— Main. 

7ih. 

—Pearl. 

Mil. 

— Ontario. 

(illi. 

— Exchange. 

118 


//  1ST  UK  I  C     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNT  Y 


The  first  brick  store  in  Hock  Island  was 
built  by  Lemuel  Andrews,  and  is  still  in 
existence,  just  east  of  the  Court  House,  and 
now  occupied  by  Mrs.  Roessler,  adjoining  the 
old  frame  house  built  and  occupied  by  Mr. 
Andrews,  and  Ions  occupied  l)y  Mrs.  Benja- 
min Cobb.  This  (lid  lii'ick  luiihliufi  was  a 
general  store,  kept  by  Andrews  and  Mc- 
Masters.  Mr.  Andrews  later  building  on  the 
site  of  the  present  E.  P.  Reynolds'  homestead, 
a  good  brick  residence  with  a  large  porch 
around  three  sides,  and  facing  the  slough, 
beside  the  county  i-oad,  where  the  railroad 
tracks  now  are. 

Mr.  Andrews  afterward  built  the  large, 
costly  mansion  known  as  the  Cable  residence. 
He  also  built  the  first  saw  and  grist  mill  in 
the  lower  end  of  town,  in  1841.  The  first 
boat  yard  was  established  by  J.  C.  Holt,  in 
1841,  succeeded  by  Bailey  and  Boyle,  about 
where  the  present  Arsenal  viaduct  bridge  is 
located.  They  h^ter  established  a  large  gen- 
eral store  in  a  new  brick  block,  on  the  present 
site  of  the  i\Iitchell  and  Lynde  block. 

The  principal  early-time  liook  store  was 
that  of  H.  A.  Porter  and  Brother,  in  1849, 
located  on  the  south  side  of  Illinois  Street, 
between  Buffalo  and  Eagle  Streets.  At  one 
time  their  chief  clerk  was  Richard  Crampton, 
who  arriA-ed  here  from  New  York  ;\lay  1, 
1854,  and  e\-er  since  has  been  in  the  book 
business  in  this  city.  H.  A.  Porter  and 
Brother  went  to  Chicago  in  1858,  where  they 
e.stablished  the  Chicago  Type  Foumlry.  Mr. 
Crampton  succeeding  to  their  book  business, 
later  forming  a  partnershiji  with  .John  G. 
Devoe,  who  at  one  time  was  a  proof  reader 
for  Horace  Greeley  on  the  old  New  York 
Tribune,  the  firm  becoming  Devoe  and 
Crampton,  They  started  in  at  the  old 
stand,  afterwards  moving  to  Frank  Warren's 
old  store,  where  Sam  \\'right  now  is,  and  then 
to  the  old  postoffice  building  of  L.  M.  Webber, 
on  which  site  Miss  Byrnes  is  now  in  business. 
Later  they  moved  into  a  new  building  erected 
bv  Tom  Plummer,  the  old  lixci'v  man,  in  the 


center  of  the  same  iilock,  where  his  old  livery 
stable  was,  the  first  story  being  below  the 
street.  The  building  was  cpiite  a  tlistance 
from  the  siilewalk.  ha\-ing  a  vn-y  wide  and 
long  platform  making  a  carriage  way  to  the 
second  story,  nearly  even  with  the  street. 
Afterwards  the  firm  mo\-ed  across  the  street 
to  the  Peter  Fries  Ijuilding,  located  nearly  on 
the  site  of  the  old  W.  H.  Whitman  residence, 
which  .Mr.  fries  and  family  at  one  lime 
occupietl,  where  Voimg  and  ilcCombs  now 
are.  Devoe  and  Crampton's  store  was  the 
political  and  newspaper  headcpuirters  of  the 
city,  everybody  going  there  after  supper  for 
the  Chicago  papers  and  talk.  Those  were 
lively,  chatty  evenings.  At  one  time  they 
had  a  prominent  elevated  sign  in  front  of  the 
store  on  the  outer  edge  of  the  sidewalk  repre- 
senting a  very  large  wheel,  the  spokes  of 
which  advertised  their  wares,  and  on  the  rim 
was  the  motto  by  which  the  establishment 
was  long  known — "The  floral  Center  of  the 
Intellectual  World." 

Where  Bengston's  block  is,  in  the  early 
fifties,  stood  an  old  two-story  long  frame 
building,  called  Doty's  Row,  built  in  the 
forties.  In  1855  Smith  and  Lathrop  leased 
forty  feet  of  the  grounil  on  the  corner  foi- 
twenty  years,  at  a  yearly  rental  of  four 
hundred  dollars  and  taxes,  and  tearing  down 
the  old  Doty  Row,  they  built  a  three-story 
brick  block,  which  they  later  sold  to  E.  H. 
Smythe.  It  was  called  the  E.  H.  Smythe 
block,  a  covered  stairway  running  up  the 
outside  of  the  building,  as  does  the  present 
Bengston  block,  built  on  this  old  site  in  1875. 
E.  H.  and  H.  A.  Smythe  were  old  clothiers 
here,  having  been  preceeded  by  Knox  and 
.Company. 

The  chief  caterers  were  Mr.  an  1  Mrs. 
Butcher,  two  respected  colored  people,  who 
will  be  remembered  by  a  great  many  of  the 
(lid  timers.  At  their  i-estaniant  the  best 
supper,  game,  steaks  and  chops,  could  be  had, 
none  better  since  their  day;  game,  especially, 
being  \('ry  plentiful,     (inail  imuLI  be  l),)ughl 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


119 


for  twenty-five  cents  per  dozen  in  those  days, 
and  prairie  chickens  in  comparison.  Mrs. 
Butcher  often  served  families  at  their  home 
jiarties. 

The  Butchers  were  located  in  a  good  sized 
frame  house,  back  of  the  old  Rock  Island 
House  toward  the  rivei-,  on  old  West  Eagle 
Street.  They  had  an  unusually  bright,  smart 
son,  and  there  was  no  better  dressed  man  in 
town  than  AI.  Butcher.  Dame  Rumor  says 
he  used  to  wax  the  white  boys  at  jioker;  no 
names  mentioned.  He  paid  a  short  visit 
here  a  year  ago  from  Memphis,  his  home  now, 
where  he  was  made  provost  marshal  after  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion. 

The  nlain  provider  for  the  inner  man  was 
old  Fred  Ridenbaugh,  who  conducted  the  old 
Young  America  —  called  the  Empire — on 
Market  Square,  a  place  where  the  best  men 
in  town  went  for  a  supper,  oyster  stew,  or 
drink — business  men,  lawyers  and  doctors. 
At  his  demise,  according  to  his  desire,  the 
funeral  was  held  from  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  its  pastor,  Reverend  S.  T.  Wilson, 
officiating. 

One  of  the  very  early  butcher  shops,  in 
1852,  was  that  of  L.  Buttrick,  situated  in 
Market  Square,  near  the  ]iresent  drinking 
fountain  and  hay  scales.  It  was  a  small, 
one-story  frame  building,  hoards  running  up 
and  down,  with  a  small  shed  addition  in  the 
rear,  and  all  whitewashed. 

The  first  foundry  and  machine  shop  was 
established  by  Webber,  Boyd  and  Company, 
in  1849,  on  the  corner  of  Illinois  and  Broad- 
way Streets,  succeeded  by  C.  C.  Webber  and 
Company,  and  known  as  the  Union  Foundry. 
One  door  east,  in  1855,  was  estat)lished  the 
office  of  Lowry,  Thomas  and  Company, 
proprietors  of  the  Carbon  Cliff  Coal  Mining 
Company.  In  1853  N.  B.  and  T.  J.  Buford 
built  a  foundry  and  machine  shop  on  Water 
Street  east  of  Buffalo.  Another  good  old 
foundry  man,  an  expert,  was  W.  H.  Thomp- 
son, who  in  1856  had  the  \'ulcan  Foundry 
near    liroailwav   and    Moline   .AAcnuo,   facing 


what  is  now  Twenty-fourth  Street.  His  son, 
David  C.  Thompson,  for  the  past  thirty-six 
3-ears  superintendent  of  the  foundry  at  Rock 
Island  Arsenal,  became,  under  the  tutelage 
of  his  father,  an  adept.  W.  H.  Thompson 
was  a  great ' '  Bobby  Burns  "  man.  and  always 
recognized  his  birthday.  He  could  quote 
Burns  galore,  and  with  the  genuine  Scotch 
idiom. 

John  Btdley,  an  Englishman,  in  1S55  kept 
a  crockery  store  on  the  corner  of  Buffalo  and 
Rock  River  Streets,  and  was  an  importer  of 
china,  crockery  and  glassware.  The  building 
was  a  long  one-story  frame  building,  the 
boards  running  u])  and  down,  anil  white- 
washed both  inside  and  outside.  He  was 
commonly  s])oken  of  as  the  "bully  man." 

Lee  and  Wilmans  had  another  crockery 
store  in  1854,  in  a  frame  building  just  east  of 
the  present  Central  Presbyterian  Church, 
north  of  the  Covn-t  House. 

.John  Bengston  came  here  in  1862,  clerking 
in  the  drug  store  of  C.  H.  Fahnestock,  in  the 
center  of  the  block  east  of  Buffalo  Street. 
The  store  was  conducted  afterwards  by 
Fahnestock  and  Lewis,  and  then  by  Charles 
A.  Benser,  who  ni(i\ed  to  the  corner  of  Eagle 
and  Illinois  Streets,  the  ])resent  place  of  T,  H. 
Thomas,  where  the  old  corner  has  had  Cook, 
Sargent  and  Parker's  bank,  the  grocery  stores 
of  il.  S,  Herrick,  and  Charles  M.  Knox,  son 
of  .foe  Knox,  one  of  our  old  time  lawyers. 
There  have  also  been  two  drug  stores  on  this 
site. 

■J.  K.  Bard,  in  the  nii<l(lle  sixties,  kept  a 
grocery  store  called  the  "Painted  Barrels," 
located  under  Dart's  Hall.  The  store  took 
its  name  from  a  prominent  ele\'ated  sign  of  a 
barrel  painted  in  \-aried  colors. 

In  the  centre  of  the  block  between  Six- 
teenth and  Seventeenth  Streets,  in  the  early 
sixties,  used  to  be  a  large  sized  nursery  dis- 
play grounds  for  the  Hakes  Nursery,  which 
was  in  the  rear  of  Holmes  Hakes  residence, 
now  .Joseph  Rosenfield's  residence,  on  Seventh 
Avenue  near  Eighteenth  Street.     A  two-storv 


120 


II I  ST  0  Rl  C     R  0  C  K     I  S  L  A  N  D     C  0  U  N  T  Y 


brick  building  was  built  there  afterwards, 
occupied  by  W.  C.  and  H.  T.  W'adsworth  as 
a  dry  goods  store:  they  were  succeeded  by 
Mitchell  and  Parsons.  Next  door  west,  in 
1854.  was  the  grocery  store  of  Gray  Brothers, 
Tom  and  Jessie.  Near  where  Carse's  Block 
now  is,  a  heavy  set  man.  known  by  the  name 
of  "Puff  and  Windy  Smith,"  had  a  dry  goods 
and  general  store. 

Henry  Hcnsman  started  a  stove  store  and 
tin  shop  in  1845.  in  the  center  of  the  post- 
office  block  on  Illinois  Street,  next  door  to  a 
butcher  shop  kept  by  .James  Copp,  senior. 
and  his  son.  George.  Mr.  Hcnsman  some- 
time later  moved  to  the  present  Buford 
Block,  leaving  Rock  Island  for  Denver  in 
1863.  He  was  succeeded  by  Hass  and  Kane, 
and  afterwards  by  Michael  Kane,  J.  B.  Dan- 
forth  being  a  silent  ])artner.  In  1855  George 
Whisler  kept  a  grocery  and  seed  store  next 
to  Copp's  meat  market;  next  door  was  Eric 
Okerberg.  who  came  to  Rock  Island  in  1851, 
said  to  be  the  first  watchmaker  in  Rock 
Island  County. 

In  1852  David  Bowen  and  brother  kept  a 
one-story,  good  sized  frame  grocery  store  on 
the  present  postoffice  corner. 

In  1862  David  Don  opened  a  stove  store 
and  tin  shop  on  Illinois  Street  just  east  of  the 
present  Illinois  Theatre.  Robert  Don,  in 
1860,  ran  a  bakery  where  the  Beecher  prop- 
erty is.  just  west  of  Carse's  Hall.  The  old- 
time  baker  was  Charley  Yates,  en  Illinois 
Street  east  of  Buffalo,  and  then  Jake  Aster 
on  Market  Square.  For  years  Ernest  Krell 
was  baker,  confectioner  and  caterer;  alwavs 
ready  to  assist  the  ladies  at  their  church 
socials.  W.  B.  Sargent  started  a  small 
grocery  store  in  1860  en  the  corner  of  Illinois 
and  Washington  Streets,  where  the  Peoples 
National  Bank  stands,  afterwards  having  as 
a  partner,  Harry  Williams,  then  David 
Hawes.  After  Major  C.  W.  Hawes,  his  son, 
returned  from  the  Armj',  he  bought  his 
father's  interest.  The  store  was  a  small 
frame  building,  painted  a  reddish  brown,  and 


Sargent  and  Hawes  used  to  advertise  it  as 
the  ■' Dilapitated  Corner."  It  made  way  for 
fut\u-e  improvements.  ^Ir.  Sargent  and  his 
son.  Nute.  in  1868.  bought  out  the  grocery 
store  of  J.  H.  Plummer.  under  the  old  Rod- 
man House. 

Warnock  antl  Kelly  started  the  first  soap 
factory,  prior  to  1855.  advertising  as  manu- 
facturers of  "candles,  variegated  soaps,  and 
common  soaps,  and  dealers  in  soda — ash  and 
rosin."  This  mantifactory  was  near  the  boat 
yard. 

In  December,  1859,  Archie  and  Tom  Shaw 
commenced  pork  packing  on  the  present  site 
of  James  S.  Gilmore's  packing  house,  and 
continued  until  1870,  when  they  went  to 
Chicago,  and  James  S.  Gilmore  succeeded  to 
the  business,  which  he  has  carried  en  ever 
since,  making  a  continuous  pork  packing 
business  for  over  forty-eight  years  at  the 
same  place. 

Joseph  and  Mayer  Rosenfield  started  busi- 
ness in  1856,  in  hides  and  leather  findings, 
in  a  one  and  one-half  story  building  next  to 
Gray  Brothers'  grocerj^  store,  on  the  north 
side  of  Illinois  Street,  between  Buffalo  and 
Eagle  Streets,  afterwards  moving  to  the 
Iglehart  corner,  then  to  the  N.  B.  Buford 
Block,  east  of  Carse's  Hall,  and  afterwards 
to  more  commodious  quarters  at  1628  Second 
Avenue. 

SO.ME    OLD-TIME    MERCHANTS    AND    C'lTIZEXS    I\ 
1855    AND    PRIOR. 

H.  L.  Abbott,  "daguemean  artist,"  Illinois 
Street,  east  of  Buffalo. 

Ainsworth  and  Lynde.  "Boston  Store," 
dry  goods  and  groceries,  corner  Water  and 
Washington  Streets. 

Christopher  Atkinson. brickmaker  :.n  I  build- 
er, en  Bluff  Road  near  the  old  grave  yard, 
afterwards  locating  at  the  present  c.irner  of 
Seventh  Avenue  and  Thirtieth  Street,  and 
later  en  Thirtieth  Street  between  Tenth  and 
Eleventh  Avenues. 

William  K.  .\yres.  painter,  in  basement  of 
(lid  Methodist  Church. 


HISTORIC     ROCK     I  S  L A X  D     CO U X T Y 


121 


Hawes  and  Babcock,  David  Hawes  and 
George  M.  Babcock,  stone  quarry  and  linio 
kiln,  south  side  of  Moline  Avenue,  now  Fifth 
Avenue  and  Thirty-fifth  Street.  David  Hawes 
came  here  in  1835,  returning  to  Nashville, 
and  coming  back  in  1S37. 

John  Barge,  school  teacher  and  City  Clerk. 

Barnes  and  Handel,  old  saw  mill,  above 
railroad  bridge,  afterwards  the  site  of  the 
second  Chicago  and  Rock  Island  railroad 
round  house,  the  first  round  house  being 
built  on  the  north  side  of  Illinois  Street,  at 
the  foot  of  Broadway  Street. 

Barrett  and  Cobb,  auction  store,  Illinois 
and  West  Eagle  Streets. 

.lolm  Beierlein,  old  time  coojjer,  located  on 
the  corner  of  Rock  River  and  Elk  Streets. 

William  Bell,  carpenter  and  builder,  one  of 
our  foremost  citizens,  quiet  in  manner,  and 
a  most  thorough  man  was  "  Uncle  Billy  Bell." 

A.  Benedict  and  Company,  shoes,  leather 
belting,  etc.,  Illinois  Street,  west  of  Buffalo. 

Block  and  Loewonthal,  clothing  store. 
south  side  of  Illinois  Street,  west  of  Eagle. 

Blythe  and  Stoddard,  wagon  and  carriage 
makers,  corner  of  Eagle  and  Orleans  Streets, 
the  ohl  shoji  being  operated  afterwards  by 
Thomas  Hooper. 

W.  T.  Riggs,  watchmaker  and  jeweler, 
between  Washington  and  Eagle  Streets, 
commenced  liusiness  in  the  Spring  of  1850. 

J.  M.  .Moore,  in  1847,  erected  a  two-story 
brick  building  ou  the  northeast  corner  of 
Illinois  and  Jiuft'alo  Streets.  In  1860  the 
main  store  was  remodeled,  another  story  ]Mit 
on.  and  a  residence  erected,  adjoining  the 
rear  of  the  store,  wliich  was  the  first  hard- 
ware firm. 

Clasius  and  Speidel,  ilruggists,  on  the 
corner  of  IlHnois  and  East  Eagle  Streets,  in 
the  Buford  IMock.  Dr.  Clacius  coming  here 
in  1858,  Mr.  Speidel  jdined  him  the  following' 
year.  They  sometime  later  sold  out  to  (ileim 
and  Hinckley.  ,Iohn  Bcngston  buying  the 
stock  March  15,  1808,  building  and  moving 
to  his  jiresent  quarters  in  1875. 


John  H.  Langley  and  Company,  George  W. 
1).  Harris  being  the  company,  forwarding  and 
commission  merchants,  steamboat  agents, 
agricultural  implements,  cement,  fire  lirick. 
etc.  Water  Street  west  of  Madis(ni  Street. 
They  were  successors  to  E.  T.  Sawver  and 
Company,  prior  to  1855. 

Peter  Fries,  wholesale  dealer  in  wines  and 
liquors,  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Wash- 
ington and  Water  Streets,  commenced  busi- 
ness in  1855,  with  F.  W.  Kellerstrass,  who 
retired  in  1861.  TIk^  location  was  the  old 
"Boston  Store"  of  Cornelius  Lynde,  senior 
and  junior. 

Biddison  and  (lilniore,  com])osed  of  Joseph 
A.  Biddison,  George  E.  IJiddison  and  \A'illiani 
F.  Gilmore.  Planing  Mill  and  corn  mill,  on 
the  corner  of  Washington  and  Rock  Rivei- 
Sti-eets;  commenced  business  in  1853. 

Warner  Mills,  built  in  1856,  corner  of  Wasli- 
ington  and  Highland  Streets,  was  a  four- 
stor}'  brick  building,  originally  built  for  a 
barrel  factory,  but  converted  into  a  flouring 
mill,  with  a  cajiacity  of  two  hundred  and 
forty  barrels  of  flour  a  day.  The  flour  mill 
was  first  run  by  Baker  and  Gilmore,  then  by 
John  Warner  and  L.  C.  Biu-\vell,  afterwards 
by  John  R.  Warner,  who  later  built  on  .-i 
heavy  frame  addition  for  a  sash,  door  and 
blind  factory,  and  ])laning  mill,  now  occu])ied 
by  the  Rock  Island  Stair  Works.  There  is 
still  in  existence  on  the  premises  one  of  the 
first  artesian  wells  drilled  in  the  city,  one 
luuidred  and  fifteen  feet  deep. 

C.  H.  Leas  and  son,  T.  Silas  Leas,  built  the 
first  steam  flouring  mill,  in  the  Winter  of 
1854,  on  Water  Street  east  of  F^xchange,  \A'. 
H.  Hayes  being  their  head  miller. 

William  AV.  Langdell,  blacksmith  and 
farmer,  Moline  Avenue,  near  Littig's  brewerv. 

Reaugh  and  Camertni,  shingle  factory  near 
the  boat  yard. 

Hakes  and  Riggs,  watches  and  jewel;-y, 
Illinois  Street,  west  of  Buffalo. 

Jacol)  Sailor,  saddlery,  harness  and  trunk 
manufactory,   Illinois  west  of  Washinglr)n. 


122 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


Sargent  and  Bollman,  blacksmiths.  Eagle 
Street  south  of  Illinois. 

Amos  Stillman,  County  surveyor.  1855. 

Henry  Curtis,  junior.  City  surveyor  and 
civil  engineer,  whose  work  can  still  be  seen 
on  many  of  the  original  jilats  on  file  in  the 
Court  House. 

W.  L.  Sweeney,  wagon  maker  (1855)  and 
Cyrus  Churchill,  blacksmith  (1855),  nuist 
have  joined  forces  shortly  after,  as  the  old 
firm  of  Churchill  and  Sw^eenej-  existed  for 
years  on  Eagle  Street  south  of  Orleans. 

Whitaker  and  Everts,  dry  goods.  Illinois 
west  of  Eagle. 

Uridge  Whiffen.  ornamental  painter,  an  old 
timer  and  still  on  earth,  generally  known  as 
John  Whiffen. 

Peter  L.  Hig.  brewerj-,  on  Moline  .\venue 
east  of  Andrews  Street  (1855). 

Charles  B.  Knox,  undertaker.  Rock  Ri\er 
and  Madison  Streets. 

John  Lusk,  collector  on  ferry  boat,  after- 
wards ran  a  hack  between  Rock  Island  and 
Moline. 

Bill  Kale  and  Charley  Fisher,  barbers. 

H.  A.  J.  McDonald,  carpenter  and  builder, 
on  Rock  River  Street  east  of  Broadway,  was 
the  father  of  our  present  postmaster. 

A.  J.  Swanson,  boots  and  shoes,  started  in 
1856  on  the  .south  side  of  Illinois  Street  east 
of  Buffalo  and  next  door  to  Graham's  stove 
store,  and  was  afterwards,  for  many  3-ears, 
near  the  old  Island  City  Hotel  and  Harper 
House, 

John  Harper  and  Alexander  Steel  came 
from  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  to  Rock  Island  in 
1855,  and  started  a  hardware  store  at  the 
present  location  of  the  Rock  Island  Savings 
Bank.  They  continued  in  business  together 
until  1865,  when  John  Harper  removed  to 
Denver  and  started  in  the  hardware  business 
there.  They  were  succeeded  by  Harper  and 
Company,  a  firm  composed  of  William  Harper, 
a  brother  of  John,  and  his  brother-in-law,  J. 
R.  McCalister,  then  of  Aledo,  Illinois,  the 
latter     being     a     silent     partner.     In     1S57 


William  Harper  died  after  a  brief  illness, 
and  ^Ir.  McCalister  took  charge  of  the  busi- 
ness. On  September  1,  1869,  J.  W.  Stewart 
moved  to  Rock  Island  from  Dayton.  Ohio, 
and  took  Mr.  Harper's  interest,  the  firm  being 
^IcCalister  and  Stewart.  In  1874  Mr.  Mc- 
Calister sold  his  interest  to  James  M.  Mont- 
gomery, then  of  Andalusia,  Illinois.  The 
firm.  Stewart  and  Montgomery,  continued 
until  1892.  when  J.  W.  Stewart  bought  Mr. 
Montgomery's  interest  and  continued  the 
business  alone  until  1905.  being  then  suc- 
ceeded by  the  present  owners,  the  Rock  Island 
Hardware  Company.  The  business  has  been 
in  but  two  locations  since  the  beginning, 
namely;  The  Second  Avenue  and  Seven- 
teenth Street  corner  from  1$55  to  1877,  and 
the  Dart  corner,  Second  Avenue  and  Eight- 
teenth  Street,  from  1877  to  the  present 
time. 

Quincy  McXiel,  school  teacher  in  the  little 
l)rick  school  house  in  Union  Square,  was  one 
who  used  the  rod  and  was  for  manj'  j-ears  a 
strenuous  figure  around  the  Court  House, 
being  at  one  time  Circuit  Clerk. 

C.  S.  Newberry  and  Brother,  jtainters.  Eagle 
and  Water  Streets. 

Jacob  Norris,  furniture  <lealer,  corner  of 
Illinois  and  Elk  Streets,  was  a  well  known 
character  and  politician. 

Childs  and  Baker,  dry  goods,  crockery,  etc., 
Illinois  Street,  east  of  Buffalo. 

Elton  C.  Cropper,  builder  and  carpenter. 
East  Eagle,  north  of  Illinois;  afterwards 
Police  Magistrate. 

David  L.  Cunkle,  millstone  manufacturer, 
and  dealer  in  flour  mill  supplies,  Illinois 
Street,  west  of  Jefferson. 

Fisk  and  Lee,  brokers  and  insurance  agents. 
East  Eagle  Street,  north  of  Illinois. 

Tim  Babcock,  wholesale  grocer,  near  Arf/ux 
office. 

W.  Hurst,  fruit  and  confectionery.  Illinois 
Street,  east  of  Buffalo. 

Charles  Jeanneret,  watchmaker  and  jeweler. 
Illinois  Street,  west  of  Washington, 


HISTORIC     ROCK     1  S  L  A  X  D     CO  V N T Y 


123 


George  D.  Bromley,  dry  goods,  jewelry, 
etc.,  Illinois  .Street,  west  of  Buffalo. 

N.  B.  Buford  Block,  the  red  brick  building 
near  the  northwest  corner  of  Illinois  and 
Buffalo  Streets. 

Bulkier  and  Pleasant 's  Ciothic  Block,  north 
side  of  Illinois  Street,  between  East  Eagle 
and  Washington  Streets. 

Physicians:  Patrick  Gregg;  Brackett  anil 
Bulkley:  Judd  and  Rathbun,  eclectic;  W.  F. 
Cady:  Calvin  Truesdale;  S.  G.  Plummer; 
William  A.  Knox. 

In  1858  Henry  Tremann  and  Augustus 
Tremann  opened  a  butcher  shop  oft  the 
north  side  of  Illinois  Street,  between  Elk 
and  Buffalo  Streets. 

In  1855  Frederick  Kramer,  carpenter, 
.Moline  Avenue,  east  of  Andrew.s  Street. 

1833.  Reverend  Asa  McMurt}-  was  the 
first  clergyman,  and  that  year,  or  the  j'ear 
following,  organized  a  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  * 

1834.  Charles  H.  and  L.  L.  Case  built  the 
first  house  in  Stephenson  on  the  corner  of 
Water  and  Beaver  Streets.  The  building  was 
used  as  a  Court  House  luitil  1837,  when  the 
first  Court  House  was  built  in  Court  House 
Square,  being  the  first  brick  building  in  town. 
The  first  hotel  in  Stephenson  was  opened  by 
Walter  Phillips  on  Orleans  Street,  opposite 
the  Coiu't  House. 

1835.  This  Spring  the  town  was  surveyed 
by  Charles  Bennett,  w-ho  was  the  first  sur- 
\eyor.  J.  H.  Coon  was  the  first  brick  maker 
and  brick  laj-er. 

1836.  James  Copp  opened  the  first  butcher 
stall,  also  packed  the  first  pork.  William 
Lathrop  was  the  first  wagon  maker.  Israel 
Showdy  the  first  blacksmith.  Morgan  Fer- 
guson the  first  painter.  Adam  Y.  Smith  the 
first  lawyer.  Doctor  P.  Gregg  opened  an 
office,  and  kept  drugs  and  medicines  for  sale. 
The  first  school  house  was  erected  on  the 
corner  of  Orleans  and  Otter  Streets. 

1837.  First  .ipwciry  store  opened  liy  R.  H. 
Kinney.     The  first  dentist  was  .1.   H.  Hranch, 


who  had  an  office  in  the  Rock  Island  House. 

1838.  Jacob  Sailor  was  the  first  harness 
maker  and  saddler,  and  John  Thompson  the 
first  cooper. 

1839.  The  first  stove  store,  tin  and  sheet 
iron  factory  opened  by  Lee  and  Chamberlin. 
Marcus  B.  Osborn  was  the  first  land  agent. 

1840.  Joseph  Johnson,  the  first  chair- 
maker. 

1841.  Name  of  Stephenson,  changed  to 
Rock  Island. 

1S43.  B.  F.  Barrett  opened  the  first 
lumber  yard. 

1845.  The  first  forwarding  and  commis- 
sion house  opened  by  Henry  Powars. 

1846.  First  livery  stable  by  Josejih  H. 
Jiarnett. 

1849.  First  telegraph  office  o)iened,  con- 
necting with  eastern  lines  \ia  St.  I.duis: 
Chicago  communication  was  oi)eued  in  l.Soo. 

1850.  First  skylight  daugerrean  gallery 
by  Erastus  Downey.  A.  Benedict  and  Com- 
pany opened  an  extensive  store  of  boots  and 
shoes,  leather  belting,  saddlery,  hardware, 
and  carriage  trimmings,  French  and  American 
calf  skins,  shoe  thread,  lasts,  boot  trees,  awls 
and  tacks.  N,  B.  Buford  and  M.  B.  Clark 
l)eing  the  Conspany,  location  Illinois,  west  of 
Buffalo  Street. 

1851.  The  Collegiate  Institute  and  Female 
Seminary.  The  four-story  brick  liuilding  in 
rear  of  the  Rock  Island  Club  house,  and 
facing  Third  Avenue,  was  built  and  opened 
in  1852,  by  Reverend  J.  W.  Dennison  as 
principal. 

Rock  Island  Cias,  Light  and  Coke  Company, 
the  first  gas  company  in  the  city,  was  organ- 
ized June  24,  1854,  and  has  been  iii  successful 
operation  since  January  1,  1855.  The  original 
stock  was  $100,000:  Jacob  Riley  coming  from 
Pittsburgh  to  install  the  plant.  During  1854 
the  company  laid  one  and  a  iialf  miles  of 
street  mains,  had  over  one  hiuidred  private 
consumers,  and  thirty  public  lamps.  Tl  ey 
contemplated  laying  pipes  to  Moline  duiin'j.- 
1855,   Imt   the  extension  was  not   made  until 


124 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


1888.  Benjamin  Harper  was  prdjirietor  for 
some  time,  later  selling  out  to  Sylvester 
Watts  of  St.  Louis.  W.  H.  Judge  was  the 
superintendent  uj)  to  1 892,  when  the  property 
was  sold  to  the  Jirush  Electric  Light  Com- 
pany, and  in  1893  transferred  to  the  Peoples 
Power  Company,  who  at  the  present  time 
have  fort^v-fi^^e  to  fifty  miles  of  street  mains. 
The  Rock  Island  County  Agricultural 
Society,  situated  in  the  town  of  Rock  Island 
for  a  number  of  years,  on  the  old  Camden 
road  north  of  Cooperstown,  was  organized  in 
1853,  holding  fairs  in  October  of  each  year. 
At  its  first  fair  .S1.5().9.5  was  distributed  in 
premiums. 

1854.  February  22d  the  Chicago  and  Rock 
Island  Raih'oad  being  completed,  the  first 
train  arrived.  A  big  celebration  was  given, 
and  an  excursion  of  six  steamboats  carried 
the  railroad  officials  and  notetl  visitors  to  St. 
Paul. 

1855.  The  Methodist  portion  of  Church 
Sqmire  was  purchased  by  the  City  and  the 
name  changed  to  Union  Square,  and  enclosed 
with  a  neat,  fence.  The  first  exclusive  hat 
and  cap  store  opened  by  Cook  and  Spangler. 
First  exclusive  music  store  started  hy  .1.  T. 
Croft.  First  regular  millinery  and  fancy  (h-y 
goods  store  by  Strickland  and  Judd. 

In  1855  there  were  four  hundred  and  tliirty- 
four  business  places  in  Rock  Island,  including 
professional  men. 

In  October,  1839,  was  i)ublished  the  first 
local  directory,  only  mentioning  town  officers, 
hotels,  professional  men  and  merchants. 

Pliysicians  and  Druggists:  Haviland  and 
Gregory,  P.  Gregg,  J-.  R.  Hadsell  (botanic), 
Silas  Reod.  H.  Reardsley. 

Lawyers:  .).  Wilson  Urur}-  (ofiice  in  Shop 
of  Dr.  Gregg).  .1.  H.  Wells,  H.  G.  ReynoMs. 

Tinners:     Lee  and  (^hamberlin. 

Shoemakers:     I'^lihu  Turner,  John  Motzgar. 

Bricklaj^ers  and  Plasterers:  \\'.  H.  Sage, 
J.  M.  Bellows. 

Coopers:     John  'l"hom]ison.  .1.  Millcnan. 

Drayman:     .lohii  Thompson. 


Butchers:  James  Copp,  Robert  Dunlap 
and  Company. 

Watchmaker:     R.  H.  Kinney. 

Blaci<sniiths:     Hibliard  Moore,  J.  Shonde. 

Saddlers  and  Harnessmakers:  Jacob  Sailor, 
J.  .M.  Frizzell. 

STAGE    A.\U    HACK    ROUTES    IX    1855. 

Rock  Island  and  Moline  Hacks  run  as  fol- 
lows: Leave  Rock  Island  at  S.  9:30  and  11 
o'clock  A.  M..  and  at  1.  2:30  and  5  o'clock 
P.  M.;  leave  :Moline  at  7:15,  9:15  and  11 
o'clock  A.  M.,  and  1,  3  and  4  o'clock  P.  M. 
Packages  of  less  than  one  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds  weight  carrietl  carefully  and  delivered 
jiromptly. 

Camden  and  Rock  Island  Hack  leives 
Camden  at  8  o'clock  A.  M.  and  2  o'clock  P.  M. ; 
leaves  Rock  Island  at  11  o'clock  A.  M.  and 
6  o'clock  P.  :\I. 

Stages  for  Galena  and  Dixon,  via  Port 
Byron,  leave  the  Rock  Island  House  every 
Ti'iesday,  Thursday  and  Saturday  morning 
at  7:30  o'clock.  For  [Macomb  at  the  same 
time  and  place.  For  Knoxville,  every  Tues- 
day and  Saturday  morning  as  above. 

ROCK  ISLAND  POSTOFFICE. 

The  first  jiostoffice  in  this  comity  was 
established  in  connection  with  old  Fort 
Armstrong,  April  23,  1825,  Colonel  George 
DaA-enport  being  the  first  postmaster.  Owing 
to  the  fact  that  there  was  no  one  to  administer 
the  obligations  of  the  position  Mr.  Davenport 
served  a  number  of  years  without  taking  an 
oath.  April  4.  1834,  the  first  postoffice  was 
established  upon  the  mainland  and  Josejjh 
Conway  was  made  the'  first  postmaster.  The 
office  was  first  located  at  Farnhamsburg,  but 
when  Stephenson  became  the  country  seat  it 
was  removed  to  somewhere  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  what  is  now  Seventeenth  Street.  In 
1843.  when  Colonel  John  Buford  was  post- 
master, the  office  was  located  between  Six- 
teenth and  Seventeenth  Streets  on  First 
.\ venue.  In  1849  it  was  removed  to  Second 
Avenue  between  Seventeenth  and  Eighteenth 


HISTORIC     ROCK    I  S  L A  X D     C 0 U N T Y 


125 


Streets.  In  1853  Bailey  ;ind  Hdvle's  build, 
ing,  in  the  rear  of  where  Mitchell  ;inil  I.ynde's 
building  now  stands,  was  occupied.  Tliree 
years  later  another  remoA-al  to  the  south  side 
of  Second  Avenue,  No.  1704,  between  Seven- 
teenth and  Eighteenth  Streets,  was  made,  but 
in  1S61  Bailey  and  Boyle's  building  was  again 
occupied,  the  office  remaining  there  till  the 
removal  to  the  present  quarters  in  tiie  federal 
building  in  December,  1896. 

The  different  postmasters  since  the  estab- 
lishing of  the  office  with  the  term  during 
which  they  served  are  as  follows: 

Joseph  Conway,  1834-1836;  :Miles  W.  Con- 
way, 1836-1840:  Jo.seph  B.  Wells.  1840-1841; 
Colonel  John  Bnford,  1841-1847:  Harmon  G. 
lieynolds.  1847-1849;  Elbridge  R.  liean,  1849- 
18.33;  James  Kelly,  1853-1855;  William  Friz- 
zpll.  1855-1856;  Lewis  M.  Webber,  1856-1858; 
Hernian  Field,  1858-1861  ;  Doctor  Calvin 
Truesdale,  1861-1865;  John  B.  Hawley,  1865- 
1866;  Captain  James  F.  Copp,  1866-1867; 
Marcns  B.  Osborn,  1867-1871;  Captain  J,.  :\I. 
Ilaverstick,  1871-1873:  William  Jackson.  1.S7.3- 
1876:  Thomas  Murdock,  1876-1880;  .Major  J. 
M.  Beardsley,  1880-1884;  Major  Charles  W. 
Hawes,  1884-1888;  Angu.st  Hnesing,  1888- 
1889;  Howard  Wells,  1889-1893;  J.  W,  Potter. 
1893-1897;  T.  H.  Thomas.  1897-1906;  Hugh 
A.  J.  McDonald,  1906. 

As  one  of  the  best  indications  of  the  manner 
in  which  the  city  has  grown,  the  receipts  of 
the  pDstoffice  at  different  periods  during  the 
])ast  twenty-three  years  are  given : 

1884 $15,441.84     1900 .'$69,2.50.91 

1885    ___._,     18,829.63     1901 .__ _.     77.881.96 

1889  23,560.38     1902 75,429.97 

1892 29,749.63     1903..- 74,108.17 

1896  30,721.84     1904 78,660.29 

1897  ..     34,495.95     1905  87.983.22 

1898 43,205.80     1906  88.375.64 

1899 57.440.11      1907  96,734.67 

The  free  delivery  system  was  inaugurated 
in  1888  with  five  carriers.  The  money  order 
dejiartment  does  an  unusually  large  amount 
of  l>usiness  for  a  citv  the  size  of  I\ock  Ishiiid. 


Twenty-nine  mails  are  received  and  thirty- 
two  dispatched  daily.  There  arc  now  being 
received  daily  an  average  of  over  12,000 
pieces  of  first  class  and  7,000  pieces  of  other 
mail.  ■  The  present  office  force  consists  of 
nineteen  clerks,  one  au.xiliary  clerk,  eighteen 
carriers,  three  substitute  carriers,  one  nn-al 
carrier,  and  one  special  delivery  messenger. 
Ten  jwstal  stations  are  also  located  through- 
out the  city. 

The  office  has  been  of  tlie  first  class  since 
1898. 

Paid  money  orders  in  1907  were  105.469, 
amounting  to  .SI  ,612,671.17. 

ROCK  ISLAND  POLICE  DEPARTMENT. 

In  the  early  days  of  Rock  Island  the  police 
force  was  small,  being  in  ])roportion  to  the 
needs  of  the  city  in  this  respect.  As  the 
)X)pulation  increased  the  number  of  guardians 
of  the  property  and  peace  of  the  citizens  was 
gradually  increased,  mainly  by  the  addition 
of  night  men.  For  many  years  the  mar.shal 
was  the  only  day  man  on  ordinary  occasions. 
He  staid  aliout  the  city  (jffices  and  if  anything 
came  up  demanding  his  services  he  went  out 
alone  and  disposed  of  the  business.  About 
thirty  years  ago  the  first  attempt  was  made 
to  ])rescribe  uniforms  for  the  members  of  the 
force,  but  each  man  was  allowed  considerable 
latitude  in  the  matter,  with  the  result  that 
there  was  a  wide  variety  in  the  makeups.  It 
is  only  during  the  last  fifteen  years  that  the 
officers  have  been  uuifoi'med  witli  any  degree 
of  precision  in  the  details  of  dress. 

The  force  now  emploj-ed  consists  of; 
Chief  <if  police,  two  desk  sergeants,  two  plain 
clothes  men,  a  police  matron,  sixteen  patrol- 
men, and  the  following  apparatus;  One  rub- 
l)er  tire  anil.)ulance,  one  patrol  wagon,  one 
chief's  buggy. 

ROCK  ISLAND  FIRE  DEPARTMENT. 

The  old  ' '  Bucket  Brigade  "  was  followed  by 
(lie  i-egular  A'olunteer  I'ire  Department,  which 
^\■as  (H-ganized   in    1856.   .■ind    ;i    i,,-ind   engine 


126 


IIISTOinC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


imrchased,  and  named  "  \\'(-.sterii  No.  1." 
Tli.e  onginc  \\  hen  recei\ed  was  housed  in  a 
new  two-story  brick  huildinK  on  the  nortli- 
west  corner  of  Court  House  Square.  Frazer 
Wilson  was  elected  ])resident,  and  (ieorge  E. 
Biddison  foreman.  The  company  was  limited 
to  seventy-five  members. 

Later  another  company  was  formed  and 
took  the  name  of  "Aquarius  No.  2" — motto 
"Water  Hearer."  The  comjiany  having  a 
membership  of  si.\ty-five,  with  George  L. 
Carlton  as  foreman.  The  second  comjiany 
organized  was  the  "Rescue  No.  2."  in  1.S.5S, 
and  a  doul)le-decker  hand  engine  purchased, 
named  "Rescue  No.  2,"  and  stationed  in  a 
new  engine  house  on  Jefferson  Street,  l)etween 
Orleans  and  Rock  River  Streets,  afterwards 
Walter  Dauber'.s  old  blacksmith  shop. 

The  old  primitive  ladder  wagon  was  a 
rough  convenience,  the  ladders  likewise:  the 
sides  being  of  good  sized  gin  poles,  sawed 
lengthwise  in  the  center,  and  heavy  enough 
to  take  eight  or  ten  men  to  raise  them.  The 
first  modern  Hook  iuid  Ladder  Truck  was 
purchased  in  1S74;  named  the  "Reveille," 
and  housed  in  the  Western  No.  1  engine  house. 
The  Wide  Awake  Hose  Company  was  exjjected 
to  run  this  truck,  but  arrangements  were 
made  for  quick  word  to  a  livery  stable  for 
a  s])an  of  horses,  often  running  their  street 
hack  on  the  .juni])  tf)  furnish  the  horses. 

The  first  steam  fii-e  engine  was  purchased 
in  LS69  and  named  the  William  Eggleston, 
and  housed  in  W^estern  No.  1  house.  The 
second  fire  engine  was  the  Reserve  No.  2, 
piu'chased  in  1S71.  and  hoiised  in  Rescue  No. 
2  iuind  engine  house. 

In  1876  the  department  consisted  of  fi\e 
hose  companies,  one  hook  and  ladder  truck, 
and  one  steam  engine  held  in  reserve,  and  one 
hose  carriage.  The  hose  companies  were  the 
Phoenix  No.  1,  Wide  Awake  No.  2,  Hope 
Hose  No.  3,  Rescue  No.  4,  Neptune  No.  5. 
The  old  volunteer  chiefs  have  been  George 
Carlton,  Elton  C.  Cropper,  William  Kale, 
S.    Ji.    Stoddard,    A.    Roswog,    ('.    15.    Kno.x, 


.lacob  Udllcnhaupt .  Thomas  Yates,  Patrick 
Kennedy,  Thomas  HoUman,  in  IS76.  Harry 
Hall  assistant  chief,  and  .laines  Johnston. 

Sei>tember  2.  1X01.  the  j)aid  Fire  Depart- 
ment of  the  City  of  Rock  Island  was  organ- 
ized. Honorable  William  McConochie,  mayor 
Daniel  Corken.  B.  F.  Knox  and  Winslow  P. 
Tindall  fire  and  light  committee.  William 
Ramskill  was  appointed  chief,  and  Bernard- 
Hrahm  assistant  chief.  The  department  at 
that  time  consisted  of  eight  men,  including 
officers.  The  apparatus  included  one  two- 
liorse  hose  wagon,  and  one  two-horse  ladder 
truck,  that  was  formerly  used  l)v  the  Volun- 
teer Fire  Department.  On  March  8,  1892, 
the  department  was  increased  by  three  men, 
making  tlie  total  number  eleven  men.  On 
May  26,  1S94,  two  sub-stations  were  installed; 
No.  2  hose  com])any  located  on  Eighth  Street, 
in  the  building  formerly  occupied  by  the 
Phoenix  hose  company;  and  No.  3  hose  com- 
pany located  on  Twenty-sixth  Street;  these 
hose  comjjanies  consisted  of  three  men  each 
and  one  two-horse  hose  wagon.  At  this  time 
T.  J.  Medill  was  mayor,  and  appointed  Bern- 
ard Brahm  chief  of  the  department,  and  J.  D. 
Collier  assistant  chief.  In  1895,  as  mavor, 
11  F.  Knox  a|)pointed  James  Johnston  as 
chief  and  .1.  1).  Collier  as  assistant  chief. 
Mr.  Johnston  had  served  the  old  volunteers 
as  their  chief  with  honor  and  credit  to  him- 
self and  the  city.  In  May,  1897,  T.  J.  Medill 
being  again  elected  mayor,  J.  D.  Collier  was 
apjiointed  chief,  and  Peter  Frey  assistant 
chief. 

In  1899  Charles  Hastings  was  ajjpointed 
chief  under  Mayor  McConochie's  administra- 
tion, aiul  Peter  Frey  assistant.  Mr.  Hastings 
served  as  chief  without  interruption  frf)m 
1899  until  June  1,  190.5,  when  he  resigned. 
Mr.  Fred  L.  Tul)l)s  was  appointed  chief 
September  9,  1905,  and  served  until  the 
Spring  of  1907.  when  Mr.  Hastings  was  again 
appointed  chief,  and  Peter  Frey  assistant 
chief;  and  both  are  the  present  incumbents. 
The   recognition   of   both    Mr.    Hastings   and 


HISTORIC     liO  C  K     1  S  L  A  X  I)     COUNTY 


127 


^[r.  Frey  bespeak  their  merit  and  efficiency. 
Mr.  Frey  has  been  in  continual  service  as 
assistant  chief  since  May  .5.  1S97.  As  one  of 
the  new  chiefs  says,  "a  kind  word  of  praise 
for  the  volunteer  firemen  of  liygone  days 
should  not  be  amiss;  too  much  praise  or  credit 
can  not  be  given  these  men  who  in  the  faith- 
ful, voluntary  discharge  of  their  tluty  often 
endangered  their  lives  and  health,  while 
responding  to  alarms  of  fire;  often  contracting 
serious  illness  and  jjermanent  disability; 
never  receiving  one  cent  of  compensation  for 
their  services;  these  heroes  of  tlie  other  days 
deserve  the  same  credit  as  the  volunteer 
solider.  but  the  public  as  usual  in  such  cases 
withholds  the  reward  that  is  due." 

At  the  present  time  the  department  force 
consists  of  nineteen  men;  eighteen  men  being 
paid  full  time,  and  one  man  acting  as  substi- 
tute when  men  are  laying  off  through  sick- 
ness or  injuries,  or  on  their  annual  fvndough. 

The  apparatus  of  the  department  consists 
of  three  two-horse  hose  wagons,  one  two-horse 
h(Hik  and  ladder  truck,  and  one  chief's  buggy. 

The  truck  and  chief's  buggy  ai'c  new;  the 
new  truck  replacing  the  old  Jiabcock  truck 
which  had  been  in  service  for  thirtA'-one  years. 

THE  WATERWORKS  SYSTIIM, 

August  14.  ISTI.  the  city  council  passed  an 
ordinance  authorizing  the  location  of  a  pump- 
ing station  near  the  Rock  Island  Flow  factory. 
at  the  west  end  of  the  city  and  the  installing 
of  \\ater  mains  along  the  business  streets, 
l)onds  to  the  amount  gf  $75,000  being  issued 
to  meet  the  cost.  In  a  few  years  there  began 
to  he  complaints  that  the  water  was  bad, 
especially  after  a  system  of  sewers  had  lieen 
built  in  1878.  The  city  was  divided  into  two 
sewer  districts,  with  Seventeenth  Street  as 
the  dividing  line,  and  the  waste  of  the  lower 
district  in  particular  a])pears  to  have  affected 
the  water  supply.  In  l.SSl  the  ])resent 
pumping  station  at  the  foot  of  Twenty-fourth 
Street  was  Iniilt,  F,  L.  Cable  contriliutiiig 
.|'2.").t)(l()  toward   its  construction.      .\   t\\(Mit\-- 


inch  iidet  pipe,  2,200  feet  in  length  was  laid 
to  the  channel  at  the  north  end  of  the  (Jovern- 
ment  bridge,  and  two  Holly  |)umps  were 
installed,  having  a  capacity  of  :{,()()0,()()() 
gallons  a  day. 

At  the  end  of  ten  years  the  consumption 
of  water  in  the  city  became  so  great  that 
these  facilities  were  inadecpuite.  A  Gaskcll 
pump  with  a  capacity  of  ,5,000,000  gallons 
daily  was  installed  and  a  thirty-incli  inlet 
pipe  was  laid  beside  the  old  twenty-inch  one 
to  the  channel  of  the  river.  At  this  time 
there  was  no  way  in  which  the  water  supply 
could  be  filtered  and  at  times  it  was  rendered 
unfit  for  most  uses  by  the  sediment  caused 
by  floods.  A  mechanical  filter  was  donated 
by  Honorable  Jien  T.  Cable  as  a  memorial  to 
that  gentleman's  father.  F.  I,.  Cable,  and 
considerable  im])rovement  in  the  w.ater  su]iply 
was  noted. 

The  bluffs  above  the  city  affording  such 
e.xceptional  advantages  for  the  location  of 
gravity  filters  and  reservoirs,  a  strong  senti- 
ment in  favor  of  such  an  improvement 
developed  and  in  1897  the  tract  of  land  now 
known  as  Reservoir  Fark  was  purchased  from 
a  syndicate  of  Rock  Island  ca[)italists  for  the 
sum  of  $27,600,  and  the  following  year  the 
e.xcavation  for  six  basins  was  begun.  The 
system  was  adopted  in  response  to  the  pains- 
taking efforts  of  the  then  mayor.  T.  ,1.  Medill. 
In  1899  the  work  was  done,  but  imperfections 
in  the  workmanship  brought  about  through 
bhmders  on  the  jjart  of  the  engineer  in  charge, 
developed,  and  it  became  necessary  to  do  a 
great  part  of  the  lining  of  the  basins  over 
again.  The  system  is  now  in  perfect  working 
order.  Its  operating  capacity  is  3.000,000 
gallons  daily,  wliich  is  barely  sufficient  to 
supply  the  city's  needs  in  ordinary  times. 
There  are  two  settling  basins,  three  sand 
filters  and  a  large  clear  water  basin,  the  latter 
having  a  capacity  of  5,500,000  gallons.  The 
water  is  pumped  direct  from  the  ri\-ei-  to  the 
settling  basins  and  after  filtration  it  i-etiu-ns 
to   the   nuiius   through   the  action   of  gravity 


12S 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


which  gives  sullicieiit  pressure  for  ordinary 
jiiirposes. 

For  fire  protection  and  to  furnish  the  bhiff 
district  with  water,  a  stand  pipe  lias  been 
erected  on  Thirtieth  Street  and  last  year  an 
electric  puni|)ing  station  with  a  capacity  of 
l.oOO.UOU  gallons  daily  was  placed  near  the 
reservoir. 

The  total  cost  of  the  system  to  date 
(August.  1908)  has  been  8260,000.  There 
are  now  4.400  private  consumers,  and  two 
hundred  and  fifty  fire  hydrants,  against  one 
hundred  and  sixty  fire  hydrants  six  years  ago. 
The  average  daily  water  consumption  is 
3.000.000  gallons,  and  daily  operating  capac- 
ity 16.000.000  gallons.  There  are  about 
forty-five  miles  of  water  mains.  A  new 
pump  was  installed  at  the  pumping  house  in 
February,  1907,  at  a  cost  of  §25.000,  which 
with  the  addition  to  the  building  made  a 
total  expenditure  of  S40,000. 

ROCK  ISLAND  PUBLIC  PARKS. 

The  parks  of  Rock  Island  consist  of  three 
public  squares,  and  a  tract  containing  about 
forty  acres  within  the  corporate  limits,  known 
as  Long  A'iew  Park.  The  small  parks  are 
known  respectively  as  Spencer  Square,  Ciarn- 
sey  Square  and  Court  House  Square, 

Spencer  Square  is  situated  in  what  is  known 
as  Spencer  and  Case's  Addition,  this  Addition 
was  laid  out  in  1836  by  John  W.  Spencer  and 
Jonah  Case.  What  is  now  known  as  Spencer 
Square  was  not  laid  out  in  lots,  but  in  the 
first  instance  was  occupied  in  part  for  school 
piu-poses.  from  April.  1846.  to  about  1850. 
The  little  old  one-story  brick  school  house 
being  in  the  center  of  the  square,  the  north- 
west part  by  the  Fir.st  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  the  southwest  part  by  the 
Baptist  Church,  It  ceased  to  be  occupied 
for  school  purposes  about  the  year  1850,  by 
the  Baptists  about  1846,  and  in  the  year 
1855  the  City  of  Rock  Island  bought  out  the 
claim  of  the  Methodist  Church.  After  the 
year    1855    it    was    not    occupied    for    either 


church  or  school  purposes.  It  was  fenced  in 
by  the  City,  a  large  Liberty  Pole  erected,  and 
trees  planted;  the  fence  was  removed  about 
the  year  1870,  since  which  time  it  has  been 
in  actual  use  by  the  public. 

Previous  to  the  year  18S0.  occasionally 
during  periods  of  high  water  in  the  Missis- 
sippi River,  Spencer  Square,  then  known  as 
Union  Square,  was  flooded.  This  continued 
until  the  grade  of  Second  Avenue  was  raised. 
This  prevented  any  further  flood  on  the 
Square.  Previous  to  1889  there  existed  in 
the  City  a  society  known  as  the  Citizens 
Improvement  A.ssociation.  This  association 
was  organized  for  the  purpose  of  advancing 
the  imi)rovement  of  the  City  in  matters 
material. 

The  first  objects  of  improvement  advocated 
by  the  association  was  the  paving  of  the 
streets  and  the  filling  up  to  grade  of  Spencer 
Square;  the  Square  before  that  time  was  in 
a  very  rough  condition.  At  one  time  a 
quarry  was  opened  in  the  Square  by  the  City, 
very  much  to  the  disgust  of  ilr.  Ren  Harper, 
who  in  1870  built  what  is  now  known  as  the 
Harper  House,  situated  on  the  west  side  of 
the  Square.  For  the  purpose  of  further 
improvement  the  Cit}-  Council  appointed  the 
office  of  park  commissioner  without  salary, 
to  which  office  flavor  William  McConochie 
appointed  William  Jackson,  a  lawyer  of  the 
City.  Immediately  after  his  appointment 
^Ir.  Jackson  laid  out  the  Sqiuire  with  cross 
and  interior  walks,  then  called  upon  the  citi- 
zens for  donations  of  statuary,  vases,  arches 
and  other  ornaments,  the  principal  orna- 
ment was  a  fountain  donated  by  Honorable 
Ben  T,  Cable  and  IMrs,  Lucy  Castleman, 

In  1892  a  granite  statute  of  the  Indian 
Chief,  Black  Hawk,  was  presented  by  Otis 
J.  Dimick,  of  Chicago,  who  for  many  years 
was  a  resident  of  Rock  Island,  ^lany  citizens 
contributed  to  the  ornamentation,  costing 
altogether  about  S6,500.  When  completed 
the  Square  was  conceded  to  be  one  of  the 
handsomest  in  the  northwest,  the  pride  of  the 


HISTORIC     ROCK     1 SL  A \ D     CO  U N T  Y 


129 


citizens  of  Rock  Island.  Judge  Spencer, 
after  whom  the  Square  is  named,  came  to 
Hock  Island  about  the  year  1828,  and  resided 
here  until  his  death-in  1878.  He  was  a  kind, 
Christian  gentleman,  held  in  high  regard  by 
all  the  people.  The  Square  was  named  after 
him  in  1885. 

About  the  year  1871  the  heirs  of  Jonah 
Case  endeavored  to  recover  from  the  City 
an  undivided  half  of  the  Square,  claiming 
that  the  purposes  of  the  dedication  of  the 
Square  by  the  proprietors  had  been  abandoned 
by  the  City  and  others,  and  that  the  Jonah 
Case  half  of  the  Square  belonged  to  his  heirs. 
Judge  Spencer  supported  the  City's  claim. 
A  suit  was  brought  in  the  United  States  Court 
in  Chicago  by  the  Jonah  Case  heirs  to  recover 
the  land,  but  the  court  sustained  the  posses- 
sion and  right  of  the  City.  Since  tliat  time 
no  attempt  has  been  made  to  disturb  the 
City  in  the  possession  of  the  Square  as  a 
public  park. 

The  Coiu't  House  Square  was  dedicated  for 
County  purposes  by  the  County  Commission- 
ers, who  laid  out  the  town  of  Stephenson  in 
1835.  Afterwards,  in  1841,  it  was  named  the 
town  of  Rock  Island,  The  Square  was  named 
Stephenson  Square  after  one  Colonel  Benja- 
min Stephenson.  On  this  Square  is  located 
the  Court  House  and  jail,  the  first  Court 
House  was  built  in  1837,  the  first  jail  in  1836. 
The  present  jail  was  built  in  1857,  the  present 
Court  House  in  1895.  It  is  never  spoken  of 
as  Stephenson  Square,  always  Court  Hotise 
Square. 

Garnsey  Square  is  located  at  the  west  end 
of  the  City,  it  is  located  in  what  is  known  as 
the  Chicago  or  lower  Addition,  and  was 
fir.st  called  Franklin  Sqviare.  It  is  named 
after  Daniel  G.  Garnsey,  who  was  one  of  the 
proprietors  of  the  Addition.  The  Square  was 
underlaid  by  a  gravel  deposit,  a  few  trees 
were  grown  upon  it,  but  the  nature  of  the  soil 
was  not  favorable  to  trees  and  vegetation. 

.•\bout  the  year  1881  the  City  Council 
induced   by   the   popularity   of  the   imi)ro\-c- 


ment  of  Spencer  Square,  resolved  to  improve 
Garnsey  Square.  With  that  end  in  view  the}' 
hauled  away  the  gravel  underlying  the  Square 
and  filled  it  u])  with  clay;  after  that  was  done 
the  Square  was  graded,  trees  were  planted, 
also  impro^■ed  by  walks  and  cross  walks,  a 
fountain,  the  gift  of  Weyerhaeuser  and  Denk- 
mann,  was  placed  in  the  center,  and  improved 
and  ornamented  in  other  respects  b_v  gifts 
from  citizens.  Tlie  Sq\uu'e  is  now  a  beautiful 
public  resort. 

Long  Mew  Park  contains  about  thirty-nine 
acres.  It  is  bounded  by  Eighteenth  and 
Twelfth  Avenues,  Seventeenth  and  Fifteenth 
Streets.  The  land  was  donated  to  the  City 
for  park  purposes  by  Frederick  Weyerhaeuser, 
Morris  Rosenfield,  Charles  H.  Deere  and 
Captain  T.  J.  Rol^inson 

The  deed  conveying  the  land,  made  by 
Rudolf  Weyerhaeuser,  who  was  trustee  for 
the  donors,  is  dated  August  30,  1897,  and 
contains  a  provision  forbidding  the  sale, 
barter,  gift  or  use  of  intoxicating  liquors  on 
the  land. 

About  1902  ilr.  Chris  Gaetjer  was  appointed 
superintendent  of  the  park  without  salary, 
but  on  account  of  the  meager  annual  appro- 
priations made  by  the  City  Council  little  was 
done  by  way  of  improvement  except  the 
cleaning  up  of  the  land  and  the  trimming  of 
the  trees. 

In  1905  the  Honorable  George  W.  McCask- 
rin,  then  ma3'or  of  the  City,  for  the  purpose 
of  securing  the  permanent  improvement  of 
Long  View  Park,  appointed  a  Board  of  Park 
commissioners,  consisting  of  William  Jackson, 
Fred  C.  Denkmann,  William  H.  Dart,  Otto 
Huber  and  Ed  B.  McKown.  These  gentle- 
men afterwards  formulated  a  plan  which  was 
concurred  in  by  the  City  Council,  bj'  which 
the  City  agreed  to  appropriate  for  two  years 
the  annual  sum  of  $6,250,  provided  the 
citizens  would  subscribe  a  like  stun. 

The  work  of  obtaining  subscriptions  from  the 
citizens  was  begun  by  the  members  of  the  board 
ill  which  they  were  assisted  by  Superintendent 


130 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


Gaetjer.  Tlie  cffoii  was  successful.  By 
the  month  of  May.  1!)()().  the  citizens' 
siibscriiition  anKnuited  to  over  .|13,OU0;  there- 
upon the  work  of  ])ermanent  improvement 
was  befiun.  The  phiii  of  iinjirovement  con- 
sisted of  hiving  out  macadamizing  and  drain- 
ing a  road  and  l)rancli  road  through  the  park; 
excavating  for  two  hikes  on  which  beautiful 
swans  and  water  fowl  could  disport,  and  be 
viewed  with  pleasure  by  visitors;  the  improve- 
ments also  including  a  model  public  building. 
Cement  walks,  a  waterfall,  a  lirooklet  con- 
necting the  lakes,  a  splendid  pavilion  over- 
looking the  Cities  of  Rock  Island  and  Daven- 
port, a  rustic  bridge  and  series  of  dams  on 
the  line  of  the  lakes  and  connecting  brooklet. 
A  beautiful  memorial  fountain,  the  gift  of 
Misses  Naomi  and  Catherine  Davenport,  of 
Davenport,  Iowa,  in  memory  of  their  uncle, 
the  Honorable  Bailey  Davenport,  deceased, 
several  times  mayor  of  Hock  Island.  ^lany 
other  valuable  imjirovcments  were  made,  all 
of  which  are  highly  ap]ireciated  by  the  citizens 
of  Rock  Island,  as  evidenced  by  the  numbers 
that  visit  the  park  daily.  On  the  west  side 
of  the  park  is  a  children's  ]ilay  ground,  with 
swings,  slides  and  other  fixtures  for  their 
amusement,  the  gift  of  Mrs.  Anna  Davis. 
From  the  varied  character  of  the  land  com- 
posing Long  Mew  Park,  with  its  beautiful 
plateaus,  mounds,  slopes,  with  the  improve- 
ments nuide  it  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that 
when  completed  it  will  favorably  com]3are 
with  any  ]iark  on  the  Mississipjii  River;  the 
ease  l)y  which  it  can  be  reached  by  the  people 
will  make  it  always  a  center  wliere  the  people 
can  enjoy  its  restful  and  beautiful  surround- 
ings. 

ROCK  ISI.AXI)  IMHI.IC  SCHOOLS, 

The  citizens  of  Rock  Island  at  an  early  day 
evinced  a  great  interest  in  education.  Prior 
to  1857,  the  schools  of  Hock  Island  existed 
under  the  sub-district  form  of  organization. 
At  this  time,  however,  the  attendance  liecame 
so    large    and    the    schools    were   growing   so 


lapidly  that  a  different  organization  became 
nece.ssary  in  order  that  the  pupils  of  the 
district  might  enjoy  better  facilities  for  secur- 
ing a  common  school  education.  Through  a 
united  effort  a  law  was  enacted  to  incorporate 
the  "Rock  Island  School  District,"  and  a 
charter  obtained  February  18,  1857.  for  the 
establishment  of  the  present  school  system. 
This  charter  which  was  thus  created  for  the 
government  of  the  Rock  Island  schools,  has 
been  in  force  for  over  fifty  years,  and  under 
its  wise  provisions  the  schools  have  been 
efficient  in  jjroviding  excellent  facilities  for 
obtaining  a  good,  common  and  high  school 
education. 

The  first  board  of  education  consisted  of 
AV.  L,  Sweeney,  George  Mixter,  Jacob  Sailor, 
Elton  C.  Cropper,  and  David  Hawes,  Of 
this  board  Messrs.  Cropper,  Sailor  and  Haw-es 
served  two  years,  George  Mixter  and  AV.  L. 
Sweeney  six  years.  Of  the  forty-eight  ])er- 
sons  who  have  served  on  the  board  since  1857, 
J.  M.  Ruford  served  twelve  years;  S.  AV.  Mc- 
Master,  eleven  years;  ]\[.  D.  Alerrill.  thirteen 
years;  F.  M.  Sinuett,  ten  years:  and  Mylo 
Lee,  nine  years. 

Among  those  who  have  rendered  excellent 
service  in  Iniildiug  up,  from  a  snuill  beginning, 
the  excellent  system,  were  William  Bailey, 
Charles  Buford.  George  Mixter,  E.  C.  Cro]Ji)er. 
John  Barge.  A.  F.  Cutter,  M.  I).  Merrill. 
Edward  Burrall.  and  W.  S.  Knowlton.  who 
have  ]3assed  to  their  eternal  home.  They 
are.  howe\er,  kindly  remembered  by  thcni- 
sands  who  ha\-e  enjoyed  the  educaticuial 
advantages  they  were  so  largely  instrumental 
in  providing. 

The  first  sujierintendent  ]ilaced  in  charge 
of  the  schools,  as  organized  under  the  charter, 
was  B.  M.  Re\nolds,  who  served  from  lSo7 
to  1862.  During  the  jiast  forty  years,  the 
schools  have  had  ten  superintendents,  whose 
names  and  terms  of  service  are  as  follows: 

B.  M.  Reynolds,  1857-1862;  A.  M.  Gow. 
186'2-1868;  James  M.  Gow.  1868-1869:  \\'.  A. 
Bemis,   1869-1S71:  J.    V.  Gowdv.   1S71-IS72: 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


131 


J.  F.  Everett,  1S72-1881;  S.  S.  Kemble,  1881- 
1895;  James  A.  Ament,  1895-1896;  R.  C. 
Young,  1896-1900;  H.  B.  Hayden,  1900,  luvl 
at  present,  1908,  our  good  superintendent 
and  director. 

It  will  be  observed  that  S.  8.  Kemble.  who 
is  largel}'  responsible  for  the  system  of  schools 
which  has  been  built  up  in  the  city,  has  had 
the  longest  term  of  service,  having  held  the 
position  of  superintendent  for  fourteen  consec- 
utive years.  Superintendent  Kemble  did  a 
grand  work  in  our  city  during  the  long  term 
he  had  charge  of  the  schools;  and,  though  he 
is  today  far  away  in  his  western  home,  he 
holds  a  warm  place  in  the  affections  of  our 
citizens,  both  young  and  old. 

The  schools  of  the  city  are  as  follows: 

High  School,  Twenty-first  Street  and  Sixth 
Avenue.  H.  E.  Brown,  principal;  Cora  L. 
Eastman,  assistant  principal. 

Hawthorne  School,  Eighth  Street  and  Third 
Avenue.     L.   C.   Daugherty,   principal;   ^lary 

E.  Entrikin,  assistant  principal. 
Washington  School,  Thirteenth  Street  and 

Third    Avenue.     Emily    Freeman,    principal. 

Kemble  School,  Nineteenth  Street  and 
Fifth  Avenue,     .^dda  Ellen  Muse,  principal. 

Lincoln  School,  Twenty-second  Street  and 
Seventh  Avenue.     Mary  Piatt  principal. 

School  for  Deaf  Children,  in  Lincoln  School 
building. 

Eugene  Field  School,  Twenty-ninth  Street 
and  Seventh  Avenue.  Sarah  Johnston  prin- 
cipal. 

Irving  School,  Twelfth  Street  and  Ninth 
Avenue.     Leonora   Witherspoon  principal. 

Longfellow  School,  Forty-second  Street  and 
Seventh  Avenue.     Ida  W.  Lundy,  principal. 

Horace  Mann  School,  Thirty-seventh  Street 
and  Fourteenth  Avenue.  Mary  L.  Carter, 
principal. 

Grant  School,  Seventh  Street  and  Eleventh 
Avenue.     Dora  E.   Newton,  principal. 

Board  of  Education  of  1907  and  1908:  C 
H.  Seidel,  W.  B.  Mclntyre,  Hamlin  H.  Hidl, 

F.  C.  Denkmann,  Doctor  J.  W.  Stewart. 


Our  district  should  congratulate  itself  upon 
the  exceptional  facilities  that  have  been  pro- 
^•ided  for  the  education  of  its  young  people. 
Few  cities  have  their  school  Ijuildings  more 
wisely  distrifnited,  more  substantial  in  struc- 
ture, and  graceful  in  architecture,  or  more 
completely  and  comfortably  furnished. 

In  the  year  1856  there  was  set  on  foot  a 
]ilan  to  erect  a  High  School  building.  A  lot 
was  imrchased  for  .16.000  and  a  building 
erected  for  $30,000.  When  nearly  finished, 
on  the  night  of  July  4,  1858,  it  was  fired,  and 
the  interior  entirely  destroyed.  It  was  re- 
built and  occupied  in  1859.  The  second 
High  School  was  burned  February  15,  1901; 
after  which  the  classes  were  conducted  in  the 
Broadway  Presbyterian  Church  Sunday  School 
rooms.  The  present  High  School  was  erected 
in  1901,  at  a  cost  of  $125,000.  Mr.  Frederick 
F.  Borgolte  was  the  architect,  and  John  Volk 
and  Company  the  contractors. 

The  original  contract  was  $85,985;  extras 
and  additions  making  the  total  $125,000. 

The  contract  was  let  June  4,  1901,  and  the 
building  opened  for  occupancy  September  6 
of  the  same  year.  While  the  chief  object  of 
the  High  School  is  the  preparation  of  pupils 
for  life,  rather  than  for  college;  several 
University  prejniratory  courses  are  offered. 
Graduates  of  this  school  who  have  completed 
any  of  these  courses  are  eirtitled  to  a  Uni- 
versity certificate  which  will  admit  them  to 
any  (jf  the  leading  colleges  and  universities. 

COLLEGES. 

AUGUSTAXA    COLLEGE. 

Augustana  College  and  Theological  Seminary 
was  founded  in  1860,  making  it  one  of  the 
older  educational  institutions  of  the  State. 

At  a  meeting  held  in  Chicago,  April  27, 
1860,  the  founders  of  the  Augustana  Synod 
(feeling  the  urgent  need  of  teachers,  preachers 
and  citizens  prepared  to  take  the  lead  in 
religious  and  intellectual  work)  decided  to 
erect  an  institution  where  young  men  could 
be  prepared  for  the  great  work  of  life.     This 


132 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND    COUNTY 


ilatc  has  liceii  jienerally  ohserx'ed  e\er  since 
as  ■■Founders  Day"  by  the  churches  (if  the 
synod;  the  income  from  ail  tliese  celebrations 
to  be  fiiven  to  a  permanent  fund  for  an 
Aufiustana  professorship. 

Durinj;  the  first  three  years  of  its  existence 
(1S(3()-1S68)  Angustana  was  located  at  Chicago 
Professor  L.  P.  Esbjorn  Ijeing  president. 
Througli  inducements  from  Paxton,  Ford 
County.  Illinois,  in  1S63.  Augustana  was 
nio\ed  there,  where  it  remained  for  twelve 
years,  under  the  successful  guidance  of 
President  Doctor  T.  X.  Hasselcpiist  and 
Professor  Henry  Rock  of  Pennsylvania.  The 
location  at  Paxton  not  being  considered 
central  enough  a  removal  was  very  strongly 
urged,  some  wishing  Chicago,  and  others  the 
Mississipjii  A'alley.  Rock  Island  was  finally 
chosen  and  ground  broken  for  the  new  college. 
A  few  friends  assembled  on  the  forest-covered 
bluff  at  Rock  Island,  and  as  they  prayed  that 
the  institution  in  its  new  home  should  become 
a  teni]ile  of  the  Lord  and  shed  its  benign 
influence  far  and  wide,  they  thought  of  the 
tcnqile  of  the  Israelites,  and  how  men  in 
their  prayers  turned  t<iward  it  as  a  source  of 
blessing  to  a  whole  nation.  Filled  with  this 
feeling,  they  luinied  the  hill  ■'Zion,"  which 
name  it  bears  to  this  day.  In  1875  the 
college  was  opened,  although  not  thoroughly 
com])leted.  Doctor  Hassekiuist  being  jiresi- 
dent  and  Professor  Rock  vice-president. 

From  these  beginnings  the  institution  has 
grown  to  be  a  first  class  American  College, 
offering  courses  and  doing  work  equal  to  the 
very  best,  with  students  numbering  seven 
hundred  and  a  faculty  composed  of  men 
from  the  leading  American  and  European 
universities.  All  departments  are  extremely 
strong  and  jjrogressive.  The  academic  de- 
partment offers  a  foin--years'  course,  giving 
preparation  for  entrance  to  Vale  and  other 
universities.  F(n-  graduates  who  desire  to 
become  clergymen  the  institution  has  an 
excellent  theological  seminary.  The  college 
department    of   foin-   years   offers   courses   in 


classical  and  scientific  work  leading  to  the 
degrees  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  and  Bachelor  of 
Science,  recognized  by  American  universities, 
such  as  Yale  and  Harvard,  and  European 
universities.  The  normal  dejiartnient  jire- 
pares  students  for  woi'k  as  teachers.  In  the 
conservatory  of  music  thorough  instruction 
is  given  in  singing,  violin.  ])ipe  organ,  jiianp, 
harmoii}-,  counterpoint,  musical  dictation, 
elocution,  ph3-sical  culture,  orchestra  instru- 
ments, and  other  subjects.  The  art  depart- 
ment, under  the  direction  of  Professor  Grafts- 
strom,  a  fellow  student  of  the  great  artist, 
Zorn,  has  shown  some  excellent  work.  In 
the  business  department  are  taught  book- 
keeping, stenography,  type  WTiting,  and 
other  necessary  commercial  branches.  It  is 
an  institution  that  Rock  Island  should 
more  than  be  proud  of  and  appreciate.  For 
tliirty-three  years,  in  which  it  has  made  its 
home  with  us.  under  the  guidance  of  Doctor 
(lustav  Andreen.  the  scholarly  gentlenuui 
who  is  now  Augustana 's  ]3resident.  the  college 
is  experiencing  an  un])arallelled  ])eriod  of 
prosperity  and  growth. 

THK    \  ILLA    Di;    CHAXTAI.. 

This  institution  (Home  school  for  girls)  was 
formerly  known  as  Francis  de  Sales  Academy, 
and  was  founded  in  1864  at  Maysville.  Ken- 
tucky. In  Aug\ist,  1S99.  the  academy  was 
removeil  to  Rock  Island.  The  Mlla  de 
Chantal  is  located  on  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
bluffs  o\-erlooking  the  Mississippi,  and  com- 
manding a  superb  view  of  the  surrounding 
country.  The  institution  was  first  incor- 
porated in  1S6G.  under  the  title  of  "The 
Sisters  of  the  Msitation."  Maysville.  Ken- 
tucky, and  after  its  removal  to  Rock  Island 
it  was  re-incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the 
State  of  Illinois,  with  the  new  title,  "The 
Sisters  of  the  A'isitation,"  Rock  Island.  Illi- 
nois. By  its  charter  the  academy  possesses 
all  the  rights  and  privileges  of  a  collegiate 
institution.  The  course  of  study  embraces 
the  academic,  intermediate  ami  primary 
departments. 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    CO  U  X  T  Y 


133 


The  academic  department  offers  two 
courses,  the  general  and  the  college  prepara- 
tory; art,  drawing,  painting  and  crayon  work 
are  provided  for  in  the  course.  The  piano, 
organ,  harp,  mandolin  and  violin  are  taught 
by  competent  instructors. 

The  department  of  elocution  is  under  the 
supervision  of  a  finished  pupil  of  the  Chicago 
School  of  Oratory.  Foreign  languages  may 
1)6  studied  under  the  supervision  of  accom- 
plished linguists.  Aesthetic  culture,  and  daily 
physical  exercises  receive  special  care.  The 
library  of  the  Villa  de  Chantal  is  one  of  the 
most  complete  school  libraries  in  the  State. 
The  City  of  Rock  Island  is  to  be  congratu- 
lated on  possessing  this  excellent  educational 
institution. 

THE  ROCK  ISLAND  PIBLIC  LIHRARY. 

The  public  library  building  of  the  City  of 
Rock  Island,  is  very  beautiful  in  design  and 
architecture,  and  is  the  most  imposing  edifice 
belonging  to  the  citv,  and  of  it  all  its  citizens 
are  justly  jjroud.  In  fact  it  is  readilv  con- 
ceded to  be  the  most  beautiful  and  com- 
modious public  building  in  the  county,  and 
with  its  valuable  and  well  .selected  library, 
both  for  reference  and  general  literature,  its 
influence  for  good  in  the  community  is  very 
great  and  cannot  be  over-estimated.  Its 
architecture  is  of  "Ionic"  design.  Its  in- 
terior decoration  is  in  "Italian  renaissance'' 
and  most  beautifvd  in  design  and  execution. 
Tiie  building  complete  with  all  furnishings 
together  with  lot  cost  approximately  .194,000. 

The  present  library  is  the  result  of  arduous 
and  incessant  toil  and  attention;  and  it  is  to 
l)e  deplored  that  no  record  of  the  exertions 
and  sacrifices  of  the  intellectual  men  and 
women  who  were  primarily  responsil)le  for 
its  l)eiiig,  has  been  preserved.  All  the  facts 
are  therefore  not  obtainable,  but  tiiis  mucli 
is  known : 

Karly  in  June,  1855.  a  few  imlilic  spirited 
citizens  of  the  city  begun  the  serious  consid- 
eration of  this  question,  and  it  began  to  take 


definite  form  June  26,  1855.  The  Rock 
Islander  of  July  4,  1855,  announced  that 
"one  of  the  oldest  and  most  eminent  citizens 
will  gladly  give  one  hundred  dollars  toward 
a  library;  provided  nine  others  would  give  a 
like  amount."  On  September  15,  1855,  a 
public  meeting  of  citizens  was  held  in  the 
basement  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  was  organized  by  the  selection  of  Hon- 
orable M.  B.  Osborn  as  chairman  and  H.  C. 
Connelly  and  O.  P.  Wharton  as  secretaries. 
The  desirability  of  a  lilirary  organization  was 
discussed  by  Messrs.  Bailey.  Hayes,  Pershing, 
Knox  and  Marshall,  and  sesulted  in  the 
appointment  of  Messrs.  Knox,  Velie,  Steel, 
T.  J.  Buford,  Pershing,  Fish,  Bailey,  Conway, 
Harper  and  Kelly  a  committee  to  solicit  sub- 
scriptions upon  the  conditions  that  those 
giving  one  hundred  dollars,  their  children 
between  the  age  of  fourteen  and  twenty-one, 
should  be  life  meml)ers:  persons  giving  fifty 
dollars  shoidd  he  life  members;  those  giving 
twenty-five  dollars  shoukl  be  members  for  ten 
years,  those  giving  ten  dollars  should  be 
members  for  four  years,  and  those  giving 
three  dollars  should  be  members  for  one 
year.  Five  hundred  dollars  was  subscribed 
at  that  meeting,  and  Messrs.  Knox,  Pershing 
and  Wilkinson  were  appointed  a  committee 
to  draft  a  constitution. 

On  October  3,  1855,  the  organization  was 
completed  by  the  adoption  of  the  name  of  the 
"  Rock  Island  City  Library  and  Reading 
Room  Association"  and  the  election  of  the 
Honorable  Joseph  Knox  ])resident,  H.  C. 
Connelly  vice-president.  Honorable  W.  M. 
Bailey  treasurer  and  R.  M.  Marshall  secre- 
tary. At  this  meeting  Mr.  C.  H.  Waite  of 
Chicago  donated  lot  three,  block  fifty-three, 
Chicago  or  Lower  .\ddition,  valued  at  two 
hundred  dollars,  to  the  Association,  and  the 
hall  ciiinmittee  was  instructed  to  lit  up 
"Lilirary  Hall"  on  the  third  floor  of  Jiaile}' 
and  Boyle's  block.  On  October  24.  1S55,  an 
advertisement  was  inserted  in  the  Rock 
IMandcr  for  a  librarian,  and   Mr.   Ricliani   P. 


134 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


Cropper  was  cho.seti  librarian.  The  reading 
roona  was  opened  about  November  7,  1855, 
from  10  A.  M.  to  10  P.  M.  On  December  3, 
1S55,  announcement  was  made  tliat  a  large 
invoice  of  books  had  been  received  from  New 
York  and  that  the  fully  equipped  library 
would  be  ojjcned  to  the  public  (in  Tuesday 
and  Wednesday  following,  from  1(1  to  12 
A.  M.,  1  to  5:30  and  6:30  to  10  I'.  M.  In 
1857  the  nundjcr  of  volumes  had  increased 
to  1,000.  P'or  many  years  this  association 
was  prosperous,  and  proved  a  great  benefit 
to  the  city.  After  some  years  the  interest 
seemed  to  wane,  and  Mr.  Charles  Pettifer 
became  librarian.  During  his  incumbency  the 
library  substantially  ceased  to  be  popular  and 
it  was  closed. 

Afterward  some  of  the  young  men  of  the 
city  organized  an  association  known  as  the 
"Young  Men's  library  Association,"  and  the 
library  of  the  original  association  passed  to 
its  control.  It  continued  to  he.  a  live  and 
valuable  association  until  the  organization  of 
the  present  City  library,  having  increased 
the  number  of  \(ilumes  to  2,000,  and  was  sup- 
ported by  the  annual  dues  of  its  members. 

It  was  not  until  August,  1872,  that  full 
public  cognizance  was  taken  of  tlie  manifold 
and  far-reaching  value  of  such  an  organiza- 
tion. In  this  last  mentioned  year  the  General 
Assembly  of  this  State  passed  the  present 
library  law,  and  it  was  approved  and  came  in 
force  March  7,  1872.  A  few  of  the  leading 
citizens  of  the  City  readily  realized  that  a 
public  library  would  be  of  inestimable  value 
to  the  City,  and  they  ]iromi)tIy  ]iroceeded  to 
avail  themselves  ol'  the  law,  and  their  efforts 
to  that  end  were  readily  sti|)ported  by  the 
mayor  and  V\ty  Cinmcil  of  the  City.  On 
August  12,  1S72,  tlic  City  Cotuicil  pa.ssed  an 
ordinance  organizing  a  public  library  as  a 
part  of  the  City  government,  and  at  the  same 
meeting  Messrs.  Henry  Curtis  and  E.  I). 
Sweeney  appeared  before  the  council,  and  on 
behalf  of  the  "Young  Men's  i,il)rary  Associa- 
tion,"   donated    tie    entire    librai'v    of    that 


association,  consisting  of  about  2,000  volumes, 
to  the  City.  Thus  the  present  public  library 
was  established,  and  it  is  believed  to  have 
l)een  the  second  library  established  under  the 
law  of  1872. 

On  October  12,  1872,  Mayor  Bailey  Daven- 
port recommended  to  the  City  Council  that 
Messrs.  Kdward  Burrall,  Cornelius  I-ynde, 
junior,  E.  I).  Sweeney,  W.  H.  Gest,  L.  M. 
Haverstick,  Milton  Jones,  Conrad  Spiedel, 
R.  Lloyd  and  P.  T.  McKlhern  should  consti- 
tute the  first  hoard  of  directors,  and  they 
were  unanimously  approved  as  such  directors. 
The  Vioard  organized  by  the  electitm  of 
Edward  Uurrall  as  president  and  K.  1). 
Sweeney  as  secretary. 

The  discussion  of  the  proposition  to  erect 
a  new  library  building  in  the  City  begun  as 
early  as  1895,  and  serious  consideration  was 
given  it  by  the  Ijoard  of  directors,  collectively 
and  individually,  from  time  to  time;  Init 
definite  action  to  that  end  was  delayed  for 
the  reason  that  the  majorit_y  of  the  board 
thought  it  inadviseable  to  increase  the  taxa- 
tion upon  the  citizens  to  the  extent  necessary 
for  such  iiur]iose.  During  these  years  the 
different  members  of  the  board  gave  the 
cjuestion  much  thought,  and  various  wealthy 
citizens  of  the  City  were  approached  u])on 
the  subject,  with  the  view  to  elicit  their  co- 
operation and  financial  aid  toward  the  erec- 
tion of  a  suitable  building  as  early  as  1897. 
Mr.  Frederick  Weyerhaeuser  early  showed  an 
interest  in  the  project,  and  proposed  to  join 
with  others  he  mentioned  in  providing  a  fund 
with  which  to  build:  but  as  no  one  else  wcuild 
co-operate  the  project  failed.  ^Ir.  Andrew 
Carnegie's  attention  was  called  to  the  needs 
of  the  City  by  one  or  more  citizens  other  than 
members  of  tiie  hoai'd  of  directors,  but  with- 
out being  able  to  interest  him  in  tlie  matter. 

The  accomodations  for  the  lil):'a;\v  beca  lie 
so  poor  ami  inadequate  and  tlie  growing  needs 
of  the  library  so  great,  that  finally  the  iward 
of  directors,  which  consisted  of  Charles  L. 
\\'alk<'r,  ]iresi(lent  ;  .lohn  \V.  Welch,  secretary; 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


135 


and  Walter  Johnson,  Louis  Kohn,  Charles  J. 
Larkin,  C.  W.  Foss,  Charles  Fiebig,  Alexander 
lie  Soland,  and  Joseph  Kerr,  were  compelled 
to  take  action  looking  toward  the  erection  of 
a  new  library  building  by  general  taxation, 
and  in  view  of  the  steady  advance  in  real 
estate  it  seemed  imperative  that  a  suitable 
site  be  secured  without  delay,  and  the  board 
finally,  on  October  10,  1S99,  appointed  a 
committee  to  consider  the  matter  and  report. 
On  March  6,  1900,  the  committee  reportefl 
that  they  had  obtained  an  option  on  the 
present  premises  for  $8,500,  and  the  committee 
was  continued  to  further  consider  the  ques- 
tion. On  April  7,  1900,  they  reported  that 
Messrs.  Drack  and  Kerns  had  been  emjiloyed 
to  prepare  preliminary  plans  for  a  suitable 
liiirary  building,  and  such  ]>lans  were  sub- 
mitted, with  the  estimated  cost  of  $70,000, 
The  board  unanimously  approved  such  report 
and  plans,  and  passed  the  required  resolution 
for  the  erection  of  the  building,  out  of  general 
taxes,  to  be  collected  in  seven  yearly  install- 
ments. On  April  9,  1900,  the  City  Council 
authorized  and  directed  the  board  of  directors 
to  proceed  to  have  such  building  erected. 

For  this  action,  and  the  liberal  and  pro- 
gressive spirit  manifested,  the  jieople  are 
indebted  to  the  following  city  otiicers:  Hon- 
(iral)le  William  McConochie,  Mayor;  H.  C. 
Schaffer,  city  clerk;  and  Aldermen  George 
W.  Aster,  Fred  Gall,  John  Lawhead,  Thomas 
A.  Pender,  H.  L.  Wheelan,  Andrew  Soder- 
strom,  Michael  Concannon,  Charles  Willis, 
Albert  Johnson,  Robert  Beck,  Charles  Heide- 
mann,  Basilius  Winter,  J.  O.  Freed  and  Henry 
Elwell. 

On  June  12,  1900,  the  board  requested  that 
the  first  installment  of  $10,000  be  levied,  and 
the  City  Council  on  June  26,  1900,  duly 
ordered  such  levy.  August  20,  1900,  the 
l)oard  of  directors  obtained  a  deed  for  the 
lots  on  which  the  building  now  stands. 

On  November  13,  1900,  Mr,  Walker  re- 
ported to  the  board  of  directors  that  .Mr. 
Fiederick   Weyerhaeuser,   in  order   to   ))ei-niil 


the  immediate  erection  of  a  library  building, 
had  very  generously  offered  to  give  the 
l)oard  outright  $10,000  and  to  loan  them 
$50,000  at  five  per  cent,  provided  a  fire  proof 
and  ornamental  building  be  erected.  This 
offer  was  gladly  accepted  and  i)lans  for  such 
a  building  were  ordered.  Mr.  Leonard  Drack, 
architect,  submitted  plans  of  the  present 
building,  but  when  the  bids  for  its  erection 
were  opened,  it  was  found  that  it  coidd  not 
be  erected  within  the  jimoinit  at  the  disposal 
of  the  board,  except  by  eliminating  the 
beautiful  columns  and  ])ilasters.  This  dilem- 
ma was  submitted  to  Mr.  Weyerhaeuser,  and 
he  insisted  that  the  beauty  of  the  building 
should  not  be  sacrificed;  and  in  order  to  pre- 
vent it,  generously  gave  $2,500  in  addition, 
and  ptn-suaded  Mr.  F.  C.  A.  Denkmann  to 
give  a  like  amount.  Sui)scquently.  in  order 
to  eiuxble  the  board  to  liquidate  the  extra 
cost  of  the  building  occasioned  by  the  diffi- 
culty of  getting  a  safe  foundation  and  some 
other  necessary  changes,  Mr.  Weyerhaeuser 
gave  the  further  sum  of  $5,369.32,  and 
finally  his  generosity  induced  him  to  purchase 
thirty  feet  additional  ground  adjoining  the 
library  lot  on  the  east,  so  as  to  make  the 
lot  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  square,  thus 
making  his  total  gift  to  the  library  $20,769.32. 
The  contract  for  the  liuilding  was  entered 
into  September  10,  1901,  with  Collins  Broth- 
ers as  general  contractors,  for  $58,147,  who 
immediately  begun  work.  The  corner  stone 
was  laid  in  the  Fall  of  1902,  and  the  building 
was  opened  to  the  jniblic  for  general  use 
December  15,  1903.  The  first  floor  consists 
mainly  of  one  large  room,  divided  only  by  the 
delivery  desk  with  its  attachments  and 
metal  stacks,  into  stack  room,  reading  room, 
reference  room  and  children's  room.  To  the 
right  of  the  stack  room  are  the  librarian's 
office  and  the  work  rimui.  The  stack  room 
will  accommodate  60,000  \-olumes.  Up  stairs 
are  the  directors'  room,  art  room  and  audience 
room,  the  latter  to  Ije  used  in  tiie  future  for  a 
general  reading  nioui.      In   ilie  ixisement  are 


136 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


rooms  for  Government  documents,  newspaper 
files,  heating  plant,  lavatories,  etc.  All  are 
finished  in  quarter-sawed  oak.  in  antique 
finish.  The  rooms  are  thus  conveniently 
arranged  for  entire  supervision  from  the 
delivery  desk,  and  the  rooms  are  spacious 
and  airy.  It  is,  withal,  a  public  institution 
for  which  the  people  of  the  city  and  county 
are  justly  proud,  and  for  this  they  are  largely 
indebted  to  the  generosity  and  public  spirit 
of  Mr.  Weyerhaeuser.  It  contains,  in  round 
numbers,  18,000  volumes,  besides  pamphlets, 
which  are  freely  loaned  to  all  citizens.  The 
art  and  assembly  rooms  are  large  and  well 
adapted  to  such  uses,  and  the  directors'  room 
is  beautifullj'  decorated  and  furnished. 

The  building  committee  consisted  of  Mr. 
C.  L.  Walker,  elected  member  of  the  board  in 
Juty,  1891,  and  who  has  been  its  president 
since  July  25,  1893;  Mr.  J.  W.  Welch,  ap- 
pointed a  member  of  the  board  in  1890,  and 
has  been  its  secretary  since  Juh-  25,  1891; 
C.  J.  Larkin.  appointed  in  1886,  and  Louis 
Kohn,  appointed  in  1894.  The  present 
members  of  the  board  are  Charles  L.  Walker, 
.John  W.  Welch,  Claude  W.  Foss,  Charles  J. 
Larkin,  Louis  Kohn,  Charles  Fiebig,  Alex- 
ander de  Soland,  C.  P.  Comegj-s  and  Doctor 
Joseph  DeSilva..  Miss  Ellen  Gale  is  the 
librarian,  and  Miss  Fanny  F.  Cleland  first 
assistant  librarian,  and  Miss  Elsie  Schocker 
second  assistant.  The  library  and  reading 
rooms  are  open  from  9  A.  M.  to  9  P.  M.  on 
week  days. 

HOSPITALS  AXl)  HOMES. 

For  a  city  the  size  of  Rock  Island,  it  is 
adequately  supplied  with  institutions  for 
careing  for  the  sick,  injured  and  indigent. 

Bethany  Home,  for  neglected  children, 
orphans  and  deserving  poor,  located  in  the 
upper  end  of  Rock  Island,  on  Fifth  Avenue, 
was  formerly  known  as  the  Lnian  Mission, 
and  was  located  at  Eighth  Street  and  Fourtli 
Avenue.  Later  it  wa.s  transferred  to  South 
Rock  Island,  wl-.ere  it   was  maintained  until 


January  3.  1906.  The  new  quarters  are  of 
brick,  and  are  capable  of  accommodating 
fifty  children.  There  are  now  forty  inmates. 
The  cost  of  the  present  home,  inclusive  of 
SI .000  transferred  in  real  estate,  was  810,600. 
It  was  incorporated  July  12,  1899,  and  its 
donors  and  supporters  ran  into  the  hundreds. 
It  is  non-sectarian. 


This  magnificent  and  much  needed  struc- 
ture was  originally  established  in  1894,  under 
the  care  of  the  Franciscan  Sisters  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception.  In  1904  the  present 
building,  including  the  new  section  and  alter- 
ations, was  completed  at  a  total  cost  of 
S60,000.  The  hospital  is  now  self-supporting, 
twelve  nurses  are  employed,  twelve  sisters  are 
retained  to  perform  the  necessary  work  aside 
from  nursing,  and  it  has  a  capacity  of  one 
hundred  patients.  The  building  is  an  im- 
posing four-story  brick  structure,  and  is 
surrounded  by  a  beautiful  and  spacious  lawn. 
Miss  Mary  X.  Robertson,  widely  known  for 
ability  as  a  trained  nurse,  is  superin- 
tendent. 

CEMETERIES. 

Chippiannock  Cemetery  Association  of  Rock 
Island  was  organized  in  1855.  The  cemetery 
grounds  occupy  a  beautiful  natural  spot  of 
sixty  acres,  one  mile  south  of  the  City  of 
Rock  Island.  Outside  of  the  natural  advan- 
tages, the  grounds  are  beautifully  laid  out  in 
winding  drives  and  walks,  according  to  plans 
made  by  Mr.  Hotchkiss,  who  laid  out  the 
celebrated  Greenwood  Cemetery  of  Brooklyn. 
New  York.  The  grounds  are  mainly  sLijiing. 
with  the  hill  top  flat,  backed  by  a  wooded 
ravijie,  and  are  nicely  timbered  with  fine  old 
trees.  It  is  an  ideal  spot  for  a  cemetery,  and 
surpassed  by  very  few  in  natural  beauty. 
The  name  Chippiannock  is  of  Indian  origin, 
and  means  ''City  of  the  Dead."  Here  rest 
over  7,000,  including  those  removed  from  the 
old  cemeterv  at  the  head  of  Eagle  Street. 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND     CO U N T Y 


137 


The  Hebrew  Burying  (iroiind  Association 
of  Rock  Island  was  organized  in  1.S69,  and 
owns  one  acre  in  Chii)]iiannock  Cemetery, 
very  beautifully  laid  out  and  enclosed  with 
a  fine  hedge. 

Calvary  Cemetery  Association,  adjoining 
Chippiannock  Cemetery  (jh  the  southeast 
corner,  contains  about  five  acres,  and  was 
established  nearly  fift_y  years  ago.  Three 
years  ago  it  was  incorporated  under  the  name 
of  "Calvary  Cemetery  Association,"  and  is 
controlled  by  a  board  of  directors.  In  this 
cemetery  rest  about  one  thousand. 

8t.  Mary's  Catholic  Cemetery,  located 
south  of  Chippiannock  and  Calvary,  was 
instituted  about  ten  years  ago,  aiul  is  gov- 
erned by  a  board  of  directors. 

Carr's  Cemetery  is  located  in  South  Rock 
Island,  north  side  of  the  river  road. 

Dickson  Cemetery,  is  located  in  Sears. 

Lutheran  Cemetery,  located  on  the  Twenty- 
fourth  Street  hill,  one-half  mile  south  of  city 
limits. 

BANKS  OF  ROCK  ISLAND  COUNTY. 

Before  entering  into  details  of  the  banks  of 
Rock  Island  County  it  would  be  well  to  recall 
early  conditions  and  incidents. 

Within  the  last  fifty-six  j^ears  there  have 
been  numerous  panics,  but  none  so  disastrous 
locally  as  that  of  1S57  and  1858.  Four  banks 
in  Rock  Island  were  reduced  to  one  (MitcheU 
and  Cable)  as  the  immediate  result,  and  that 
bank  and  the  bank  of  Gould,  Dimock  and 
Company,  Moline,  were  the  only  banks  in  the 
county  for  several  years.  The  bulk  of  the 
currency  in  this  section  in  those  days  was 
issued  by  the  Bank  of  Florence,  organized  by 
Cook,  Sargent  and  Parker,  but  it  was  located 
at  Florence,  Nebraska,  which  is  still  an 
insignificant  suburb  of  Omaha.  It  must  be 
remembered  that  there  was  no  railroad  across 
the  State  of  Iowa  in  1857.  hence  the  jilace  of 
ultimate  redemption  of  Florence  money  was 
|iractical!y  inaccessible.    As  long  as  the  pow  er- 


ful  banking  house  of  Cook  and  Sargent  at 
Davenport  voluntarily  redeemed  the  notes, 
they  stood  high  bvit  when  that  firm  went 
down  in  the  panic  great  distress  followed  in 
this  section. 

As  far  as  I  know  there  was  never  but  one 
daylight  baidv  hold-up  in  thecounty.  March  24, 
1856  there  was  a  robbery  of  $5,000  from  the 
bank  of  Cook,  Sargent  and  Parker  in  Rock 
Island.  Jlr.  Parker,  the  cashier,  was  out  of 
the  city,  and  at  the  noon  hour  A.  F.  Heath, 
bookkeeper,  had  gone  to  the  Rock  Island 
House  for  dinner,  leaving  the  teller.  John 
Thorington.  alone  in  the  office.  Thorington 
said  he  was  assaulted  by  three  men,  having 
been  knocked  down  with  ashmgshot ,  ami  that 
the  robbery  and  escape  followed. 

He  dragged  himself  inin  th(>  adjoining 
hardware  store  of  Har|)('r  and  Steel  in  a  \ery 
much  battered  state.  Alarm  was  immedia- 
ately  given  and  officers  and  citizens,  horse- 
back and  afoot,  swarmed  over  the  city  and 
surrounding  country,  but  withotit  a-vail.  The 
matter  is  still  a  mystery. 

.lulj'  20,  1904,  burglars  made  a  desperate 
attempt  to  enter  the  safe  of  the  State  Bank  of 
East  Moline.  With  a  liberal  use  of  nitro- 
glycerine they  blew  off  the  outer  safe  door. 
but  left  at  about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning 
without  having  made  any  impression  on  the 
Inu-glar  proof  money  box. 

While  they  did  not  get  a  cent  of  money 
the}-  made  a  sad  wreck  of  office  and  furniture. 
No  clew  was  ever  obtained  of  the  burglars. 
Charles  Fiebig,  lock  expert  of  this  city, 
opened  the  money  chest  next  morning  and 
contents  were  intact  and  uninjvu'ed. 

John  L.  Drew,  of  Davenport,  was  a  clerk 
in  the  tiank  of  Cook,  Sargent  and  Parker  of 
Rock  Island  in  1854.  continuing  with  tl  e 
bank  of  Mitchell  and  Cable  for  a  few  niuntlis 
during  the  year  of  1856.  He,  therefore,  served 
as  a  lianker  at  an  earlier  date  than  any  livini 
man  in  this  section.  Honorable  .1.  .M.  floid  1 
late    of    Moline,    served     for    a    great     many 


138 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


successive  years  as  a  banker,  and  is  the  pioneer 
living  bank  president.  Phil  Mitchell  com- 
menced his  bank  service  in  1863;  it 
has  been  practically  continuous,  and  he  is 
probably  entitled  to  credit  for  longest 
service. 

In  order  to  sliow  the  growth  of  the  banking 
business  it  may  be  said  that  in  1873.  which 
was  a  panic  year,  deposits  in  all  the  banks  in 
the  county  did  not  exceed  $600,000.  Now 
they  are  SI  1.800,000. 

The  first  bank  in  this  section  was  that  .of 
Cook  and  Sargent,  established  in  1847  at 
Davenport.  It  continued  in  business,  as  the 
leading  bank  on  the  upper  Mississippi  until  its 
failure  in  the  ]5anic  of  1858.  Its  owners, 
Ebenezer  Cook,  John  P.  Cook  and  George  B. 
Sargent,  were  able  financiers,  and  at  the  time 
of  the  failure  they  probably  owned  more 
good  Iowa  land  than  any  later  firm  or  indi- 
vidual, but  it  could  not  be  sold  at  any  price 
in  those  distressing  times. 

The  first  bank  in  Rock  Island  County  was 
that  of  Cook.  Sargent  and  Parker,  which  in 
1852  occupied  the  room  now  occupied  by 
T.  H.  Thomas,  Second  Avenue  and  Seven- 
teenth Street.  In  1854  this  bank  was  moved 
to  the  quarters' now  occupied  by  the  State 
Bank  of  Rock  Island,  its  successor,  showing 
a  continuous  existence  of  more  than  fifty-six 
years.  It  is  the  oldest  bank  in  the  State  of 
Illinois,  save  one.  In  1856  the  late  P.  L. 
Mitchell,  and  the  late  P.  L.  Cable  came  to 
Rock  Island  frcnn  Kentucky  and  bouglit  out 
the  Cook,  Sargent  and  Parker  bank,  con- 
tinuing the  business  under  the  firm  name  of 
Mitchell  and  Cable  mitil  1860.  \\hen  the 
late  Cornelius  Lynde.  junior,  bought  out  Mr. 
Cable's  interest,  and  the  firm  became  Mitchell 
and  Lynde,  whicli  firm  was  in  turn  succeeded 
by  the  present  State  liank  of  Rock  Island  iu 
1905. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1852  or  early  1853  the 
late  Isaac  Negus,  and  the  late  William  L.  Lee 
and  the  late  M.  B.  Osborn  organizeil  tlie  Rock 


Ishuid  Hank,  a  state  institution,  and  author- 
ized under  the  then  existing  state  banking 
law  to  issue  bank  notes,  which  it  did  liberally. 
Jolin  H.  Kinney,  now  of  Chicago  was 
cashier  for  several  years.  This  was  the 
first  hank  of  i.ssue  in  the  county,  and  it 
is  fair  to  state  it  met  every  dollar  of 
its  oldigations.  both  to  depositors  and  note 
holders,  chiefly  through  the  financial  rectitude 
and  moral  stamina  of  the  late  Isaac  Negus, 
wlio  stood  by  it  manfully,  and  was  its  last 
president  when  its  bank  building  and  business 
were  sold  to  Mitchell  and  Lynde  in  1861. 

The  Hank  of  the  Federal  Union  of  Rock 
Island  was  organized  in  1856  by  the  late 
General  N.  B.  Buford.  H.  C.  Blackburn  antl 
Bushrod  Birch,  all  brothers-in-law.  This  was 
also  a  bank  of  issue  as  well  as  deposit  and 
svu'ciinilied  to  the  ]ianic  of  1857  and  1858. 

In  1S56  there  was  the  private  banking 
house  of  Fish,  (Joodale  and  Lee  at  Rock 
Island.  This  bank  also  went  out  of  business 
in  the  panic  of  1857  and  1858,  but  our  late 
fellow  citizen.  Mylo  Lee,  was  the  medium 
through  which  every  dollar  of  its  oljligations 
were  paid. 

Mitchell  and  Lynde  continued  to  be  the 
only  bank  in  Rock  Island  from  1861  to  1863, 
when  P.  L.  Mitcliell  and  Cornelius  Lynde. 
junior,  organized  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Rock  Island,  capital  .Sloo.diio,  with  P.  L. 
Mitcliell  as  president  and  J.  .M.  Buford  as 
cashier.  It  was  among  the  earliest  of  the 
national  banks  to  be  in  operation  in  the 
United  States,  its  charter  number  being 
one  hundred  and  eight.  It  continued  in 
business  until  1S90.  when  its  business  was 
merged  with  that  of  Mitchell  and  Lynde. 

The  next  liank  to  be  started  in  Rock  Island 
was  the  Rock  Island  National  Bank,  in  1871, 
whose  first  president  was  the  late  Captain 
T.  J.  Robinson,  and  first  cashier  Mr.  A. 
Benedict,  now  of  San  Jose,  California.  Mr. 
Benedict  served  but  a  short  time  and  he  was 
succeeded   bv   the  late  J.   F.    Robinson,   the 


//  /  ,s  T  0  R  I  C     R  0  C  K     I  S  L  A  N  D     C  0  U  N  T  Y 


139 


present  officers  being  H.  E.  Casteel,  president- 
M.  S.  Heagy,  vice-president:  and  H.  B.  Sim- 
mon, cashier.     Capital,   SI 00,000. 

The  Peoples  National  Bank  of  Rock  Island 
— capital,  $100,000 — was  organized  in  1S74, 
with  Bailey  Davenport  as  president,  .Joseph 
Rosenfield,  vice-president  and  John  Peetz  as 
cashier.  Its  present  officers  are  Otto  Huber, 
])resident,  and  Carl  Hellpenstell,  vice-president 
and  cashier. 

The  Rock  Island  Savings  Bank  was  the 
first  savings  bank,  and  first  state  bank  to  be 
organized  imder  the  present  Illinois  banking 
laws  in  the  county.  Capital,  $100,000.  The 
first  officers  were  E.  P.  Reynolds,  president, 
and  .1.  M.  Buford,  cashier,  which  position  he 
retained  up  to  the  time  of  his  election  to  the 
presidenc}'  to  succeed  the  late  P.  L.  Mitchell. 
The  present  officers  are  Phil.  Mitchell,  presi- 
dent; H.  P.  Hull,  vice-president,  and  P. 
(ireenawalt,  cashier. 

The  Central  Trust  and  Savings  Bank  of 
Rock  Island— capital,  $100,000 — was  organ- 
ized in  1899,  and  its  present  officers  are  H.  E. 
Casteel,  president;  M.  8.  Heagy,  vice-president 
and  H.  B.  Simmon,  cashier. 

In  Moline,  Chajjinan  Brothers  conducted  a 
small  banking  and  exchange  business,  with 
insurance  agency,  as  early  as  1856,  but  they 
failed  in  the  ensuing  panic,  and  it  may  be 
truthfully  said  the  beginning  of  the  banking 
business  in  Moline  was  in  1857,  when  Gould, 
Diniock  and  Company  started  their  private 
bank. 

This  bank  was  succeeded  in  December, 
1863,  by  the  Fir.st  National  Bank  of  Moline, 
with  J.  S.  Koatiir  as  president,  and  J.  M. 
Gould  as  cashier.  John  Deere  was  president 
in  1866,  succeeded  by  J.  M.  Gould  as  president 
and  J.  S.  Gillmore  cashier  in  1867,  H.  S. 
Chai)man  becoming  vice-president  in  1905, 
succeeding  J.  T.  Browning.  It  was  merged 
with  the  Peoi)les  Saving.s  Hank  and  Trust 
('oni]nin3-  in  1905. 

The  Peoples  Savings  Bank  of  Moline — 
caiiital,  $1()(),00()- organized  in  1S91,  its  first 


officers  being  C.  H.  Deere,  president;  Morris 
Rosenfield,  vice-president,  and  J.  S.  Gilmore, 
cashier,  merged  with  the  Peoples  Savings 
Bank  and  Trust  Company  in  1905. 

The  Peoples  Savings  Bank  and  Trust 
Company  of  Moline  was  organized  in  1905. 
Capital,  $150,000.  This  was  a  consolidation 
with  the  First  Xatioinxl  Bank,  and  Peoples 
Savings  Bank  of  Moline.  Its  first  officers 
were  C.  H.  Deere,  president;  H.  L.  Chapman, 
vice-president;  and  J.  S.  (iillmore,  cashier. 
The  present  oflicers  are  William  Butterworth. 
]iresident;  N.  H.  Green,  vice-president;  and 
C.  W.  Lundahl,  cashier. 

The  ilanufacttu'ers  Bank  of  Muline  was 
organized  under  a  state  charter  in  1869.  Its 
first  officers  were  S.  W.  Wheelock,  president  ; 
Porter  Skinner,  vice-president;  C.  W.  I.obdell. 
cashier;  and  C.  l'\  Henicnway.  assistant 
cashier. 

It  was  succeeded  in  1872  by  the  .Moline 
National  Bank— capital.  $100, 000— with  the 
same  officers  as  above,  and  this  bank  was  in 
turn  succeeded  in  1906  by  the  State  Savings 
Bank  and  Trust  Company,  of  Moline — capital, 
$200,000.  The  pre.sent  officers  are  F.  (]. 
.\llen,  president;  C.  I.  Josephson,  vice-presi- 
dent; and  Sol.  Hirsch,  cashier. 

In  1863  W.  H.  Devore  started  a  pri\atp 
bank  at  Port  I5yron.  At  first  it  was  under 
the  name  of  Brown  and  Devore,  lint  .Mr. 
Devore  succeeded  and  continued  until  Simon- 
son  and  Schafer  became  his  successor,  to  l)e 
in  turn  succeeded  by  the  jiresent  Port  Byron 
State  Bank— capital,  $50,000.  The  present 
officers  are  J.  W.  Simonson.  president: 
F.  S.  Gates.  A'ice-president;  B.  B.  Huntlex-, 
cashier. 

E.  E.  Rogers  and  Sons  .started  in  the 
private  banking  business  in  Port  Byron  in 
1871,  the  partners  being  E.  E.  Rogers,  I'rank 
E.  Rogers  and  E.  M.  Rogers,  the  bank  beim: 
known  as  the  Bank  of  Port  Byron. 

M.  Schoonmaker  started  the  Reyii  1  Is 
Bank,  at  Reynolds,  in  1888,  a  jirivate  bank 
which  was  sold  to  R.  I'.   W'.-iit  and  ('omnan\- 


140 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


several  years  thereafter,  wlio  (■(intiiiue  the 
business. 

The  Farmers  State  Bank  of  Reynolds  was 
organizedin  1904— capital.  S25.G00— with  M. 
Schoonmaker,  president;  Elisha  Lee.  vice- 
president;  and  J.  E.  Lee,  cashier. 

The  State  Bank  of  East  Moline  was  organ- 
ized in  1904— capital.  $25,000.  Its  first 
officers  were  Phil  Mitchell,  president ;  Daniel 
McNeal,  vice-president;  and  B.  J.  Mitchell, 
cashier.  The  present  officers  are  ,1.  A. 
O'Neil,  president ;  William  Jackson,  vice- 
president;  and  F.  A.  Sudlow .  cashier. 

R.  P.  Wait  started  the  i)rivate  liank  of 
Taylor  Ridge  in  1905. 

H.  R.  Cox  started  the  private  liiank  of 
Silvis  in  1907,  which  is  the  last  one  to  be 
started  in  the  county. 

ROCK  ISLAND  MANUFACTORIES. 

Our  manufacturing  interests  are  strong  and 
growing  every  day.  Space  forbids  our  men- 
tioning everybody.  The  products  of  the 
factories  are  very  diversified,  and  all.  large 
and  small,  are  on  a  good  sound  basis,  with 
a  very  satisfactory  business. 

The  Rock  Island  Plow  Company  was  orig- 
inally established  in  1854  by  Charles  Buford 
and  R.  N.  Tate;  afterwards  named  B.  D. 
Buford  and  Company,  and  later  the  Rock 
Island  Plow  Company.  They  manufacture 
high  grade  agricultural  implements;  mainly 
plows,  cultivators,  harrows,  hay  loaders  and 
other  farm  implements.  The  company  has 
recently  been  re-organized,  increasing  its 
capital  stock  from  $600,000  to  $2,600,000. 

Weyerhaeuser  and  Denkmann  Company, 
manufacturers  of  and  dealers  in  lumber,  lath, 
shingles,  and  anything  connected  with  that 
line  of  business.  Thej'  are  also  the  largest 
general  concern  in  the  logging  and  timl)er 
interests  in  the  United  States. 

Rock  Island  Stove  Works,  manufacture  all 
kinds  of  cooking  stoves,  ranges  and  heating 
stoves. 


Hock  Island  Lumber  and  Manufacturing 
Company.  A  general  line  of  lumber,  mould- 
ings, etc. 

Uock  Islantl  Sash  and  Door  Works.  \Miole 
sale  nuuuifacturers  of  everything  in  sash, 
doors,  blinds  and  mouldings. 

THK     STANDARD    TARLE     OIL    CLOTH     CO.MPAX-V. 

In  July.  1901.  the  organization  of  the 
Standard  Table  Oil  Cloth  Company  was 
effected;  seven  manufacturers  sold  their 
jilants  to  the  Standard  Company.'  These 
l)lants  were  largely  located- in  the  east.  The 
jiroduct  of  the  company  is  light  weight  oil 
cloth,  liy  which  is  meant  oil  cloth  manufac- 
tureil  on  a  cotton  base  used  for  covering 
tallies,  imitations  of  leather,  bag  muslin, 
shelf  and  stair  oil  cloth.  The  company  has 
never  manufactured  oil  cloth  for  floors,  which 
is  a  separate  industry,  inasmuch  as  floor  oil 
cloth  is  manufactured  on  a  burlap  instead  of 
a  cotton  base,  the  machinery  and  method  of 
manufacture  being  entirely  different. 

The  growth  of  the  business,  particularly  in 
the  A\est  necessitated  the  erection  of  a  new 
plant,  one  of  the  largest  of  its  kind  in  opera- 
tion, at  Rock  Island.  Illinois,  with  a  frontage 
on  the  Mississippi  Ri\-er.  This  plant  in  time 
will  likely  be  the  largest  plant  of  its  kind  in 
the  world.  It  is  centrally  located,  has  good 
shipping  facilities  and  caters  to  the  wants  of 
the  richest  country  on  the  globe;  the  Mis- 
sissippi and  Missouri  ^'alleys. 

The  output  of  the  Standard  Company  has 
steadily  increased.  For  its  last  fiscal  year 
it  manufactured  about  36.000  miles  of  light 
weight  oil  cloth,  one  yard  wide.  Its  trade 
mark  "  Meritas,"  which  is  stamped  on  the 
l)ack  of  every  yard  of  its  product  in  oil  cloth 
is  well  known  in  all  commercial  centers.  A 
large  export  business  is  done. 

One  of  the  products  of  the  company  which 
has  been  recently  introduced  to  the  public  is 
a  washable  wall  covering  called  "  Sanitas." 
This  new  product  is  meeting  with  great 
success. 


//  I  ST  U  Rl  C     R  U  C  K     1  .S  L  A  X  D     CO  U  A'  T  Y 


141 


III  May,  1907,  the  assets  of  the  Stanilard 
Tal)le  Oil  Cloth  Coni])any  were  sold  to  tiu' 
Staiulard  Oil  Cloth  Coni]jaiiy  tmder  a  iiierfier 
agreement,  the  directors  and  oHicers  retain- 
ing' their  ])ositions. 

The  Stanilard  Oil  Cloth  Company  has  a 
capital  stock  of  $6.(X)().0(K):  .f3,()(Kl.(l()()  of 
preferred  and  S3, ()()().()()()  of  coninion.  Its 
officers  are  as  follows;  President  and  treas- 
urer, Henry  ^I.  (iarlick,  ^'onnjistown,  Ohio: 
vice-president.  George  H.  Hughes,  New 
York  City:  secretary  and  general  manager, 
Alvin  Hunsicker,  New  York  City;  assistant 
treasurer.  ^V.  E.  Thatcher,  Orange.  New 
.Jersey. 

The  company  is  the  largest  of  its  kind  in 
the  world,  and  employs  a  large  nuniiier  of 
men  in  its  various  plants. 

.\mong  the  many  other  enterprising  in- 
dustries are  found  ; 

National  Neck  Yoke  Comiiany. 

Fi'emont  Butter  Tvdj  Companv. 

Electric  Construction  and  .Machinery  Com- 
l)any. 

Colona  Sand  Stone  Quarries. 

Hock  Island  Skirt  Company. 

Kramer  Printing  and  Puldishing  Company. 
successors  to  Kramer  and  Company,  the  old 
reliable  ]irinting  and  hook  binding  establish- 
ment. 

lUlbDIXO  ASSOCIATIONS. 

THI-:     HOCK     ISL.\XD     MUTUAL     JiUILDIXC,     L().\N 
A\D    SAVINGS    ASSOCIATIOX. 

In  the  year  1880  on  the  inx'itatioii  of  the 
late  Samuel  S.  Guyer,  the  pioneer  savings 
institution  of  Rock  Island  was  organized. 
This  instit\ition  was  one  of  the  first  Puilding 
.\ssociations  organized  in  Illinois  an<l  lias 
lieen  the  model  for  many  similar  associations 
in  this  and  adjoining  States, 

During  the  first  year  the  total  receipts  were 
only  •S-l,263.7().  But  so  lapidly  were  the 
inxesling  ]iublic  educated  in  the  ad\antages 
of  the   Uuilding  .Association,  that    in  the  \-('ar 


1894  the  annual  receipts  had  increased  to 
«237,619.05. 

How  much  benefit  has  accrued  from  this 
association  to  the  City  of  Rock  Island  in 
promoting  habits  of  thrift  and  economy,  in 
furnishing  the  means  whereby  rent  payers 
(■oul<l  become  home  owners:  in  putting  life 
into  real  estate  investments  generally  and  in 
stimulating  all  the  Ijuilding  trades,  can  hardly 
be  overestimated. 

Through  the  medium  of  this  association 
over  two  thousand  citizens  have  been  enabled 
to  provide  their  families  with  homes  on  the 
payment  of  monthly  installments,  no  more 
luirdensome  than  the  monthly  payment  of 
rent.  Savings  depositors  have  been  accorded 
the  full  earnings  of  their  moneys  and  these 
earnings  have  averaged  considerably  above 
the  rates  that  money  could  be  loaned  for. 
There  are  no  favored  stockholders  to  absorb 
the  major  part  of  the  earnings.  The  associa- 
tion is  purely  mutual.  All  the  earnings  are 
divided  equitably  \'Vo  rata  according  to  the 
amount  and  the  time  of  investment. 

The  association's  motto  is:  '"Tho  American 
Home  is  the  Safeguard  of  .\moricaii  Liber- 
ties." 

THIO  liLACK  HAWK  IIOM  lOSTI ;  \  I)   nUILIlIM;,  LOAN 
AXn    SA\IXOS     ASSOCIATIOV. 

The  Black  Hawk  Homestead  I'.uilding, 
Loan  and  Savings  Association,  of  Rock 
Island,  Illinois,  was  incor])orated  under  the 
laws  of  the  State  of  Illinois  on  July  25,  1SS7, 
with  an  authorized  capital  stock  of  $1,000,000, 
consisting  of  ten  tliousaud  shares  of  one 
htmdred  dollars  each,  to  be  issued  in  series 
at  the  discretion  of  the  board  of  directors. 
So  great  was  the  demand  for  the  stock,  the 
association,  at  the  end  of  two  years,  was 
.compelled  to  increase  its  autiiorized  capital 
stock  to  110,000,000. 

This  association  has  l)v  resolution  of  its 
board  of  directors  issued  series  every  three 
months.  The  stock  is  issued  in  three  classes,- 
namely;     ",\,"  "  I' "   and   ■■(',"   .■uid    [layalile 


142 


HISTORIC     RO  C  K     ISLAND     COU  N  T  Y 


as  follows:  Class  "A,"  fifty  cents  per  sliaro 
|)cr  iiKiiitli:  class  "  H."  mic  ilnllai'  per  share 
per  month;  and  class  ■'(","  iwo  dollars  pcv 
share  per  month,  matnrinu'  to  par  value  of 
one  lumdi-ed  dollars  ].)er  share  in  one 
hniidred  and  thirty-seven  months,  seventy- 
nine  months  and  forty-five  months.  res]jec- 
tivelv. 

This  money  is  loaned  by  the  association  to 
its  stockholders  at  the  rate  of  six  per  cent 
per  annum,  and  a  monthly  ])remium  of  twenty 
cents  per  share  ])er  month.  Thus,  a  'stock- 
holder having  a  lot  of  sufficient  value  to 
warrant  a  loan  for  huikling  a  house  is  enabled 
to  acquire  a  home  by  the  payment  of 
easy  monthly  installments  similar  to  house 
rent. 

Through  this  system,  the  association  has 
prospered  wonderfully,  and  in  the  twenty 
and  a  half  years  of  its  existence  has  loaned 
to  its  stockholders  over  $1,700,000,  jiroviding 
money  for  the  building  of  houses  to  the 
number  of  eighteen  hundred  in  the  Cities  of 
Rock  Island  and  Moline.  Estimating  the 
population  on  the  basis  of  five  to  a  family. 
the  association  has  provided  homes  for  nine 
thousand  people,  which  in  itself  would  make 
a  city  of  no  mean  proporticin. 

This  association  is  to  be  regarded  also 
from  the  standpoint  of  a  savings  bank,  and  in 
this  feature  cannot  be  excelled.  It  affords 
an  opportunity  to  those  who  are  desirous  of 
saving  money  in  small  amounts  of  one  dollar 
and  upwards,  and  pays  a  liberal  interest  upon 
their  investment.  It  has,  during  the  time  of 
its  exi.stence  paid  out  to  retiring  and  maturing 
.stockholders,  »2,250,000. 

The  officers  of  the  association  at  present 
are:  E.  D.  Sweneey,  president;  H.  H. 
Cleaveland.  \ice-president;  F.  K.  Rhoads. 
treasurer;  T.  J.  Medill,  secretary;  and  Sweeney 
and  Walker,  attorneys. 

The  office  of  the  a.ssociation  is  suite  No. 
210,  Peoples  Naticuial  Rank  building.  Rock 
Island,  Illinois. 


IXDl'STRIAL  COMMISSION. 

]lUli:i.'    (U-ri,l\E    OF   THK    HISTORY    or   Tin:    IN- 
DU.STRUL   COMMISSIOX. 

J'ollowing  a  wide  spread  movement  among 
cities  and  towns  to  develop  their  commeroial 
and  manufacturing  importance  and  recog- 
nizing that  this  could  best  be  attained  through 
an  organization  whose  efforts  would  be  con- 
fined to  this  field  of  activity  the  Industrial 
Commission  of  Rock  Island  was  created. 

The  first  step  necessary  thereto  was  ac- 
complished through  the  contribution  of  a 
ftuid  of  $10,000  intended  to  meet  the  expenses 
incidental  to  the  work  for  a  given  period,  and 
upon  the  attainment  thereof  an  organization 
was  effected  liy  the  creation  of  five  com- 
mittees, namely:  The  manufacturers,  the 
railroads,  the  jobbers,  the  conventions  and 
the  board  of  control,  of  which  F.  C.  Denk- 
mann  was  elected  first  president,  Charles 
McHugh,  vice  president;  T.  J.  Medill,  treas- 
urer; and  Mayer  Levi,  secretary. 

Soon  after  the  completion  of  the  organiza- 
tion it  became  evident  that  something  more 
was  necessary  if  Rock  Island  woidd  compete 
with  other  points  in  an  effort  to  secure  the 
location  of  new  industries,  and  in  recognition 
thereof  impetus  was  given  to  a  movement  to 
raise  a  fund  of  $100,000  to  be  employed  in 
providing  sites  and  buildings  and  in  such 
other  ways  as  would  meet  the  appro^•aI  of 
the  board  of  trustees.  The  mere  suggestion 
was  sufficient  to  awaken  an  interest  in  the 
plan  outlined  and  within  less  than  thirty 
days  there  was  subscribed  a  total  of  nearly 
$150,000,  known  as  the  Greater  Rock  Island 
Development  Fmid. 

Nothing  speaks  more  loudly  of  the  loy^alty, 
unselfishness  and  progressive  spirit  of  the 
people  of  Rock  Island  than  the  success  that 
marked  this  undertaking. 

This  fund  has  since  then  been  comple- 
mented b}-  a  donation  from  Weyerhaeuser 
and   Denkmann.  Charles  H.   Deere,   and  the 


HIST  0  TilC     ROC  K     I  S  L  A  X  D     CO  U  \  T  Y 


143 


J.  F.  Robinson  and  Morris  Rosenfield  estates, 
of  fifty  acres  of  land  exceptionally  well 
adapted  to  manufacturing  purposes  and 
admirably  situated  with  respect  to  shipjiinf!; 
facilities,  both  by  rail  and  water. 

Coupled  with  these  concrete  conditions 
there  has  been  a  spirit  awakened  to  the 
consciousness  of  the  possibilities  that  lie 
before  Rock  Island  and  a  determination  to 
grasp  them  in  furtherance  of  the  aniljition 
to  become  what  nature  ordained  and  which 
is  already  evident  in  our  wonderful  growth 
as  a  successful  manufacturing  center. 

ROCK  ISLAND  CLUB. 

The  idea  of  forming  an  association  such  as 
the  Rock  Island  Club  was  first  broached  by 
a  part}'  of  Rock  Island  gentlemen,  who  met 
on  the  evening  of  November  18,  1896,  at  the 
Harper  House.  F.  W.  Bahnsen  was  chosen 
temporary  chairman,  and  E.  J.  Burns  tem- 
porary secretary.  A  committee  of  seven  was 
named  to  jierfect  an  organization,  and  at  a 
meeting  two  days  afterward,  the  latter 
appointed  a  sub-committee  of  three  to  draw 
up  a  constitution  and  by-laws,  and  to  take 
o\it  articles  of  incorporation.  A  charter  was 
secured  during  December  of  the  same  year, 
and  at  a  meeting  held  that  month  the  first 
board  of  tlirectors  was  elected,  consisting  of 
A.  ('.  Dart,  Charles  McHugh,  F.  W.  Bahnsen, 
W.  H.  Marshall,  E.  H.  Guyer,  Mayer  Ilosen- 
fifld.  William  Jackson,  Phil  Mitchell,  E.  W. 
Hiu-st,  Henry  Carse  and  C.  J.  Searle. 

For  nearly  two  years  the  club  renuiined 
practically  dormant,  negotiations  being  in 
]irogress  at  that  time  for  suitable  quarters. 
Finally  terms  were  arranged  with  Mrs.  Dr. 
C.  B.  Kinyon  for  the  use  of  the  present 
(piarters  on  Sixteenth  Street  and  Third 
.\  venue,  and  October  14.  1898,  another 
meeting  was  held  at  the  Harper  House,  at 
which  a  three-year  lease  of  the  premises  was 
ratified.  liefore  this  time  had  expired,  in 
.Inly.  19()L  tlie  clubhouse  and  grounds  wvvt- 
purchased  from   Mrs.   Kinvon,  .¥T_>. 0(1(1  l>eiiig 


the  consideration.  Immediate  plans  for  ex- 
tensions were  begun,  and  tluring  the  Fall 
$5,000  was  spent  upon  improvements,  which 
have  given  the  club  quarters  that  are  considered 
the  finest  in  the  State  outside  of  Chicago. 

The  Club  began  with  a  membership  of  100. 
Being  a  pronounced  success  from  the  start, 
there  was  no  difficulty  in  securing  additions 
to  the  enrollment,  and  at  the  present  time 
there  are  287  members  in  good  standing. 

F.  W.  Bahnsen  was  the  first  president,  and 
Joliu  T.  Stafford  was  the  first  secretary. 
Mayer  Rosenfield  was  elected  treasurer  when 
the  organization  was  effected,  and  held  the 
position  up  to  the  time  he  ceased  to  be  a 
resident  of  the  City.  At  the  .election  in 
January,  1899,  the  board  of  directors  was 
divided  into  three  sections,  one  serving  three 
years,  another  two  years,  and  a  third  one 
year,  as  follows:  Three  years,  W.  H.  I\Iar- 
shall,  E.  H.  Guyer,  C.  A.  Stoddard;  two 
years,  A.  C.  Dart,  F.  W.  Bahnsen,  Dr.  G.  L. 
Eyster,  George  A.  Price;  one  year,  Charles 
McHugh,  Phil  Mitchell,  John  T.  Stafford, 
Mayer  Levi.  Since  that  time  one  section  has 
been  elected  annually  for  a  term  of  three  years. 

The  defined  oljjects  of  the  club  are,  of 
course,  largely  social.  The  quarters  are 
fitted  up  with  ]iarlors,  a  library,  private 
dining  rooms,  a  billiard  room  and  bowling 
alleys.  The  rooms  are  elegantly  furnished, 
and  provided  with  everything  for  the  enter- 
tainment of  the  members  and  guests.  They 
are  especially  convenient  at  times  \\hen  the 
City  is  called  upon  to  do  hoimr  to  a  visitor 
of  distinction. 

There  are  fourteen  standing  committees 
j)rovided  for  in  the  by-laws.  Of  these  nine 
are  appointed  on  club  affairs  and  entertain- 
ment. The  others  are  calculated  to  help  in 
the  tipbuilding  of  the  community.  The  sub-, 
jects  they  cover  are  local  improvements, 
Rock  Island  Arsenal,  the  tri-cities,  manu- 
facturers and  railroads.  Through  these  latter 
bodies  many  important  matters  have  been 
brought   to    the    attenti'Ui    "f    the    clulj,    and 


144 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


subsequently  acted  upon,  with  great  benefit 
to  the  city.  A  number  of  enterjirises  that 
were  looking  for  a  suitable  field  in  which  to 
locate  have  been  induced,  through  the  efforts 
of  the  Club  to  locate  in  Rock  Island,  and 
concessions  have  been  secured  from  various 
cor])orations  doing  business  here,  upon  which 
private  appeals  would  have  had  no  effect. 

Another  acquisition  to  the  City,  for  which 
the  Club  deserves  almost  entire  credit,  is  the 
Illinois  Theatre,  built  on  the  advance  sale  seat 
plan,  by  George  H.  .Johnson  of  St.  Louis,  at 
a  cost  of  SoU.OOO,  and  completed  in  1901. 
The  matter  was  first  taken  holil  of  by  the 
Club  in  1900.  Rock  Island  now  has  a  play- 
house second  to  none  in  the  country,  and  it  is 
all  the  more  a  source  of  satisfaction  to  the  peo- 
ple at  large  because  it  was  secured  through  local 
enterprise,  manifested  by  a  local  organization. 

Another  important  movement  the  Club 
fathered,  and  the  one  that  will  probably  do 
more  for  the  Cit}-  than  any  other  one  thing 
that  has  ever  been  undertaken,  was  that  for 
the  installation  of  a  small  arms  jilant  by  the 
Government  at  Rock  Island  Arsenal.  This 
was  one  of  the  ver}^  first  matters  taken  hold 
of  by  the  Club  as  the  champion  of  the  City's 
interests.  How  the  sujjport  of  Illinois  and 
Iowa  Congre.ssmen  and  Senators  was  drawn 
to  the  project  is  too  well  known  to  need 
relating  in  detail.  These  successes  point  to 
the  results  which  can  l)e  olitained  by  active 
and  persistent  co-operation,  which  the  Rock 
Island  Club  has,  upon  numerous  occasions, 
demonstrated  it  is  capable  of  promoting. 

The  Rock  Island  Club  is  now  in  a  flourish- 
ing condition.  It  is  established  ujwn  a  firm 
basis,  for  it  fills  a  real  need,  and  is  conductetl 
along  correct  lines. 

ROCK  ISl.AXD-DAVENPORT  FERRY. 

SEVE.\TY-OXE  YE.\RS  OF  IXTERCOMMUXIC.VTION 
AXD  TR.\X.SPORT.\TIOX  SERVICE  LIXK- 
IXG  THE  TRI-CITIES. 

The  waters  of  historic  old  Mississi]:)pi.  with- 
in smoke-signal  of  the  Watch  Tower  of  Black 


Hawk,  the  Sachem,  have  been  jjarted  by  the 
keels  of  Illini  dug-out,  Huron  birch  canoe, 
batteau  of  voyageur,  flat  boat  of  pioneer, 
winch-ferry  of  the  early  settler,  horse-ferry 
of  established  villagers,  steamer  of  modern 
date,  and  motor  boat  of  oil  and  electricity. of 
the  opening  era,  and  almo.st  without  excep- 
tion, the  introduction  of  these  modes  of 
passing  over  its  waters  have  been  due  to 
transversely  directed  migration  rather  than 
lateral  travel — the  desire  to  cross  the  river 
rather  than  float  with  or  stem  it. 

At  this  point  the  "Father  of  Waters"  is  a 
trifle  over  three-fourths  of  a  mile  wide,  and 
while  not  deep  enough  to  float  an  ocean 
liner,  it  is  never  shallow  enough  to  ford;  and 
even  the  earliest  settler  found  himself  natur- 
ally beset  with  the  hankering  to  keep  both 
sides  the  might}'  stream  under  foot  sover- 
eignty. As  a  result,  the  boat.  Probably 
at  first  a  canoe  or  dug-out  did  duty  for  such 
as  dared  the  red  man's  treachery — white 
taught:  but  the  day  was  soon  when  the 
advent  of  the  advance  guard  of  the  pioneer 
host  made  its  appearance  and  household 
effects,  and  women  and  children  called  for 
better  accommodation — and  got  it. 

Just  when  Antoine  LeClaire  of  Dubuque 
started  ferrying  his  followers  across  is  prob- 
lematical, but  May  28,  1S37.  it  is  sure  that 
he  deeded  to  John  Wilson,  of  Rock  Island 
County,  Illinois,  "the  right  to  keep  and 
operate  a  ferry  across  the  Mississippi  at  a 
point  known  as  'The  Ferry  Hou.se,'  recently 
erected  and  staniling  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
Mississippi  in  the  town  of  Davenport,  extend- 
ing one  miles  u])  and  one  miles  down  the 
river"  together  "with  the  boats  and  crafts 
now  used  on  said  ferry."  and  including  the 
"privilege  of  passing  over  his  land  for  pur- 
pose aforesaid,"  for  the  sums  of  So. 00  in 
hand  and  Sl.OOO. 

The  jjhraseology  is  not  of  the  clearest  and 
the  "one  miles"  up  anil  down  river  is  especi- 
ally obscure,  but  the  intent  is  clear  so  far  as 
the  ferrv  being  alreadv  in  existance  as  owned 


HISTORIC     ROCK     I  S  L  A  X  D     CO  U  .V  T  Y 


145 


jiroperty  i.s  concerned,  as  is  also  the  fact 
that  the  said  Antoine  LeChiire  owned  much 
hmd  in  the  locality.  By  another  clause  it  is 
also  made  clear  that  the  said  Antoine  Le- 
riaire  was  fairly  modern  in  his  ideas  and 
would  have  done  credit  to  this  day  and  age, 
namel}-:  "Subject  to  the  said  I.eClaire 
crossing  in  ferry  free  of  charge.'' 

That  the  ferry  in  those  days  was  not  a  gift 
enterprise  is  shown  by  the  schedule  of  prices 
afh.xed  to  this  document,  now  yellow  with 
age,  held  in  the  vaults  of  the  Rock  Island 
National  Bank  by  the  present  secretary- 
treasurer,   which  schedule  shows   as  follows; 

Ferry  R.vtes,  1837 — Footmen,  25  cents; 
man  and  horse,  75  cents;  loose  cattle  and 
horses,  25  cents  per  head;  yoke  oxen,  50 
cents;  loaded  w^agon  and  two  horses,  $1.50; 
loaded  wagon  and  yoke  oxen,  $1.50;  loaded 
wagon  with  horse  or  ox,  25  cents;  two-wheel 
carriage  with  horse  or  ox,  SI. 50;  hogs  and 
sheep,  12}4  cents  per  head. 

Just  when  John  Wilson  and  wife  came  into 
the  matter  is  uncertain,  V)ut  in  1853  and  1854 
John  W.  Spencer,  James  Cirant  and  Thomas 
J.  Robinson  accpiired  the  Wilson  interests  in 
this  ferry,  and  January  28,  1857,  the  first 
actual  charter  for  the  ferry  was  issued  to 
Spencer,  Grant  and  Robinson.  It  gave  wide 
latitude  to  the  landing  place,  allowing  for 
the  growth  of  Rock  Island  and  Davenport 
up  or  down  the  river,  but  stipulated  the 
keeping  of  a  Rock  Island  landing  between 
Buffalo  and  Madison  Streets,  the  keeping  u;) 
a  suitable  equipment,  etc. 

April  7,  1888,  the  original  license  to  operate 
this  ferry  was  issued  by  the  United  States 
Treasin-y  Department,  and  April  26,  1888,  a 
charter  was  issued  to  the  incorporated  body 
— The  Rock  Island-Davenport  Ferry  Com- 
pany, with  a  capital  stock  of  $60,000. 

From  that  time  practically  no  change  of 
stockholders  in  the  corporation  nor  in  its 
management  occurred  until  the  death  of 
Thomas  J.  Robinson,  which  occurred  in 
,\pril  of  1800.  when  his  stock  was  heirod   by 


his  son,  J.  Frank  Robinson,  and  with  it  went 
the  management.  r))oii  the  death  of  J. 
Frank  Robinson  in  .May  of  1902.  it  was 
learned  that  he  bequeathed  the  Robinson 
stock  to  his  cousin,  (,'aptain  ilarcus  L. 
Henderson,  who  had  been  in  charge  of  the 
ferry  as  general  manager  since  1896. 

Captain  Henderson  is  the  president  and 
manager,  with  H.  E.  Casteel  secretarj'  and 
treasurer. 

In  1891  the  ''Augusta''  was  put  in  service- 
In  1902  she  was  rebuilt,  re-christened  the 
"T.  J.  Robinson."  electric  lighted  and  re- 
furnished. In  1904,  entirely  without  public 
demand,  the  "  Davenport ''  was  biult  at  Rock 
Island  by  Kahlke  Brothers,  and  put  in  com- 
mission.    She  is  also  of  modern  design. 

TRl-CITY  PRESS  CLUB. 

The  Tri-City  Press  Club  is  an  organization 
representing  some  sixty  odd  working  news- 
paper men  of  the  Cities  of  Rock  Island,  Maline 
and  Davenport.  The  condition  of  active 
membership  is  identical  with  the  editorial  or 
business  departments  of  the  papers  and  other 
reputable  journals  of  the  three  cities.  Two 
other  classes  of  membership  are  honorary 
and  non-resident.  The  Club  was  organized 
at  a  banquet  tendered  representatives  of  the 
press  of  the  three  cities  at  Black  Hawk  Inn 
by  Charles  McHugh  and  J.  F.  Lardner,  in 
September,  1898.  The  Club  at  its  first 
meeting  elected  Mr.  McHugh  and  Mr.  Lardner 
honorary  memliers,  and  since  that  time  has 
added  the  names  of  H.  E.  Downer,  of  Daven- 
port;  J.  T.  ilcCutcheon,  George  Ade,  H.  B. 
Chamberlain,  R.  E.  Little,  W.  J.  Bryan, 
Captain  W.  T.  Thompson,  Rabbi  W.  H. 
Fineschriber,  Henry  Watterson,  James  Whit- 
comb  Riley  and  Sir  Robert  Ball  to  that  list. 

The  following  have  served  as  presidents: 
1898,  Walter  Johason,  Rock  Lsland;  1899, 
J.  E.  Calkins,  Davenport,  1900;  P.  S.  Mc- 
Glynn,  Moline;  1901,  H.  P.  Simpson,  Rock 
Island;  1902,  L.  P.  McClarrien,  Davenport; 
1903.  J.  H.  McKeevcr,  Moline;  1904,  Robert 


146 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


Rexdale.  Rock  Ishuul:  1905.  B.  F.  Tillinghast, 
Davenport;  1906.  .John  Sundine,  Moline; 
1907.   Val.  J.   Peter.   Rock  Island. 

The  Club  meets  alternatel}-  in  Moline,  Rock 
Island  and  Davenport,  each  business  meeting 
being  supplemented  by  an  entertaining  and 
instructive  program  and  dinner.  Each  jear 
the  Club  becomes  sponsor  for  a  high  class, 
intellectual  public  entertainment.  The  Club 
is  affilliated  with  the  National  Association  of 
Press  Clubs. 

THE  INDUSTRIAL  HOME. 

The  Rock  Island  Industrial  Home  Associa- 
tion was  formed  at  a  mass-meeting  of  the 
members  of  the  labor  unions  of  the  City, 
headed  by  the  Knights  of  Labor,  held  in 
December,  1887. 

The  branches  of  organized  labor  repre- 
sented in  the  association,  in  the  beginning, 
included  Knights  of  Labor,  printers,  glass- 
blowers,  tailors,  iron  molders,  cigar  makers, 
carpenters, switchmen  and  locomotive  firemen. 

The  first  efforts  of  the  association  were 
turned  toward  the  raising  of  a  fund  with 
which  to  purchase  a  lot  and  erect  a  home  for 
labor.  To  do  this  an  annual  fair  was  insti- 
tuted. The  first  one  was  held  in  February, 
1SS9.  and  S2.200  cleared.  In  the  Fall  a 
jncnic  netted  another  substantial  sum.  The 
Labor  Day  picnics  now  take  the  place  of  the 
original  affairs;  being  held  alternately  in  the 
three  cities.  Rock  Island.  Moline  and  Daven- 
port, under  thejauspices  of  the  three  Indus- 
trial Home  A.ssociations.  The  first  meetings 
were  held  at  Norris  Hall;  Hillier's  Hall  being 
later  used  as  headquarters  for  a  period  of  five 
yearsTJ)efore  the  home  was  opened  in  1896. 
The  first  property  the  association  purchased 
was  a  lot  at  the  corner  of  Fourth  Avenue  and 
Twentieth  Street.  This  was  sold  when  the 
present  site  for  the  home  was  purchased,  at 
the  corner  of  Third  Avenue  and  Twenty- 
first  Street. 

The  erection  of  the  home  was  accomplished 
in  1894.  and  was  taken  |)(issessi(ni  of  in  1S96 


— it  being  a  handsome  three-story  l>rick  build- 
ing, with  two  large  stores  on  the  ground 
floor,  offices  and  halls  for  meeting  places  for 
the  labor  organizations  on  the  second  floor, 
and  a  large  hall  on  the  third  floor.  Its  cost 
was  S28.000.  The  financial  affairs  of  the 
association  are  in  the  hands  of  T.  H.  Thomas, 
who  has  acted  as  agent,  with  power  of  attor- 
ne}',  since  the  building  was  erected.  The 
present  indebtedness  is  87,000,  with  S3.00() 
more  needed  to  comjilete  the  building  in 
accordance  with  the  original  plans.  These 
include  the  installing  of  a  library,  gymnasium, 
bath  rooms  and  everything  in  fact  to  make 
it  a  complete  home,  or  club  house,  for  the 
use  of  laboring  men. 

THE  YOUNG  MEN'S  CHRISTIAN  ASSO- 
CIATION. 

Nearly  thirty  years  ago  the  first  Associa- 
tion was  formed  in  Rock  Island,  with  the 
same  general  objects  as  the  present  institut 
tion.  It  was  engendered  by  a  great  religious 
revival,  and  E.  W.  Spencer,  one  of  the  origi- 
nators of  the  idea,  was  elected  the  first  presi- 
dent. Rooms  were  opened  in  the  postoffice 
block,  and  Sunday  afternoons  religious  meet- 
ings for  yovmg  men  were  held.  At  the  end 
of  two  years  Mr.  Spencer  was  called  to  other 
fields,  necessitating  his  resignation,  and  the 
work  was  allowed  to  lapse. 

The  present  Y.  ^I.  C.  .\.  had  its  origin  in 
1884,  A.  M.  Bruner.  R.  W.  Salisbury  and 
John  Perritt  being  the  prime  movers.  April 
20.  of  that  year,  the  Association  was  born  at 
a  meeting  held  at  the  Central  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  thirty-eight  members  were  signed 
to  the  rolls.  Frank  Nadler  was  chosen  presi- 
dent, and  George  P.  Lyman  secretary.  June 
3  the  formal  opening  of  rooms  over  1729 
Second  Avenue  was  held.  The  following 
February  a  general  secretary  was  called  in 
the  person  of  George  Warner,  of  Minneapolis. 
At  the  end  ofjhe  first  year  there  were  sixty- 
five  members. 


11 1  ST  0  Kl  C     R  OC  K     1  S  L  A  N  D     CO  U  N  T  Y 


147 


The  Ladies'  Central  Connnittee  was  formed 
as  an  auxiliary,  in  September,  1885,  and  in 
December  of  the  same  year  the  Association 
was  incorporated.  In  ilarch,  1886,  new 
quarters  were  taken  over  the  Peoples  National 
Hank.  F.  W.  Lang  of  Menominee,  Wisconsin, 
assumed  the  duties  of  general  secreatary  in 
.\ugust,  1886.  In  the  Fall  of  that  year  ten 
delegates  were  sent  to  the  State  convention 
at  Rockford. 

The  building  movement  was  begun  in 
January,  LSS7,  at  a  gospel  service  held  at 
Reynolds,  Illinois,  by  a  few  young  men, 
where  two  little  girls,  Anna  Stewart  and 
Libbie  Schoonmaker,  who  were  interested  in 
pictures  shown  of  Y.  M.  C.  A.  buildings,  each 
gave  fifty  cents  without  solicitation  "to  put 
up  a  building  at  Rock  Island  for  young  men  ; " 
later  a  like  amount  was  given  by  Louie  Bow- 
man, one  of  our  boys.  This  dollar  and  a  half 
was  the  nucleus  of  the  fund  which  gave  us 
our  $50,000  property  and  interested  over 
seven  hundred  contributors.  At  a  meeting 
of  the  members  a  few  months  later  $1,000 
was  pledged  and  a  l)uilding  committee 
appointed. 

The  present  site  was  Ixiught  from  the 
Henderson  estate  for  $4,000,  the  heirs  throw- 
ing off  $1,000  as  a  contribution  to  the  cause. 

The  contract  for  the  foundation  of  the 
building  was  let  at  a  meeting  of  interested 
business  men  at  the  residence  of  P.  L.  Mitchell, 
held  September  24,  1888,  Larkin  and  Stephens 
being  the  successful  bidders. 

The  cornerstone  was  laid  .June  26,  1890, 
Mayor  McConochie  putting  it  in  place, 
assisted  by  the  three  young  persons  who  were 
the  first  contributors.  One  of  the  notable 
features  of  the  exercises  was  the  reading  of  a 
letter  from  Sir  George  Williams  of  London. 
England,  the  founder  of  the  Y.  ^I.  C.  \. 

At  the  opening  of  the  year  1900.  about 
$15,000  had  Ijeen  subscribed,  and  March  28 
of  that  year  the  contract  for  the  superstruc- 
ture was  let  to  Collins  Brothers  for 
$15,189. 


.\  library  was  started  with  a  book  recep- 
tion. Later  the  Franklin  Hose  Company 
donated  its  splendid  collection  of  books  and 
a  Ijook  case. 

Educational  classes  were  started. 

The  ladies  were  first  organized  as  a  central 
cunimlttee,  then  as  the  ladies  auxiliar\-. 
They  are  now  the  association  helpers.  They 
raised  hundreds  of  dollars  for  the  big  debt, 
and  furnished  a  large  part  of  the  building; 
through  their  influence  the  ladies  of  the  First 
AL  E.  Church  furnished  the  reading  room: 
the  correspondence  room  (now  office  of  the 
l)oys  secretary)  was  furnished  by  the  Ladies 
Aid  Society  of  South  Heights;  the  directors 
room  by  the  King's  Daughters  and  the  chapel 
liy  the  .Women's  Christian  Temperance 
Union. 

In  November,  1895,  through  the  generosity 
of  the  late  J.  W.  Potter,  proprietor  of  the 
Argus,  the  auxiliary  published  a  sixteen-page 
Thanksgiving  edition  of  the  Argus,  which 
was  a  decided  success. 

The  new  building  was  completed  suffici- 
ently to  admit  of  its  occupation  April  2,  1891, 
but  another  canvass  for  money  had  to  be 
undertaken  to  ])r()vide  for  the  furnishing  and 
completing  of  certain  parts  to  place  them  in 
a  condition  to  use.  September  1,  1891,  G.  C. 
Blakeslee  became  general  secretary  in  place 
of  Jlr,  Lang. 

At  the  eighth  annual  meeting  of  the  Asso- 
ciation, April  20.  1892,  prominent  speakers 
from  all  over  the  middle  west  were  .secured 
and  $6,400  was  raised,  and  in  a  month  more 
conditional  pledges  were  secured  that  raised 
the  general  fund  to  $18,000.  The  Ladies' 
Central  Committee  offered  .$500  on  condition 
that  the  amount  specified  be  raised  by 
September  1.  August  29  the  sum  of  $732 
was  still  needed,  and  by  a  great  effort  it  was 
secured  diiring  the  two  days  following. 

Building  operations  upon  the  interior  were 
resumed,  and  as  the  funds  became  available, 
completed,  and  January  1,  1894,  the  contrac- 
tors turned  thoV>iiil<liiig  over  to  the  .Association 


148 


HISTORIC    ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


practically  as  it  stands  today,  witli  the 
fiyiiiiiasiiini.  Iiatli  anil  di-cssiiifi-  rotims,  and 
the  aiiditoriiun  ready  for  use.  In  ;i  short 
time  th(>  nienilxn-siii])  was  raised  from  one 
iiiuidicd  lo  thi-ec  hundred.  The  annual  dues 
for  senior  niend)ers  was  [ilaced  at  five  ilolhirs. 
W.  I,.  I,a\'eiider  was  chosen  the  first  ]>hysieal 
dii-ecl(U-  |)(>cendiei-  1.  1S9.5.  The  next  year 
J.  1'.  liailey  succeeded  Mr.  Blakeslee  as 
general  secretary,  and  after  two  years'  service, 
the  former  gave  way  to  .1.  S.  Freeman.  At 
the  same  time  as  the  latter  change  was  nnide, 
H.  G.  Hanks  took  the  position  of  physical 
director.  ,J.  C.  Pentland  first  took  charge  of 
the  work  in  1S99. 

The  total  membership  is  nmv  three  hundred. 
In  the  Winter  season  just  closing  about  7,000 
individuals  have  taken  exercise  in  the  gym- 
nasium. About  forty  men  are  enrolled  in  the 
bible  classes,  and  every  branch  of  the  work 
is  in  the  most  flourishing  condition  that  has 
prevailed  since  the  forming  of  the  Asso- 
ciation. 

.\  number  of  members  have  entered  into 
life  service  for  the  Master,  among  whom  we 
i-emember  Charles  Knox,  J.  Akers  and  Ed- 
ward Young,  in  the  ministry;  George  Warner 
(iraham  Lee  and  R.  C.  Ricker,  missionaries 
in  foreign  lands;  .\.  M.  limner,  Henry  Hansen 
bonis  A.  Bowman.  Or\-ille  ^'erbury.  .1.  S. 
Freeman,  Henry  \'oss  and  Chauncey  Tuttle 
in  the  Association  secretaryship. 

The  first  board  of  directors  were:  Frank 
Nadler,  president:  A.  M.  Bruner,  first  vice- 
])resident ;  P.  H.  Kaupke,  second  vice-presi- 
dent: G.  P.  byman,  recording  secretary ;  J.  D. 
Warno(d<.  treasurer;  J.  W.  Welch,  Charles 
Jensen.  F.  .1.  Akers,  C.  E.  Adams,  J,  W, 
Stewart,  Iv  H.  McK(n\n.  W.  F.  Cdlmore- 
(ieoi'ge  Chambers. 

The  original  building  committee  comprised: 
A.  M.  Blaksley.  chairman:  E.  B.  McKown, 
treasurer:  J.  F.  Robinson,  .1.  W.  Stewart,  J. 
W.  Welch,  C.  K.  Adams,  A.  1).  Sporry.  Frank 
Xadler.  George  M.  booseley.  .A.  M.  Piruner. 
F.  II.  Kaupke. 


HCFORI)   BLOCK. 

The  old  Huford  lilock  at  the  iK)rtheast 
corner  of  Second  Avenue  and  West  Seveu- 
teenlh  Street,  which  has  just  been  torn  down 
to  l)e  replaced  by  a  new  reinforced  concrete 
six-story  modern  business  block,  was  erected 
in  1S54.  Sixty  feet  of  this  corner  was  pur- 
chased l)_v  Charles  Buford  from  Charles  K. 
Smith  February  23,  1854:  a  little  later  he 
]iurchase(l  the  adjoining  thirty  feet  east  from 
.ludge  George  AA'.  Pleasants  and  Doctor  John 
W.  Bulkley.  The  old  Imildings  (ui  this  corner 
were  sold  at  auction  .Marcli  11.  1854,  Major 
Benjamin  F.  Barrett  being  the  auctioneer. 
The  excavation  for  the  foundation  immedi- 
ately commenced.  Wednesday  July  19,  1854. 
the  brick  laying  commenced  by  W.  H.  Sage, 
commonly  known  as  "Doc"  Sage.  The 
exterior  was  finished  that  Fall,  and  the 
building  completed  early  in  1855. 

Bailev  and  Boyle  also  commenced  work 
on  their  three-story  brick  l)lock,  covering  the 
ground  between  East  and  West  Seventeenth 
Streets,  and  Illinois  Street  and  the  Alley 
north,  and  Ainswoi'th  and  Lymle  a  large 
brick  warehouse  on  Front  Street  op|iosite  th.e 
jjresent  site  of  Hotel  Harms. 

Before  Winter  two  more  brick  buildings 
were  under  cunstruction. 

CITY  OF   MOLINE. 

LOWKI-L    (IF    TUK     WKST 

Approjiriate,  indeed,  is  the  alnne  (pioted 
appellation  to  the  City  of  Moline,  for  nowhere 
between  Chicago,  east,  and  San  Francisco, 
west,  nor  between  St.  Paul,  nm-th.  anil  St. 
Louis,  south,  is  there  a  city  which  can  so 
fittingly  disport  the  nuignitudc  of  her  indus- 
tries and  liei-  products,  or  demonstrate  a 
more  rajiid  growth.  Why  Moline  has  been 
enabled  to  win  .'■'(^  many  manufactiuing 
establishments  in  the  industrial  field  is  merely 
a  matter  of  supposition — either  because  of 
the   utility   of   the  water   ]iower,   oi-   that   the 


HISTORIC     RO  C  K     ISLAND     CO  U  N  T  Y 


U'J 


thrift}^  hands  and  fertile  brains  whifh  estali- 
lished  them  considered  her  future  niore  proni- 
isinj;  (luring  their  days  of  early  strufijilc 

Moline  is  an  industrial  fity,  |)ur('  and  sini])l('. 
Her  shops  are  numbered  among  the  iar}iest 
(iT  their  kind  extant.  The  Moline  Wafioii 
Company  being  admittedly  the  largest  wagon 
siiop  in  the  workl,  while  Deere  and  Company 
and  the  Moline  Plow  Company  consume  more 
raw  steel  than  any  other  plow  shop  in  exist- 
ence. 

.\  pdloiit  factor  in  the  growth  (if  Moline 
undoubtedly  hinges  upon  the  enormity  and 
utility  of  tlie  water  power  which  her  manu- 
factiu'ers,  witii  the  assistance  (if  th(>  (lo\ei-n- 
ment,  have  l)rought  to  sncii  a  high  state  of 
availability  ami  within  easy  reach.  .Just 
recently  the  Government  lias  expended  an 
immense  sum  in  harnessing  that  poj'tion  of 
the  Mississip]:)i  which  flows  by  Moline  so  that 
the  Arsenal,  as  well  as  j^rivate  enterprises, 
might  profit  by  securing  motive  power  at  a 
more  nominal  figure  than  it  has  heretofore 
been  possible  to  do. 

Second  Avenue,  in  ^loline,  reminds  a 
stranger  more  of  the  manufacturing  sections 
of  Pittsburg  or  Milwaukee  than  the  industries 
of  ,-i  iciwii  h(>r  size:  but  when  the  impressi\'e 
dimensions  nf  tlie  Moline  Plow  Company, 
Deere  and  Comjiany,  The  Moline  Wagon 
Com])any,  1  )eei'e  antl  Mansiu'  Comi.)any,  Tlie 
Steel  .Mills,  \'elie  ("'arriage  Companj',  Tlie 
Moline  I''urnitiu-e  Works,  Williams  and  White 
Company,  The  Organ  Works,  IJarnard  and 
Leas,  Tlie  Moline  Pump  Company,  Coo|)er 
Sadfllers  Harness  Compan\',  The  ;\Ioline 
Incandescent  Light  Comjiatiy,  and  the  scores 
of  other  lesser  establishments,  are  conteiTi- 
phit('(L  tins  fact  does  not  appear  so  .strange. 
()\-er  7.(11)11  men  .are  employed  in  Moline  in 
her  numeruus  shops,  while  Kast  Moline  and 
Silvis  employ  Indf  that  many  more.  .\i 
Silvis  are  located  the  Rock  Island  shops,  the 
largest  car  shojis  in  the  world. 

The  output  of  .Moline  consists  of  every 
chai'acter    of    farm    implements,    gasoUne    en- 


gines, heavy  drop  and  forging  machinery, 
wagons,  carriages,  steam  engines,  wood- 
working nuichinery,  flom-  mill  nnichinery, 
pumjis,  organs,  malleable  ii'on  castings,  steel 
billets,  furniture,  scah's,  hiuiu'ss  fixtures, 
wheels,  and  a  score  of  olliei'  much  used  nnd 
nationally  known  articles. 

The  same  railroads  which  enter  Rf'k  Is- 
land— the  Rock  Island  Htuite,  the  Chicago, 
Hurlington  and  (^uincy,  the  Chicago,  Mil- 
waukee and  St.  Paul,  the  Davenport,  Rock 
Island  and  Northwestern — also  penetrate 
Moline,  and  ha\e  acconnnodatetl  the  manu- 
facturers with  s|jnrs  of  tracks  for  switching 
and  side  tracks  that  represent  an  enormous 
saving  in  handling  c.-ii-s. 

Her  lodges  and  buildings,  public  and 
private,  her  library,  hospitals,  church  edifices 
and  schools  easily  comp.ai-e  with  any  city  in 
the  middle  west. 

In  Moline  [H'oper  nearly  .f;?(),(IIH), ()()()  are 
invested,  and  the  average  amnnd  output  is 
given  at  )S1 2,500,000.  The  town  has  fifty- 
six  miles  of  well  kejjt  streets,  thirty-two 
miles  of  sidewalks,  twenty  miles  of  sewers, 
twenty-five  miles  of  water  nniins,  fifteen  miles 
of  paved  streets,  ami  tier  |)oindation  is  nearly 
22,000,  and  (if  that  rugged,  thrifty  class  which 
characterize  sn  many  n\  iww  inanufacturing 
districts. 

EVIOXTS    QV    l'',.UiI,V    I)\YS. 

Tlie  original  proprieloi's  of  the  water 
power,  in  1841-42,  laid  (lut  some  lots  on  the 
south  side  of  Main  Street,  now  Second 
Avenue,  ojjposite  the  grounds  now  occu]iied 
by  the  Plow  Works,  ami  fminerly  occupied  in 
part  by  the  old  grist  UiiU.  which  was  built  in 
IS41  by  ])a\id  B.  Sears,  .lohn  W.  S;")encer 
nnd  Spencer  H.  \Miite,  as  was  also  the  dam. 
and  named  the  place  "Rock  Island  Mills.'" 
Tlie  plat,  however,  was  never  recorde  1.  In 
1843  Charles  Atkinson,  I).  B.  Sears  and  others 
purchased  of  Huntington  Wells  a  portion  of 
his  farm  lying  east  of  the  Rock  Island  Mills 
property,  and  they,  togethei'  with  the  owners 


150 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


of  the  latter,  laid  out  the  town  of  Moline.  the 
same  year.  There  were  then  Ixit  thirteen 
dwellings  on  the  ground  platted,  and  the.^e 
were  owned  by  Huutinaton  Wells,  D.  B. 
Sears,  Charles  Atkinson.  Benedict  Patterson. 
Haskins  Reynolds,  Bell,  Huntoon,  Berham. 
Weis.  A^'hite  and  Kinzie.  Sub.sequently 
Charles  Atkinson  laid  oiit  his  first  addition, 
which  was  followed  by  his  second  addition  in 
IS.56;  since  which  various  additions  have 
been  made  from  time  to  time,  till  the  place 
has  reached  its  present  wide  corporate  dimen- 
sions. It  extends  on  the  east  to  the  city 
limits  of  Rock  Island,  and  west  from  that 
point  about  one  and  three  quarter  miles,  and 
is  about  two  miles  in  width  north  and  south, 
with  plenty  of  room  to  grow  in  either  direction. 

Moline  was  quite  early  incorporated  as  a 
town,  but  the  records  having  perished  in  a 
fire,  we  have  no  authentic  information  respect- 
ing the  first  municipal  organization  and 
officers.  It  was,  however,  incorporated  as  a 
city  under  the  General  Law  of  the  State 
approved  April  10,  1872.  On  the  third  of 
that  month  a  petition  was  presented  to  the 
board  of  trustees  of  the  town  of  Moline  asking 
the  question  of  the  adoption  of  a  city  govern- 
ment, to  be  submitted  to  the  qualified  voters 
of  the  town  for  their  decision.  The  petition 
was  granted,  and  in  pursuance  thereof  an 
election  was  held  on  Tuesday,  August  6, 
1872,  resulting  as  follows: 

For  city  organization,  2G1  votes;  against 
city  organization,  22  votes;  for  minority 
representation  in  the  city  council.  21  votes; 
against  minority  representation  in  the  city 
coiuicil,  247  votes. 

On  Tuesday,  August  29,  1872.  the  election 
for  city  officers  was  held,  and  the  following 
named  persons  were  elected:  Mayor,  Daniel 
L.  Wheelock;  city  clerk.  Orrin  K.  Ferguson; 
city  attorne}-,  John  T.  Browning;  aldermen, 
George  W.  Vinton,  Luke  E.  Hemenway.  Jer- 
man  S.  Keator,  Marvil  TI.  White.  Henry 
Klahn,  Charles  W.  Lobdell.  Swan  Hanson, 
Daniel   W.    Dimock.   Charles   F.    Hemenway. 


These  represent  the  first  set  of  city  officers 
elected  in  Moline.  following  the  conversion 
of  the  town  into  a  city. 

Ill  1843  David  Sears  opened  the  first  store 
in  the  house  in  which  he  lived,  which  was  in 
close  proximity  to  the  grist  mill.  The  first 
hotel  dates  from  1843,  and  was  conducted  by 
Huntington  Wells.  In  1842  Joseph  Huntoon 
opened  a  shoe  shop,  and  two  years  later 
Grove  W.  Bell  was  the  town  tailor.  In  1843 
Aynes  Kinzie  started  a  blacksmith  shop  on 
the  ground  since  occupied  b}-  Deere  and 
Company,  and  in  1847  the  nucleus  of  the 
world  famed  shops  of  Deere  and  Company 
was  laid.  The  first  school  house  was 
built  by  private  subscription  in  1843. 
and  of  brick,  where  religious  meetings 
were  also  held.  Joseph  Jackman  was  the 
first  teacher,  followed  by  S.  P.  Hodges, 
who  was  afterwards  county  clerk.  The  first 
bank  was  the  First  National  Bank,  organized 
in  1863. 

MOLINE  POSTOFFICE. 

The  iloline  postoffice  was  established  in 
1S44.  with  David  B.  Sears  as  the  first  post- 
master. The  office  was  located  in  the  ' '  Brick 
Store"  (a  building  owned  by  Mr.  Sears, 
l)etween  Fifteenth  and  Sixteenth  Streets  on 
Second  Avenue.) 

Following  him  Dr.  Wells  had  the  office  in 
a  little  room  about  twelve  by  sixteen  feet  on 
the  alley  corner  of  Seventeenth  Street  between 
First  and  Second  Avenues.  George  W.  KeW 
succeeded  Wells  and  moved  the  office  south  . 
to  the  corner  where  he  had  a  tailor  shop. 
Joseph  J.  Jackman  was  the  next  postmaster, 
and  he  again  moved  the  office  going  east 
about  half  a  lilock  on  Second  .\venue.  In 
1856  Absolom  B.  Williams  was  appoiuteil 
postmaster  and  he  was  succeeded  in  J.dy. 
1857.  by  Judge  John  M.  Gould,  who  nnved 
the  oflfice  west  on  Second  Avenue  t  >  the  lot 
adjoining  the  present  postoffice  liuiLliug  and 
in  the  rear  of  the  jn-esent  site  of  the  Peiples 
Trust  and  SaNinss   Bank.     .Judge  (lould  had 


HISTORIC     ROCK     1 S  LA N D     COUNT Y 


151 


a  liank  here  and  the  ])ostoffice  was  placed  in 
the  rear  of  the  bank  room.  Judge  Gould 
was  succeeded  April  17,  1861,  l)v  William 
Kerns,  wlio  served  until  .Tune,  1865,  when 
George  D.  Gould,  a  brother  of  Judge  Gould, 
took  the  office  and  held  it  until  August  11, 
1869,  when  Mr.  Kerns  again  took  it.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Henr}'  E.  Wells,  who  gave  place 
April  1,  1877,  to  Luke  E.  Hemenway.  Dan 
W.  Gould  took  ]:iossession  February  1,  1886, 
being  tlie  third  of  the  Gould  brothers  to  hold 
that  place.  John  M.  Holt  succeeded  him 
April  1.  1800,  to  be  followed  July  4,  1894,  by 
^I.  J.  McEnir}',  who  held  the  office  until 
October  1,  1897,  when  he  gave  way  to  George 
H.  McKinley,  who  was  followed  March  1, 
1906,  by  W.  F.  Eastman,  the  present  post- 
master. 

The  office  remained  in  tlie  banking  room  of 
Judge  Gould  until  October,  1873,  when  it 
was  removed  to  the  old  library  building  on 
the  corner  of  Fifteenth  and  Library  Streets, 
where  it  remained  until  July,  1885,  when  it 
was  temporarily  placed  in  the  building  on  the 
south  side  of  Third  Avenue  (two  doors  from 
Seventeenth  Street)  until  December,  1885, 
when  it  was  moved  to  the  present  site  on 
Third  Avenue  and  Sixteenth  Street.  A  site 
has  been  purchased  for  a  new  building  at  the 
corner  of  Third  Avenue  and  Eighteenth 
Streets,  and  there  is  an  appropriation  of 
$96,000  for  the  construction  of  a  new  build- 
ing, which  it  is  expected  will  be  occupied  in 
1909. 

The  first  available  report  of  the  receipts  of 
the  postoffice  is  one  published  by  Mr.  Hemen- 
way of  the  receipts  in  the  calendar  year  of 
1879.  This  shows  the  total  receipts  of  the 
office  to  be  .115,346.50.  There  were  3,158 
money  orders  issued  for  $30,667.1  "2,  and 
2,355  paid  for  $36,014.33.  There  were  640 
•  registered  letters  sent  and  1,269  received. 
The  total  mimber  of  pieces  of  mail  dispatched 
was  861,389.  Business  had  not  come  to 
that  point  that  the  office  was  opened 
Sunday. 


The  reports  of  the  auditor  of  the  postoffice 
department  show  a  rapid  growth.  In  1891 
the  number  of  stamps  sold  amounted  to 
$24,433.28,  and  this  was  increased  the  next 
year  more  than  $5,000.  Then  followed  five 
years  of  depression,  and  it  was  not  imtil  the 
year  ending  June  30,  1897.  that  there  was  an 
increase;  the  figures  then  lieing  $31,465.16. 
Since  then  there  has  been  a  steady  increase, 
averaging  something  more  than  eleven  per 
cent  annually.  .On  account  of  the  financial 
depression  the  receipts  for  the  last  year  were 
but  little  more  than  in  the  jirevious  one. 
having  been  $79,306.19.  An  increase  to 
$90,000  is  confidently  expected  the  current 
fiscal  year. 

At  the  same  time  the  number  of  pieces  of 
mail  dispatched  has  so  increased  that  in  one 
week  of  1907  when  they  were  counted  there 
were  148,192  pieces,  which  would  be  at  the 
rate  of  nearly  as  nuuij-  in  six  weeks  as  were 
dispatched  in  the  entire  year  of  1879. 

The  total  number  of  money  orders  sold  in 
the  last  year — 1907 — was  27,341,  of  a  value 
of  $258,755.43  and  there  were  10,789  paid, 
with  a  value  of  $95,667.32.  The  total  number 
of  registers  sent  and  received  was  15,463. 

This  is  the  roster  of  the  office  August  24, 
1908:  Postmaster,  W.  F.  Eastman;  assistant 
postmaster,  John  A.  Godehn;  clerks,  in  order 
of  appointment,  A.  C.  Dorman,  John  Mc- 
Eniry,  C.  V.  Gould,  F.  L.  Rogerson,  H.  E. 
Olson,  N.  L.  Anderson,  W.  Ij.  Olson,  Orlando 
Metz,  A.  L.  Hallquist,  C.  W.  Heimbeck,  P.  E. 
Colson,  Lilla  M.  Fulsinger,  with  D.W\Warnock, 
Ethel  L.  McCanon  and  Elmer  Heck  as  sub- 
stitutes; carriers,  in  order  of  appointment, W. 
G.  Baker,  F.  C.  Viereich.  J.  M.  Hartzell,  F.  N. 
Pierce,  G.  E.  Carlson,  J.  W.  Dewrose.  V.  F. 
Grantz,  Neander  Johnson,  0.  J.  Wilson,  F. 
H.  Wilson,  V.  W.  Becker,  A.  O.  Anderson, 
John  Wind,  A.  E.  Liuideen,  A.  E.  Burlingame, 
Mctor  Youngberg,  with  C.  O.  Hanson,  J.  H. 
Becker,  P'rank  Spriet  and  Paul  Young  as 
substitutes,  and  Thomas  Stewart  as  rural 
carrier. 


152 


//  /  S  TO  in  C    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


There  are  six  stations  with  W.  H.  Christi- 
soii,  Charles  Brunstrom,  C.  ('.  Coyne,  M.  W. 
Hattles.  Jr..  John  I,.  Jeiini,-;cli  and  .August 
iSuiicline  iu  charge. 

Henry  Robinson  is  janitor  and  s])ecial 
delivery  messenger. 

The  first  carriers  went  on  duty  Jidy  I. 
1887,  Messrs.  Baker  and  Hanson  being  two 
of  the  original  fovu-.  Mr.  Baker  has  been  on 
duty  continuously  since,  but  Mr.  Hanson 
resigned  near  the  end  of  his  twentieth  year  to 
go  into  Inisiness. 

MOLINK  IT  HE  DEPARTMENT. 

According  to  the  recollections  of  the  ''oldest 
inhabitant "  the  first  fire  department  of 
Moline  was  organized  in  1S52.  A  hand 
engine,  the  "Metamora,"  together  with  a 
hose  cart,  and  about  two  thousand  feet  of 
hose,  constituted  the  entire  fire  appartaus  of 
the  city.  Charles  H.  Deere  was  fireman  of 
the  hose  company,  and  Doctor  Sweetland 
foreman  of  the  "Metamora."  L.  B.  Mapes, 
M.  A.  Gould.  William  Watt.  H.  E.  Mapes. 
J.  A.  Holt  and  Frank  Kerns  were  among  the 
members.  The  "Metamora"  was  a  mam- 
moth concern,  and  a  regular  man-killer;  but 
the  boys  claim  that  with  twenty  men  on  a 
side  they  could 

' '  Throw  water  higher 
And  pu!np  a  well  dryer" 
than  can  be  done  with  any  modern  invention. 

There  were  banquets,  balls  and  tourna- 
ments in  those  days,  and  it  is  said  that  a 
finer  appearing  company  than  the  "  ^lolines  " 
could  not  be  found,  and  when  on  dress  parade, 
won  not  only  the  admiration  of  the  men,  but 
captured  the  fair  sex  as  well. 

L.  B.  Mapes  and  William  ^^"att  were  two 
likely  young  bloods,  and  when  in  harness 
were  known  as  the  "team  of  sorrels."  With 
meager  and  cumbersome  appartaus.  this 
cominuiy  rendered  excellent  service  under 
extreme  difficullties:  anil  their  deeds  of 
daring  are  seldom  eipialled  in  the  fires  of 
today. 


Among  the  principal  fires  fouglit  by  the 
first  firemen  were  those  of  the  Howe,  Childs  ' 
and  Mapes'  mills,  in  1855:  Sears'  mills, 
Shaw's  dry  goods  store,  Dunn's  hardware 
store;  fires  that  tried  the  courage  and  nerve 
of  the  firemen.  From  1S65  down  to  the 
organization  of  the  present  department  there 
are  many  missing  links.  The  old  ' '  Meta- 
mora"  was  kept  until  1872,  and  then  sold  to 
Milan,  a  steam  fire  engine  being  purchased 
and  named  the  "Mississippi,"  which  is  still 
on  hand,  but  not  in  service. 

Then  was  organized  one  of  the  m  ist 
remarkable  organizations  in  the  history  of 
the  pioneer  service:  the  A.  0.  T.  (always  on 
time)  company.  This  company  rendere.l 
strenuous  and  valuable  service  at  the  large 
and  disastrous  fire  of  the  J.  S.  Keator  saw 
mills,  a  loss  of  the  entire  ])lant  with  over  ten 
million  feet  of  lumber,  making  a  total  loss  of 
S30(),()00.  Fire  help  was  called  for.  Rock 
Island  responding  with  Rescue  Steam  Fire 
Engine  No.  2,  and  Phoenix  and  Wide-Awake 
hose  companies,  and  the  Sash  Factory  hose 
company.  Davenport  sent  over  the  Fire 
King  Steamer  and  Fire  King  hose  company. 
Colonel  Flagler  sent  "Uncle  Sam"  over  from 
the  Arsenal,  Geneseo  coming  down  with  their 
engine  and  fire  company.  The  Deere  hose 
throwing  first  water,  closeh-  followed  by  the 
A.  0.  T.  company  and  the  ^linnehahas. 
The  old  "Mississippi"  did  magnificent  work. 
All  the  firemen  were  deserving  of  unusual  and 
unstinted  praise,  and  all  equally  deserving 
of  worthy  mention  for  their  lieroic  work  on 
that  memorable  night.  The  ladders  of  the 
first  hook  and  ladder  truck  were  constructed 
of  tM'o  by  fom-s,  and  very  crude. 

The  old  \'olunteer  chiefs  we:'e:  Isaac 
Anderson,  Phil  Williams,  C.  O.  Nas.m,  .Morey, 
Flickinger.  and  Levi  S.  Cralle. 

A  new  organization  was  effected  in  June, 
1S84:  B.  B.  Peregoy.  chief;  foil  )we:l  by 
.1.  M.  Hart/.ell.  Albo.'t  .\bling.  A.  Williams. 
Xels  Pete.s;in.  James  J.  Trev.)r,  H.  C. 
Reese,  for  1894,  1895,  1S96.     The  department 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


153 


at  tliis  time  consisted  of  one  liun- 
dred  men.  and  was  sul)divided  into  fonr 
hose  companies  and  one  hook  and  ladder 
truck  com])any.  and  one  steam  fire  engine. 
The  hose  companies  were  the  Union  No.  1 , 
Onward  No.  2,  Minnehaha  No.  3.  and  Deane 
No.  4.  In  1893  the  Union  hose  company  No. 
1  di.sbanded  and  a  new  company  formed 
called  the  Columbia  No.  1.  There  were  also 
four  independent  hose  companies,  represent- 
ing the  following  manufactories:  Deere  and 
Company,  Moline  Plow  Company,  J^arnard 
and  Leas  ^lanufaeturing  Company,  and  Deere 
and  Mansur  Company;  each  company  being 
thoroughly  eciui])]5ed  with  all  modern  appli- 
ances. 

The  present  i)aid  department  was  organized 
October  1,  1,S96,  the  chief  being  H.  C.  Reese, 
the  old  volunteer  chief,  and  J.  Q.  Hawk, 
as.sistant  chief.  .Shortly  after«-ard  ,John  Q. 
Hawk  was  appointed  chief,  and  through  his 
efficiency  has  held  the  ]30sition  to  the  present 
time;  the  assistant  chief  now  beinc  F.  Oscar 
Youngren. 

The  department  stations  are: 

Central  Fire  Station  No.  1.  SIO-.^H  Four- 
teenth Street. 

Hose  Company  No.  2,  1317  Fourteenth 
Avenue;  captain.  Thomas  Welch. 

Hose  Comjiany  No.  3.  captain,  .fames  .1. 
Trevor. 

Hook  anil  Ladder  Company  No.  1 ,  lietng 
housed  at  Central  Fire  Hall. 

The  full  force  of  the  department  is  twenty 
men.  The  apparatus  consists  of:  Three 
two-horse  wagons  in  service,  one  two-h(}rse 
wagon  in  reserve,  one  hook  and  ladder  truck. 
one  chief's  buggy. 

The  department  has  one  of  the  finest  fire 
alarm  systems,  being  the  Gamewell  Fire 
.Vlarm  .System.  To  ^^'.  F.  Channing  of 
Boston,  and  M.  O,  Farmer  of  Salem,  Ma.ssa- 
chusetts,  is  due  the  credit  for  the  first  suc- 
cessful employment  of  electricity  for  giving 
instantaneous,  universal  and  indefinite  alarms 
in    case    of    fires.      In     1  S.5."i    Oamewoll     .■md 


Company  became  the  owners  of  all  patents 
of  Channing  and  Farmer.  The  fire-alarm 
telegraph  system  of  Moline  consists  of  a 
central  or  battery  station,  located  at  the 
water  works;  the  wire  circuit,  which  connects 
the  central  station  with  the  street  signal 
boxes  and  the  alarm  a])paratus,  consisting  of 
combined  electro-mechanical  gong'-strikers 
and  indicators,  located  in  the  hose  houses, 
and  residence  of  the  chief  of  the  fire  depart- 
ment ;  the  indicators  showing  in  plain  figures 
the  numlier  of  the  signal-l)Ox  from  which  the 
ahirm  origiiuites.  A  rei)eater  is  ])laced  in 
the  central  tele])hone  otlice.  and  each  tele- 
phone has  a  "fire  number"  corresponding 
with  that  of  tiie  street  signal-box. 

MOLINE  WATER  WORKS  DFFARTMKNT 

The  City  of  Moline  has  an  unusually  g  )  ):1 
water  works  system  (the  supi)ly  coming  from 
the  Mississippi  Ri\'ei'),  consisting  of  a  iiuni])- 
ing  station  and  filtering  ]ilant,  and  thirty-fi\-e 
miles  of  street  water  mains,  with  three  hund- 
red and  twenty-five  city  fire  hydrants,  fiftv 
])rivate  hydrants,  and  two  hundred  and. 
forty-five  ^■alve.s.  The  number  of  gallons  of 
water  filtered  during  the  year  ending  Ajjril 
1.  1908,  amounted  to  988,419,230  gallons,  or 
2.700.598  gallons  per  day.  The  total  number 
of  gallons  of  water  ]Mimped  to  the  City  of 
Moline  for  the  said  year  was  949.711,378 
gallons,  lieing  a  dail}'  consumption  of  2,594,- 
839  gallons,  being  a  daily  increase  over  the 
previous  year  of  151,792  galhuis.  They  have 
3,250  service  taps,  making  an  a\'erage  of  831 
gallons  of  water  per  day  to  each  tap,  or  a 
per  capita  consumption  of  one  hundred  gall.:)ns 
for  the  entire  City  of  Moline.  The  consump- 
tion of  fuel  for  the  jiast  year  was  7.11 4.000 
pounils  of  coal,  being  19.437  jiounds  for  each 
day.  By  computation,  filtering  1,904  galbns 
of  water  for  each  pound  of  coal  consume.!. 
Cost  of  coal  for  past  year  $5,838.59.  or  $15.95 
tor  each  twenty-four  hours.  Coagulates  use  1 
the  past  year  in  the  filtering  ]ilant.  412,870 
pounds   of   lime,   being   3.13   i;rains   for   eacli 


154 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


gallon;  106.780  i)oiuids  of  iron,  or  .SI  grains 
per  gallon;  19.875  pounds  of  alum,  or  2.146 
grains  per  gallon.  023.326.790  gallons  of 
water  were  filtered  with  lime  and  iron  at  a 
cost  of  SI. 17  per  million  gallons  of  water: 
the  cost  of  iron  lieing  .seventy-five  cents  per 
million  gallons.  Water  filtered  by  alum  at 
a  cost  of  S3. 05  per  million  gallons.  Cost  of 
filtering  water  for  the  past  year  has  been 
$5,881.20,  or  S5.95  per  million  gallons.  The 
total  cost  of  pumping  and  filtering  the  water 
used  during  the  past  year,  including  all 
expenses  at  the  water  works  and  filtering 
plant,  and  water  main  expenses,  has  been 
$22,787.16.  or  equal  to  $22.04  per  million 
gallons. 

MOLINE  SCHOOLS. 

The  first  school  house  in  Moline  was  built 
in  1843  on  the  north  west  corner  of  Sixteenth 
Street  and  Fourth  Avenue,  where  the  Burling- 
ton freight  house  now  stands.  ' "  The  people 
of  the  new  town,"  says  an  old  settler,  "felt 
the  need  of  a  school,  and  of  some  place  in 
which  to  hold  religious  meetings."  Accord- 
ingl}-  the  owners  of  the  town  site  donated 
two  lots;  a  subscription  was  circulated  and 
a  brick  school  house  built,  which  was  for 
several  years  used  also  as  a  place  of  worship 
by  different  denominations.  The  first  teach- 
er, who  also  served  as  city  clerk  and  justice 
of  the  peace,  was  Joseph  Jackman,  a  native 
of  Massachusetts,  whei'e  he  had  been  a  school 
mate  of  Honorable  Charles  Atkinson.  The 
school  was  subsequently  taught  by  S.  P. 
Hodges,  who  afterwards  became  county  clerk. 
The  present  school  system  dates  from  April. 
1873,  when,  under  the  city  charter,  and  in 
accordance  with  the  revised  school  laws,  the 
following  board  of  education  was  elected: 
C.  A.  Wheelock.  president;  H.  H.  Grover. 
secretary;  William  H.  Edwards,  Ezra  Smith, 
C.  C.  Nathan  and  Jonathan  Huntoon. 

During  the  following  year  the  board  pur- 
chased sites  for  two  new  school  houses:  for 
the    West    Ward    school,    six    lots    of    John 


Deere,  for  the  East  Ward  school  a  part  of 
H.  R.  Edwards  block,  paj-ing  respectively 
S3,000  and  $1,500  in  bonds.  The  Central 
school  which  also  contained  the  High  school, 
was  erected  on  the  old  site,  the  contract 
calling  for  an  outlay  of  $25,000.  From  these 
beginnings  has  grown  the  present  excellent 
system,  which  according  to  the  last  school 
report  is  housed  in  ten  large  buildings,  with 
all  modern  improvements,  employing  one 
hundred  and  twelve  teachers,  including  special 
teachers  and  superintendent:  and  expended 
for  instruction  and  supervision  alone,  e.xchi- 
sive  of  care  and  maintenance  of  buildings  and 
grounds  for  the  season  of  1907,  $68,186.74. 
The  course  of  study  begins  with  the  kinder- 
garden:  carries  the  child  through  eight  grades 
into  the  High  school,  from  which,  after  four 
years,  he  may  pass  on  to  any  of  the  leading 
universities  or  colleges,  or  find  himself 
equipped  with  a  good  education  for  the 
business  of  life.  Throughout  the  course 
there  is  instruction  by  special  teachers  in 
music,  drawing,  physical  culture  and  the 
"higher  grades,"  and  in  the  High  school  is 
offered  industrial  work,  in  the  shape  of  cook- 
ing and  sewing  for  the  girls,  and  manual 
training  for  the  boys,  looking  possibly  to  the 
establishment  before  many  years  of  a  model 
trade  school;  an  advantage  much  to  be 
desired  in  such  a  manufacturing  center  as 
Moline. 

The  enrollment  of  all  the  schools  for  1907 
was  3,836  pupils. 

MOLINE  PUBLIC  LIBRARY. 

Xext  to  the  public  schools  of  ^loline  as  a 
popular  educative  agency,  is  the  Carnegie 
Public  Librar\-  and  reading  rooms.  Indeed 
this  latter  institution,  in  the  design  of  its 
founders,  is  intended  to  carry  up  education 
to  a  higher  plane  than  that  reached  bj'  the 
public  schools,  and  to  lead  to  a  broader  and 
more  comprehensive  intellectual  culture.  To 
this  end.  its  j^lan  comprehends  not  merely  a 
collection  of  books,  newspapers  and  magazines. 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND     CO U N T Y 


155 


but  also  an  art  .aallery,  a  ]ilace  of  aimi.se- 
nient  and  social  conversation,  a  collection  of 
rare  curiosities  and  cabinets  of  natural  history 
and  tlie  \arious  sciences. 

Measures  for  the  e.stabli.shment  of  such  an 
institution  in  the  City  of  Moline  were  taken 
in  the  Summer  of  1872,  soon  after  the  passage 
of  the  law  allowing  cities  and  towns  to  raise 
money  by  taxation  for  library  purposes.  The 
mayor.  Honorable  I).  L.  Wheelock,  on  the 
21st  of  September,  1S72,  appointed  the  fol- 
lowing named  persons  a  board  of  directors 
of  the  .Moline  Public  Library:  J.  T.  J:{rown- 
ing,  Eugene  Lewis,  S.  H.  ^'elie,  J.  C.  Starr, 
William  H.  Russell,  H.  A.  Ainsworth,  H.  H. 
Grover  and  E.  Okerberg.  Mr.  Okerberg 
declined  to  serve,  and  his  ]ilace  was  filled  hv 
Honorable  Charles  Atkinson. 

On  the  21st  of  September,  1872,  the  board 
organized  by  electing  the  following  officers- 
President,  J.  T.  Browning;  vice-president, 
J.  T.  Starr;  secretary  and  collector,  H.  H. 
Grover;  executive  committee,  Merrss.  Starr, 
^'elie  and  Grover;  finance  committee,  Messrs. 
Browning,  ^"elie  and  Atkinson.  On  books  in 
foreign  languages,  Messrs.  Parker,  Russell 
and  Ainsworth.  On  English  books,  Messrs. 
Ainsworth,  Russell  and  Lewis. 

In  the  Summer  of  1872  the  City  Council 
appropriated  .1800.  A  meeting  was  called  on 
the  17th  of  December,  and  .$3,000  were 
pledged,  the  ladies  organizing  into  a  societ_v 
and  becoming  responsilile  for  SoOO  of  the 
amount.  This  sum  was  soon  increased  to 
§5,576.24.  Rooms  were  obtained  in  the  post- 
office  building  of  the  Honorable  S.  W. 
Wheelock;  the  first  installment  of  books  was 
jnirchased,  and  the  library  opened  to  the 
public  January  6,  1873.  Mrs.  Kate  S.  Holt 
was  appointed  librarian  March  29.  1873. 

The  library  found  a  generous  patron  in  the 
per.son  of  Honorable  S.  W.  Wheelock,  whose 
munificent  donation  primarily  secured  a 
liernianent  building  for  the  library.  ^Fr.  and 
.Mrs.  AVheelock  contributed  .$500  toward  the 
original  fund  of  the  librai-\-.     As  soon  as  the 


plans  were  completed,  they  also  tendered  the 
board  the  use  of  the  second  floor  of  the  post- 
office  building,  which  was  accepted.  Mr. 
Wheelock  always  manifested  great  interest 
in  the  library,  and  planned  with  broad  and 
com])rehensive  views  of  its  usefulness. 

On  the  loth  of  March,  1877,  he  passed  o\er 
to  the  board  a  deed  of  the  postoffice  building, 
the  erection  of  which  cost  upwards  of  $20,000. 
and  which  was  occii|)ied  until  the  opening  of 
the  new  building. 

The  new  Carnegie  lil)rarv  opened  to  the 
jHiblic  January  26,  1904,  was  erected  at  a  cost 
of  $7O,OO0,  of  this  sum  Andrew  Carnegie  con- 
tributed $37,000.  The  business  Men's  Asso- 
ciation of  Moline  cofistitiited  the  most  potent 
factor  in  securing  this  sum  from  the  iron 
master.  At  first  Mr.  Carnegie  denied  the 
requests  for  his  aid  in  erecting  a  library,  hui 
after  a  time,  the  matter  was  again  urged 
upon  him  by  W.  A.  Jones,  who  succeeded  in 
his  quest,  and  August  31,  1901,  Moline  was 
given  notice  that  Mr.  Carnegie  had  acquiesced, 
and  would  donate  $37,000.  In  response  to  a 
second  request  that  the  contribution  be  made 
$50,000  instead  of  .$37,000,  Mr.  Carnegie 
raised  the  sum  to  $40,000.  September  4. 
1901,  the  library  board  accepted  Mr.  Carne- 
negie's  gift,  and  it  was  endorsed  by  the  City 
Council.  November  S,  1901,  the  following 
were  elected  a  building  committee:  C.  A. 
Barnard,  L.  D.  Dunn,  Honorable  W.  A. 
^leese,  O.  F.  Anderson,  R.  C.  J.  Meyers. 

December  3,  1901,  the  Velie  property, 
corner  of  Seventeenth  Street  and  Fifth 
Avenue,  was  purchased  for  $10,000.  As  the 
$40,000  was  contributed  solely  for  Iniilding 
purposes  the  library  board  decided  to  solicit 
public  subscriptions  to  purchase  the  site, 
and  on  the  16th  of  December  twelve  .$500 
subscriptions  had  been  secured,  with  other 
moneys,  amounting  in  all  to  about  $13,000. 

The  corner  stone  was  laid  May  2,  1903.  and 
the  public  exhibiting  an  exceptional  inte:est 
and  enth\isiasm  in  the  progress  of  the  building 
the  librarv   board    again   appeali'il   for   public 


156 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


subscription,  to  the  amount  of  $5,500. 
appending  to  their  request  an  itemized  state- 
ment of  the  finances  of  the  Uhrary.  As  the 
time  elapsed  more  money  was  received  by 
subsiTi])tions  and  (h)nations.  until  the  sum 
amounted  to  $70,000. 

December  '2'.i,  lOOH,  two  l)ronze  memorial 
tablets  were  i)laced  in  the  hallway  of  the 
bviildinj!;.  They  were  about  two  by  three 
feet.  The  one  on  the  right  on  entering  the 
library  reads:  "This  Iniilding  is  the  gift  of 
Andrew  Carnegie.  Its  furnishings  were  pre- 
sented by  the  citizens  of  Moline.  F.  F.  Kor- 
golte,  Architect."  The  one  on  the  left  reads: 
■'Board  of  Directors.  1903— C.  A.  Barnard. 
President;  O.  F.  Anderson,  vice-president: 
H.  S.  Hanson,  secretary;  W.  A.  Meese,  R.  C 
J.  Meyers,  L.  D.  Dunn,"  M.  J.  McEniry.  C  W. 
Vinton,  W.  J.  Davis,  J.  B.  Oakleaf. 

The  building  is  built  of  vitrified  brick, 
trimmed  with  Bedford  Blue  Stone.  It  con- 
tains 17,000  bound  volumes,  is  equipped 
with  every  up-to-date  appliance,  and  is 
tastily  and  conviently  arranged. 

The  i)reseiit  board  of  directors  comprise: 
Harry  Ainsworth,  president;  ^^'.  R.  ^loore, 
vice-president;  Dr.  E.  A.  Edlen,  secretary; 
directors,  H,  F.  Vierich,  Louis  H.  R.  Kar- 
wath,  Robert  W.  Rank,  Frank  Herbst,  Dr. 
E.  A.  Edlen,  W,  R.  iloore.  H.  A.  Ainsworth 
and  Edward  Coryn. 

The  librarian  is  Miss  Minnie  Kohler; 
assistants,  Mi.ss  Hattie  Skogh  and  Miss  Lilian 
Owen.  The  library  is  open  from  9  A.  M.  to 
9  P.  M.  on  week  days,  and  from  2  P.  M.  to 
6  P.  M.  on  iSundays.  The  board  of  directors 
meets  the  first  Tuesday  of  each  month. 

MOLINE  crrV   HOSIMT.M.. 

In  ISiU  .ludge  .lohn  M.  (!ould  framed  a 
bill  and  went  to  Springfield  asking  the  Legis- 
lature for  a  two-mill  ta.\  to  be  levied  for 
hospital  |)ur])oses  f(}i-  cities  under  100,000 
inhabitants.  After  the  bill  was  ])assed,  a 
home  association  was  formed  in  1 S92  and 
directors  appointed,  consisting  of  Doctor  A. 


11.  Arp.  Doctor  W.  K.  Sloan  and  \V.  B. 
rinian.  The  directors  looked  up  a  site,  and 
during  the  time  until  1898  the  tax  accumu- 
lation and  donations  enabled  them  to  build, 
and  open  the  lios|)ital  that  year  with  three 
patient.-;.  Prior  to  this  the  ladies  had  formed 
a  society,  giving  entertainments,  the  proceeds 
of  which  were  used  in  furnishing  the  hospital 
Pri\-ate  individ\ials  furnished  private  rooms, 
among  which  are  the  Swedish  Ladies  room  of 
the  Swedish  Lutheran  Church,  the  Allen  room, 
Charles  R.  Stephens  room,  (ieorge  .\rthur 
Stephens  i-oom,  the  Deere  room,  the  Child- 
ren's room  (furnished  ;uid  kejit  by  the  late 
Mrs.  Sarah  L.  .\tkin,son).  the  S.  H.  Velie 
room,  and  the  Athletic  Clul)  room.  The 
Ladies  Hospital  Association  ha\e  keiit  up 
the  furnishings.  The  location  selected  was 
the  old  Hiram  Pitts  home,  where  the  school 
was  started  for  the  instruction  of  nurses,  and 
is  now  called  the  Nurses'  Home.  The  train- 
ing school  for  nurses  is  su])ported  by  the 
Ladies'  Hospital  Association,  which  furnishes 
their  uniforms,  and  when  they  graduate  gives 
each  of  them  one  hundred  dollars.  The 
superintendent  of  nurses  is  Miss  Margaret 
Rooney;  the  matron.  Miss  Margaret  Howe  of 
Muscatine,  Iowa;  and  there  are  ten  nurses  in 
attendance.  The  first  board  of  directors 
(appointed  by  the  mayor)  was  William  Rut- 
terworth  and  Doctor  August   H.  Arp. 

The  number  of  patients  treated  since  189S 
to  August,  1908,  amounts  to  2,695.  The 
hos]iital  is  supjwrted  by  taxation  and  fees  of 
patients,  and  is  in  very  flourishing  circum- 
stances, with  property  in  good  conditi(ui,  and 
self  sustaining.  The  heating  jilant  uf  the 
hosjiital  is  of  the  \'acuum  Vapor  System.  .\ 
new  bill  has  been  presented  to  the  State 
Legislature  praying  for  the  two  mill  tax  to 
i)e  increased  to  three  mills. 

.At  present  William  Jiutterworth  i.s  ])resi- 
ilent  of  the  association,  and  Mrs,  Florence  D. 
Sleight,  secretary.  The  staff  consists  of 
twenty  of  the  leading  physicians  of  the  city. 
According  to  the  law  under  which  the  hospital 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


157 


was  ostahlishpcl,  any  licensed  plnsician 
in  tlie  state  can  take  his  |iatients  to  this 
h()s])ital  and  treat  them. 

.MOI.INK  HEALTH   DKl'AHTMKNT. 
or(;amz.\ti()\. 

On  Septeuiher  11,  lOO."),  an  oiMlinance  was 
passed  by  the  City  Council  of  .Moline,  creating- 
and  establishinsi  a  l)oard  of  health.  On 
.lanuary  '2.  HKiG.  Dr.  H.  ('.  J.  Meyer  was 
ajipointed  as  the  first  comniissionei',  and  the 
first  l)oard  consisted  (as  required  by  ordi- 
nance) of  the  commissioner.  Dr.  R.  ('.  .1. 
Meyer,  ciiairman;  the  mayor,  Andrew  Olsen; 
the  chief  of  police,  Edward  Kittleson,  secre- 
tary. The  first  meeting  of  the  l)oard  was 
held  on  January  S,  1906,  at  which  time  it  was 
decided  that  to  accomplish  the  purpose  of 
this  department  it  would  be  necessary  to  start 
with  an  efficient  and  competent  force  of  men. 

The  first  order  issued  was  for  sobriety,  as 
follows :  To  the  employees  of  the  health  depart- 
ment: You  are  hereby  notified  not  to  frequent 
saloons  during  working  hours;  all  employees 
found  in  saloons  during  workinghovn-s  will  be 
immediately  discharged.  Byorder  of  the  health 
dejiartment.     R.  C.  J.  Meyer,  M.  D..  chairman. 

The  ordinance  requires  the  health  com- 
missioner to  set  aside  one  horn-  each  day  dur- 
ing which  time  he  may  hear  complaints,  and 
transact  other  business  in  connection  with 
the  oflice.  The  hour  from  2  P.  M.  to  3  P.  M. 
was  selected  as  the  hour  best  suited  for  such 
pur])o.ses. 

Reports  are  being  made  weekly  to  the 
Surgeon  General  Pulilic  Health  and  Marine 
Hospital  Service,  Treasury  I)e|)artment, 
\\'ashington,  D.  C. 

Monthly  reports  are  made  to  the  Citv 
Council,  and  one  to  the  State  Board  of  Health. 
The  first  report  to  the  City  Council  was  made 
on  february  5,  1906.  for  the  monrh  of 
.buniary,  1906. 

SVSTKM.\TIZIXfi. 

.\s  this  ileiiartment  was  a  new  one  a  system 
liad  to  be  formulated,  so  that  the  woi-k  miuhl 


be  most  efficient  in  the  various  bi-anches,  and 
the  greatest  good  accomplished  at  a  minimum 
e.xjiense. 

VIT-VL    ST.XTISTIC'S. 

In  order  that  vital  statistics  might  be 
obtained,  records  are  kept  of  births,  con- 
tagion, deaths  and  burial  permits  issued.  No 
burial  is  permitted  without  such  ])ermit : 
these  are  made  out  in  duplicate  form,  giving 
ever\'  important  data  connected  with  such 
Imrial:  one  is  retained  in  the  office  of  the 
healtli  commissioner,  the  other  by  the  ceme- 
tery board:  thus  a  duplicate  record  is  kept. 

PURE    FOOD    DIVISIOV. 

.\  laboratory  was  estabished  in  a  room  at 
the  water  works,  and  the  milk  test  begun 
under  the  guidance  and  instruction  of  Pro- 
fessor W.  J.  Truenian  of  the  State  University 
at  Crbana.  Illinois.  In  the  inspection  of 
dairies  and  food  stufT  valuable  assistance  was 
rendered  by  Frank  Hoey,  Charles  H.  Kyell- 
quist  and  other  state  inspectors.  It  was  soon 
found  that  the  faucet  used  by  the  milk  men 
was  not  jiroperly  ccmstructed,  and  a  larger 
and  straighter  one,  one  that  could  be  easier 
cleaned,  was  recommended  and  its  installa- 
tion insisted  upon;  this  with  otlier  recom- 
mendations brought  the  milk  product  up  to 
a  high  standard,  .^t  the  suggestion  of  the 
health  commissioner  an  ordinance  was  passed 
by  the  City  Council  making  it  an  offense  to 
sell  or  offer  for  sale  any  aninuil,  fish  or  fowl 
that  w-as  not  drawn  at  the  time  of  slaughter, 
thus  shutting  out  tiie  cold  storage  product, 
and  insuring  sweet  and  wholesome  meats, 
with  little  or  no  waste  to  the  consumer.  A 
constant  supervision  is  kept  for  unwholesome 
food  stuffs,  and  upon  the  request  of  the  health 
commissioner,  an  Ordinance  was  passed  grant- 
ing power  to  the  health  de])artment  to  sieze 
such  tmwholesome  food  stuffs  and  destroy 
the  same;  this  has  had  a  beneficial  effect. 

roXTAGIOUS    DIVISION. 

This  department  encountered  an  epidemic 
of  scarlet  fever,  and  a  great  deal  of  di]ihtheria, 
as   \\ell   as  small   po\,   chicken    po\,   measles. 


158 


Jl  1 STUNI  C     HOCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


etc..  early  in  its  liistory.  Hales  ^ioverniiig 
such  eases  had  to  he  forimilated.  and  en- 
forced: but  as  the  people  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  laxity  in  this  regard,  and  did  not 
uaderstantl  the  importance  of  strict  refiula- 
tions,  considerable  dithculty  was  encountered, 
and  some  arrests  had  to  be  made  to  enforce 
the  ndes.  It  was  soon  discovered  that  the 
department  was  handicapped  tn^  being  sur- 
rounded by  territor}^  in  which  the  quarantine 
regulations  were  not  enforced.  Arrange- 
ments were  made  by  the  health  commissioners 
of  Moline  and  of  Rock  Island  to  appoint  a 
committee  of  physicians  of  Rock  Island  and 
Moline  to  co-o])erate  with  the  conunissioners 
to  formulate  rules,  and  make  them  operative 
throughout  this  territory,  as  one:  and  the 
rules  which  had  been  adojited  here  in  Moline 
were  practically  adopted,  and  the  contagion 
stamped  out.  B.ut  not  without  showing  the 
urgent  necessity  of  a  contagious  hosjjital. 
and  through  the  efforts  of  Dr.  Meyer  the 
physicians  were  organized  and  a  committee 
appointed,  plans  drawn  and  the  City  Council 
requested  to  provide  funds  for  the  construc- 
tion of  such  building.  This  petition  was 
signed  by  all  the  ph3-sicians  in  the  city,  but 
without  effect.  Such  building  was  to  take 
care  of  all  contagious,  infectious,  consump- 
tive, and  filthy  diseases  in  the  city. 

S.\NIT.\IiV    DIVISION". 

The  ordiannce  requires  the  police  de])art- 
ment  to  assist  the  health  department,  and  all 
patrolmen  are  required  to  report  all  nuisances 
and  matter  detrimental  to  health  to  the  health 
commissioner.  Resides  this  a  health  insjjector 
is  provided,  to  be  subordinate  to,  and  under 
the  ])ers()nal  direction  of  the  commissioner  of 
health.  Many  unsanitary  conditions  were 
found  and  al)ated.  For  cleaning  the  alleys  of 
the  city  it  was  found  best  to  divide  the  city 
up  into  districts,  and  place  a  man  with  his 
cart  in  charge,  and  hold  him  responsible  for 
his  district.  In  the  Summer  time  the  rub- 
bish and  garbage  is  collected  separately:  the 
garbage  is  required  to  be  free  from  water   and 


placed  in  covered  cans  for  removal.  Weeds 
are  cut  before  the  i)ollen  have  a  chance  to 
form,  and  all  matters  detrimental  to  health 
looked  after. 

PUBLIC   B.\THS. 

It  has  long  been  known  that  boys  and 
young  men  were  in  the  habit  of  frequenting 
the  slough  and  river  for  bathing  purposes, 
seeking  out  of  the  way  and  often  dangerous 
places.  To  rectify  svich  evils  and  to  minimize 
the  dangers  incident  to  such  practices,  the 
health  commissioner  sought  to  establish  a 
suitable  place,  and  under  proper  supervision, 
where  the  pleasures  of  the  bath  might  be 
enjoyed,  and  the  City  Council  was  appealed 
to  for  permission  to  establish  a  bathing  beach 
at  Twenty-fifth  Street,  which  was  finally 
granted  and  construction  commenced,  but 
owing  to  various  difficulties,  has  not  been 
completed. 

PUBLIC   CONVEXIEXCES. 

Realizing  the  necessity  of  better  accom- 
modations for  the  public,  and  esiiecially  the 
stranger,  the  health  commissioner  \irged  the 
City  Council  to  take  the  initiative  and 
establish  accommodations  in  the  City  Park, 
and  the  ministers  were  urged  to  make  pro- 
visions in  their  respective  churches,  with  a 
general  supervision  entrusted  to  the  police 
force,  but  so  far  nothing  has  been  done. 

DEFECTS    IX    HE.\LTH    OHDI.V.WCK. 

In  estalilishing  the  Health  Department  of 
Moline,  Health  Commissioner  Dr.  R.  C.  J. 
Meyer  discovered  many  defects  in  the  health 
ordinance,  and  at  various  times  recommended 
changes,  and  in  his  annual  report  for  1906 
recommended  an  entire  recast  to  be  made. 
Because  of  its  many  defects,  and  because  the 
health  commissioner  is  supposed  to  have 
supervision  of  all  sanitary  matters,  but  is 
shorn  of  the  power  to  enforce  his  orders. 
For  the  reason  that  the  men  who  are  hhed 
by  the  board  that  are  not  aj^pointed  by  the 
City  Council,  it  is  impossible  for  him  to  get 
rid  of  incoin])etent.  disobedient  help  if  the 
board  sees  fit  to  keep  them  on  the  pay  roll. 


HISTORIC    ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


159 


nor  is  the  health  commissioner  able  to  ad- 
minister the  affairs  of  his  department  with 
strict  economy  under  siu-h  conditions.  Dr. 
Meyer  held  that  money  is  spent  extravagantly, 
for  instance  the  inspector  and  the  barn  boss 
should  be  one,  and  the  one  salary  saved  to 
the  peo]ile.  Such  anil  other  recommenda- 
tions were  made  l)v  I)r.  IMeyer,  Init  without 
avail.  Dr.  Meyer  also  held  that  this  depart- 
ment above  all  dejaartments  should  be  kept 
out  of  politics,  in  order  that  the  greatest  good 
may  be  accomplished  for  the  people. 

The  civic  department  of  the  Womans'  Club 
have  been  a  great  help  to  tiie  health  dejiart- 
ment  and  a  great  deal  of  credit  is  due  them 
for  their  labors. 

RIVERSIDE  CEMETERY. 

The  old  Moline  Cemetery  consisted  of  about 
five  acres,  from  the  north  center  of  the  Bill 
Mills  farm,  each  lot  holder  being  a  member  of 
the  Association.  The  association  turning  this 
over  to  the  City  of  Moline.  who  imrchased 
seventy-five  acres  more  and  afterwards  ten 
acres  additional,  making  altogether  ninety 
acres. 

The  first  Ijurial  ground  in  the  A'illage  of 
iloline  was  where  Charles  H.  Deere's  residence 
now  is,  bodies  being  removed  to  the  present 
old  cemetery,  from  which  a  consitlerable 
iii'mber  have  lieen  removed  to  the  new  part: 
some  interments  are  still  made  in  the  older 
portiim. 

The  Moline  Cemetery  As.sociation  was 
incorporated  by  special  charter  in  IS.iI.  The 
petitioners  for  a  charter  were  A.  ,1.  Perkins, 
Hiram  Hull,  A.  F.  Swander,  R.  N.  Tate, 
Joseph  Jackman.  L.  E.  Oker  and  George  P. 
^"esey.  It  was  granted  ]5ower  to  own  real 
estate  not  to  e.xceed  ten  acres,  and  funeral 
property  not  to  exceed  at  one  time  five 
hundred  dollars.  At  the  first  meeting  of  the 
stockholders  (owners  of  lots)  held  May  5, 
1S.51,  for  the  ]5urpose  of  electing  trustees, 
eighty-one  \otes  were  cast:  M.  Grenell,  N.  ('. 
T\rvoll    and    Joseph    Jackman    were    elected. 


This  board  of  trustees  appointed  S.  P.  Hodges 
secretary,  Joseph  Jackman  treasurer,  and 
Josei)h  Pershing  sexton.  An  ordinance  to 
establish  and  regulate  the  Riverside  Cemetery 
of  the  City  of  Moline,  was  passed  June  7, 
1873.  This  ordinance  dedicated  to  the  pur- 
pose of  burial,  the  i)resent  Riverside  Ceme- 
tery, and  vested  its  management  in  a  board 
of  directors,  one  of  whom  should  be  the 
nuiyor  of  the  city,  who,  ex-offirio,  was  to  be 
the  chairman  of  the  board,  the  six  other 
members  to  be  appointed  by  the  mayor  and 
consent  of  the  City  Council.  John  Deere  was 
mayor  at  this  time,  and  the  following  were 
appointed  members  of  the  board,  viz:  H.  0. 
.Sleight,  A.  S.  Wright,  C.  W.  Lobdell.  D.  I.. 
Wheelock,  H.  H.  Grover  and  A.  Williams. 
C.  W.  Lobdell  was  elected  secretary  and 
treasurer  July  25,  1873.  At  this  meeting  a 
i-esolution  was  passed  requesting  the  City 
Council  to  act  upon  securing  other  grounds 
further  removed  from  the  city,  it  being  "the 
opinion  of  the  cemetery  board  that  the 
present  location  of  the  cemetery  will  ]:)erma- 
nently  injure  the  growth  of  the  city  and 
retard  its  jirosperity."  The  City  Council 
took  no  favorable  action  in  the  matter,  and 
the  plan  of  Daniel  Ciordon,  surveyor,  for 
laying  out  the  gromuls  in  its  several  outlines 
was  adopted  l)y  the  lioard.  The  same  year 
(1873)  it  was  voted  to  close  the  public 
entrance  to  the  old  cemetery  and  to  move 
the  gates  to  Ann  Street  (Sixth  Avenue)  forth- 
with. The  jjresent  lodge,  for  the  use  oi  the 
superintendent  of  Riverside  Cemetery,  was 
built  in  1884. 

MOLINE  MANUFACTURIES. 


MOLINE  PLOW  COMPANY. 
The  business  that  eventually  grew  into  the 
Moline  Plow  Company  was  originally  started 
by  Henry  Candee  and  R.  K.  Swan.  Asso- 
ciated with  them  were  Mr.  L.  E.  Hemenway, 
J.  H.  \A'yckoff  and  others.  They  manu- 
factm-ed  successfully  fanning  mills  and  hay- 
I'acks,   in   a   wooden    bnildiii"-  located   on   the 


160 


HISTORIC-     ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


present  .site  of  the  iiiafiiiiliceiii  jilaiit  of  the 
Moline  Plow  Company. 

This  business  wa.s  started  in  ISO'),  and 
shortly  after  Andrew  Frihurg  associated  him- 
self with  the  company,  and  the  inainifactin'e 
of  ])lows  was  taken  up. 

In  1S6G  Mr.  George  Stephens  added  enough 
ca])ital  to  the  business  to  make  him  an  equal 
partner  with  the  others,  and  for  a  number  of 
years  the  business  was  carried  on  under  the 
firm  name  of  Candee.  Swan  and  Company. 
Mr.  George  Stephens  being  in  charge  of  the 
woodworking  department:  ilr.  Friberg  of  the 
blacksmith  shop  and  iron  work;  ilr.  Swan 
did  the  business  and  attended  to  the  sale  of 
the  product,  and  Mr. Candee  kept  the  accounts. 
The  business  proved  a  profitable  one.  and  in 
1870  was  incorporated  under  the  name  of 
' '  Moline  Plow  Company  "  with  an  authorized 
capital  of  S400.000.  about  .S300.000  of  which 
was  paid  up.  Several  other  parties  became 
interested  as  stockholders  in  the  concern. 
]irominent  among  them  being  Captain  Good. 
A.  L.  Carson.  S.  W.  Wheelock  and  A.  R.  Bryant. 

The  first  president  of  the  corporation  was 
Mr.  P.  K.  Swan;  the  second  j^resident  Mr. 
S.  \V.  Wheelock.  who  died  in  1S91.  After 
the  death  of  Mr.  Wheelock.  Mr.  George 
Ste])hens  was  elected  jiresident.  His  son. 
Mr.  George  Arthur  Stephens,  and  son-in-law. 
Mr.  F.  G.  Allen  were  made  co-managers  and 
given  entire  charge  of  the  business. 

The  company  at  that  time  had  a  paid  u]) 
capital  of  §800,000.  which  has  been  increased 
from  time  to  time  until  it  now  reaches  the 
enormous  sum  of  §6,000.000,  the  manufac- 
tured product  having  in  the  meantime  in- 
creased pro]jortionately  until  Moline  plows 
are  known  the  world  over. 

In  1884  they  brought  out  the  Flying  Dutcii- 
man  sulky  ])low.  which  revolutionized  the 
sulky  plow  business  the  world  over.  .  Previous 
to  that  time  all  sulk)-  plows  had  been  of  the 
two  wheels  variety,  and  in  this  respect  are 
followers  of  the  world-famous  Flying  Dutch- 
man. 


The  sale  of  this  plow  did  a  great  deal 
towards  the  l)uilding  up  of  the  business  and 
making  the  line  manufactured  by  the  Moline 
Plow  Com])any  popular  with  the  farming 
community. 

In  1S86  the  Moline  Chami)ion  corn  jjlanter 
was  bought  out  and  produced  a  revolution  in 
the  manufacture  of  the  corn  planter  almost 
equal  to  that  produced  by  the  Flying  Dutch- 
man in  sulky  plows. 

Up  to  the  time  they  began  the  manufacture 
of  the  iloline  ■  Champion  corn  planter,  the 
company  had  never  built  a  corn  planter,  and 
in  a  very  short  time  they  were  the  leading 
manufacturers  of  this  class  tools. 

Beginning  as  plow  manufacturers,  they 
have  from  time  to  time  taken  on  the  manu- 
facture of  cultivators,  harrows,  disc  harrows, 
pulverizers,  potato  diggers,  stalk  cutters, 
cotton  planters,  cane  tools,  sugar  beet  tools, 
and  in  fact,  practicall}'  everything  used  in  the 
way  of  agricultural  implements  excepting 
grain  drills  and  harvesting  machinery. 

The  present  branch  house  system  was 
inatigurated  after  Mr.  George  Stephens  was 
elected  president.  Prior  to  that  time  the 
product  had  been  sold  partially  through 
traveling  salesmen,  partially  through  the 
jobbing  trade  and  partially  through  some 
jobbing  arrangements,  of  which  the  Plow 
Company  was  part  owner. 

The  first  branch  house  of  the  present 
system  was  started  at  Kansas  City,  ilissouri. 
in  1892;  was  followed  very  shortly  by  one  at 
Omaha,  Nebraska,  and  since  that  time  branch 
houses  have  been  organized  at  Minneapolis, 
Minnesota;  Dallas,  Texas;  St.  Louis,  Missouri; 
Indianapolis,  Indiana;  Stockton.  California; 
Salt  Lake  City.  L'tah;  Winnipeg.  Canada; 
Denver.  Colorado ;f New  Orleans,  Louisiana; 
Oklahoma  City.  Oklahoma;  Portland.  Oregon, 
and  the  Dakota-iloline  Plow  Companj', 
Sioux  Fails,  South  Dakota,  making  in  all 
fourteen  magnificent  branch  houses,  all  of 
which,  with  one  exception,  the  Moline-Bain 
Company,    at    Portland,    Oregon,    are   owned 


HISTORIC     ROCK     I S  LA  X  D     CO U N T Y 


161 


aiul    controlled    by   the    Moline    Plow     Com- 
|)any. 

In  addition  to  the  enormous  trade  devel- 
oped in  the  United  States,  their  foreign  trade 
has  grown  until  it  is  a  vnvy  consideral^le 
business  in  itself. 

The  Moline  Plow  Company  and  its  branch 
houses  employ  about  two  hundred  traveling 
men  in  the  United  States.  The  office  force 
of  the  Plow  Company  and  the  branch  houses 
consists  of  in  the  neighborhood  of  three 
iiundred.  and  about  1,200  men  are  constantly 
employed  in  the  shop. 

In  addition  to  the  goods  manufactured  by 
the  Moline  Plow  Company,  the  branch  houses 
are  jobbers  of  vehicles,  wagons,  grain  drills, 
seeders,  hay  tools,  feed  mills  and  other  classes 
of  agricultural  implements.  A  very  large 
jiortion  of  the  vehicles  and  wagons  are  manu- 
factured by  the  Mandt  ^^'agon  Company  at 
Stoughton,  Wisconsin,  and  the  Henney  Buggy 
Company,  of  Freeport,  Illinois,  both  insti- 
tutions are  branch  factories  of  the  Moline 
Plow  Company,  they  having  been  merged 
with  that  institution  September  24.  1906. 
Previous  to  the  merger  thej-  were  owned 
principally  and  controlled  by  Moline  Plow 
Company  stockholders.  Moline  Plow  Com- 
pany stock  was  issued  holders  in  the  Henney 
and  Mandt  factories  in  lieu  of  stock  in  those 
concerns,  and  for  this  purpose  the  capital 
stock  of  the  Plow  Com])any  was  increased 
from  $4,000,000  to  .$6,000,000.  This  increase 
represented  the  combined  capitalization  of 
the  branch  factories. 

The  wagon  factory  employs  about  four 
hundred  men;  the  buggy  factory  about  three 
hundred,  and  both  are  kept  busy  producing 
high  grade  goods  which  find  a  ready  market 
through  the  branch  house  of  the  Moline  Plow 
Company. 

Mr.  George  Stephens  who  was  elected 
president  in  1892,  departed  this  life  on  the 
12th  day  of  July,  1902,  full  of  years  and 
honor,  a  man  respected  and  loved  by  all  who 
knew  him.     He  died  in  his  eighty-third  year 


and  was  succeeded  as  the  president  of  the 
company  by  his  son,  Mr.  George  Arthur 
Stephens,  who  has  proven  a  worthy  successor 
to  his  father.  Mr.  F.  G.  Allen  was  at  the 
same  time  advanced  to  the  office  of  vice- 
president;  Mr,  .C.  R.  Stephens,  another  son 
of  Mr.  George  Stephens,  is  secretary  and 
superintendent;  C.  A.  Banister  is  treasurer. 

The  company's  business  at  the  present  time 
is  the  largest  in  its  history,  and  is  steadily 
growing,  with  every  indication  of  continuing 
to  do  so  for  years  to  come. 

The  business  policy,  including  the  branch 
house  system  adopted  by  the  co-managers, 
Mr.  Stephens  and  Mr.  F.  G.  Allen  in  1892, 
has  proven  successful  in  every  respect  and 
indicates  that  the  judgment  of  Mr,  George 
Stephens  in  placing  the  business  in  the  hands 
of  these  men  was  good.  Perhaps  he  builded 
better  even  than  he  knew. 

MObIXE  WAGON  COMPANY, 

The  ^loline  Wagon  Company  is  indisputably 
the  largest  firm  in  the  world  devoted  exclus- 
ively to  the  making  of  wagons.  From  a 
nucleus  which  embodied  but  a  repair  and 
wagon  shop  which  was  capable  of  jiroducing 
but  one  hundred  wagons  annually,  this 
company,  under  the  masterly  hand  and  pro- 
lific judgment  of  its  legitimate  founder, 
Mr.  Morris  Rosenfield,  succeeded  with  a 
rapidity  unheard  of,  and  forged  to  the  front 
rank  of  industrial  enterprises  not  only  in 
Moline,  but  in  the  United  States,  ' 

In  the  mere  shack  in  the  eastern  end  of 
Moline.  where  James  First  trudged  over  the 
forge  and  anvil  for  fifteen  years  for  a  mere 
living,  the  Moline  ^^"agon  Company  was 
inspired  and  given  life  by  Morris  Rosenfield. 
Mr.  First  had  opened  the  shop  in  18.54.  Jlr. 
Rosenfield,  in  the  year  of  1869,  perceived  the 
vast  territory  in  which  wagons  were  a  crying 
need,  and  the  golden  opportunities  offered 
by  the  energetic,  hustling  and  rajMdly  settling 
west. 


162 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


In  that  year,  lie  t'onned  a  partnership  under 
tlie  name  of  Heiiser.  Hosenfield  and  Company, 
Cliarles  A.  Hen?;er  ha\in.!!:  been  received  into 
tlie  conipan_\-.  The  newly  formed  company 
at  once  erected  a  two-story  brick  building  on 
the  present  site  of  the  now  world-famed  man- 
ufactory, and  employed  fifty  men  from  the 
start.  In  1871  prudence  suggested  an  en- 
largement of  the  buildings,  and  an  increase 
in  the  working  capital,  and  a  stock  company 
was  formed  and  incorporated  under  the  laws 
of  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  was  named  the 
Molina  Wagon  Company.  ^Ir.  Rosenfield 
was  selected  president  and  manager  of  the 
new  corporation,  an  office  he  held  up  to  the 
date  of  his  death. 

Immediately  after  the  Company's  new 
formation,  new  buildings  were  erected,  more 
wagons  were  built,  and  its  trade  extended  to 
every  portion  of  the  United  States.  The 
high  standard  of  merit  of  its  product  which 
had  been  previously  painstakingly  observed, 
was  faithfully  and  zealously  maintained  until 
the  name  of  the  Moline  Wagon  Company 
became  accepted  as  the  synonj-m  of  good 
material,  scientific  perfection  and  superior 
workmanship. 

Branch  houses  were  established  in  every 
])art  of  the  Union,  the  fame  of  the  Moline 
light  running  wagons  spread  with  the  rapidity 
tluit  characterizes  all  worth}-  and  reliable 
\entures  or  products,  and  the  company,  not- 
withstanding the  additional  spacious  buildings 
it  had  erected,  the  vast  amount  of  modern 
machinery  it  had  installed,  or  the  prodigious 
increase  in  its  working  force  and  increased 
capital,  soon  found  it  difficult  to  keep  pace 
with  the  orders  which  poiu-ed  into  their 
office,  and  which  still  continue  to  strain  ever}- 
facility  and  resource  of  the  great  plant. 

Aside  from  the  mammoth  buildings,  a 
lumber  yard,  everywhere  dotted  with  great 
dry  sheds,  and  covering  fully  ten  acres,  is 
maintained  in  conjunction  with  the  factory. 
The  company  has  branch  headquarters  from 
the  farthest  point  east  to  the  farthers  point 


west;  they  meet  the  keenest  competition  o' 
wagonmakers  everywhere,  and  their  farm, 
truck  and  spring  wagons,  known  respectively 
as  "The  Moline."  and  "The  New^  Moline" 
light  nnuiing  wag(ms.  are  celebrated  in  every 
civilized  clime. 

The  ])re.sent  officers  of  the  company  are: 
Walter  A.  Ro.senfield,  president:  Morris  Geis- 
mer,  secretary  and  treasurer.  That  these 
gentlemen  are  dully  qualified  to  manage  the 
gigantic  business  is  best  illustrated  by  the 
continued  prosperity  the  company  is  enjoy- 
ing, the  increased  business  which  is  theirs- 
and  by  the  rapidity  with  which  the  enlarge- 
ment of  the  company's  facilities  becomes 
imperative.  The  ^loline  Wagon  Company  is 
now  capitalized  at  8600,000,  and  its  average 
output  is  30,000  complete  wuigons  per  annum. 
Its  working  force  has  been  augmented  until 
now  it  numbers  approximately  four  hundred 
workmen,  among  them  the  most  skilled 
mechanics  in  their  particular  line  to  be  found 
anywhere.  The  ground  occupied  by  the 
buildings  covers  over  five  acres,  the  buildings 
are  of  brick,  six  stories  high,  four  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  in  length,  and  two  squares  in 
width.  They  are  prodigious  to  impressive- 
ness;  they  have  been  constructed  with  an 
eye  to  sanitation  and  convenience  for  the 
men  employed,  are  well  heated  and  lighted- 
the  up-to-date  machinery  is  amply  protected, 
to  insure  safety  to  life  and  limb  of  operatives, 
and  no  friction  between  employer  and 
employee  has  ever  arose  to  mar  the  pacific 
relations  of  master  and  man. 

THE  VELIE  CARRIAGE  COMPANY. 

The  Velie  Carriage  Company  plant  situated 
in  Moline,  Illinois,  was  established  in  1902  by 
gentlemen  of  widelv  known  reputations  in  the 
middle  west  and  who  had  been  affiliated  with 
manufacturing  industries  in  that  city  for 
many  years.  Foreseeing  a  future  scarcity  of 
land  for  desirable  factory  sites,  a  tract  of  six 
ami  a  half  acres  in  extent  was  purchased, 
from  which  a  strip  f'uu-  hvmdred  and  fifty  feet 


//  I  sr  0  K  1  C     R  0  C  K     I  S  L  A  N  D     CO  U  N  T  Y 


163 


long  and  one  lumdrecl  and  twenty  feet  wide 
was  set  aside  for  building  piisposes. 

A  factory  building  was  erected  and  com- 
pleted in  the  Fall  of  1902,  consisting  of  three 
floors  and  basement,  four  hundred  feet  long 
and  eighty  feet  wide,  equipped  with  the  most 
imjiroved  and  highest  grade  machinery,  all  of 
which  is  operated  liy  electrical  jjower. 

Special  consideration  was  given  by  the 
management  in  the  arrangement  of  depart- 
ments, so  as  to  facilitate  the  manufacture  of 
vehicles,  each  department  complete  in  itself 
and  with  operations  systematized  to  be  con- 
tinuous and  progressive  and  material  econom- 
ically handled.  Employment  of  the  most 
skilled  workmen,  directed  b\'  men  of  estab- 
lished reputations,  insured  the  manufacture 
of  vehicles  that  are  practical,  durable  and 
reliable.  The  building  is  heated  by  steam 
throughout,  thoroughly  well  lighted,  thus 
enabling  the  men  to  work  to  the  best  advantage. 

In  manufacturing,  no  expense  is  spared  to 
increase  facilities  and  adopt  the  best  methods 
for  the  improvement  of  the  product. 

The  most  liberal  patronage  of  1903-1904 
taxed  the  capacity  of  the  plant  to  its  utmost, 
so  that  an  increase  ^^  as  found  necessary  and 
a  second  building  was  constructed  in  the 
Fall  of  1904,  one  half  the  capacity  of  the 
first,  two  hundred  and  eight  feet  long  and 
eight}'  feet  wide,  three  stories  and  basement, 
which  with  minor  extensions  to  the  original 
plant,  increased  the  cajiacity  from  forty  to 
.seventy-five  finished  vehicles  a  day. 

The  very  largely  increased  business  of  the 
following  years,  has  necessitated  the  occupa- 
tion of  more  factory  space  and  the  third 
building,  abutting  the  second  and  propor- 
tioned to  counterpart  the  original  building 
bas  been  built,  thereby  making  two  factory 
buildings  fotu'  hundred  feet  long  and  eighty 
feet  wide,  with  unusually  favorable  ship])ing 
facilities,  being  located  on  the  trunk  lines  of 
three  different  railroads. 

Their  limited  floor  space  in  1903  of  128.000 
square  feet   was  increased  to  199,000  square 


feet  in  1904,  and  lately-  increased,  in  1906,  to 
261,000  square  feet  and  the  output  of  7,200 
jobs  shipped  the  first  j^ear  lias  increased  to  an 
annual  output  of  20,000  vehicles,  with  a 
factory  capacity  of  one  hundred  finished 
\ehicles  a  day. 

Proportionate  with  this  increase  of  business 
the  employment  of  men  has  grown  from  one 
hundred  the  first  year  to  three  hundred  and 
fifty,  the  greater  projiorticui  l)eing  heads  of 
families,  located  ])ermanently  in  Moline  and 
Kock  Island,  and  the  owners  of  homesteads 
and  as  they  are  employed 'steadily  ten  hour.s 
a  day  throughout  the  entire  year,  the  services 
of  the  most  skilled  workmen  are  assured. 

MUTl  AL  WHEEL  COMPANY. 

The  Mutual  Wheel  Company,  Moline,  Illi- 
nois, was  organized  in  1891  and  commenced 
operations  on  the  present  site  about  the  first 
of  Januarj-.  1S92.  The  original  capital  in- 
vested by  the  stockholders  was  about  $40,000, 
and  about  fifty  men  were  at  first  employed. 
Mr.  1).  :\I.  Sechler,  founder  of  the  D.  M. 
Sechler  Carriage  Comjjany,  was  the  first 
]iresident  of  this  company,  and  Morris  Rosen- 
field  was  the  first  vice-president.  The  busi- 
ness of  the  company  has  increased  very 
rapidly  until  at  the  present  time  the  factory 
i.s  one  of  the  largest  in  the  United  States  in 
this  line. 

The  present  caj^ital  stock  of  the  company 
is  .11300,000  and  two  hundred  and  fifty  skilled 
mechanics  are  emploj-ed  throughout  the  j-ear. 
The  annual  output  is  more  than  100,000  sets 
of  wheels  for  carriages,  wagons,  buggies,  etc. 
The  factory  has  always  found  a  readj^  sale 
for  all  of  its  products  and  the  Mutual  wheels 
are  well  known  throughout  the  west.  A 
large  i)roportion  of  the  wheels  manufactured 
go  to  the  large  carriage  manufacturers  at 
home  and  in  this  vicinity. 

Besides  the  factory  here  the  compan\'  has 
a  number  of  branch  stock  plants  in  the  timber 
districts  of  the  south  and  a  large  force  of 
timber  buyers  are  constantl}'  employed  looking 


164 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


after  jioiul  liickdrv  tiiiil)er  out  of  which  to 
make  spokes  and  felloes  for  the  wheels.  The 
present  officers  of  the  company  are  as  follows: 
J.  L.  Robinson,  ]n-esident,  Freeport,  Illinois; 
J.  C.  Moon,  vice-president.  St.  Louis.  Missouri; 
George  McMaster.  secretary  and  treasurer- 
Moline.  Illinois. 

THi;     WHICHT    CWRKIAGE    BODY    CO. 

Tlu'  Wright  Carriage  Body  Company  was 
organized  in  1902  with  a  capital  of  -SoO.OOO; 
.securing  its  charter  in  November,  1902.  as  a 
stock  company,  its  first  officers  being  T.  'SI. 
Sechler,  president ;  C.  W.  Wright,  vice- 
])resident  and  manager;  E.  H.  Wilson,  secre- 
tary and  treasurer.  Its  first  board  of  direc- 
tors were  T.  M.  Sechler.  W.  L.  Velie.  H.  C. 
First.  C.  \^^  \^  right,  Fred  Peters,  F.  H. 
Wilson  of  midline,  and  C.  H.  Dooley  of  Rock 
Island. 

A  two-story  factory  building,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  by  sixty  feet  with  sixty  by  sixty-five 
feet  wing  for  engine,  boiler  and  dry  house, 
was  erected  and  actual  manufacturing  of 
carriage  and  buggy  bodies  and  seats  began 
in  March.  1903. 

In  October,  1904.  .Mr.  Wright  withdrew 
from  active  connection  with  the  company  and 
K.  H.  Wilson,  who  up  to  this  time  had  been 
in  charge  of  the  office  and  the  financial  affairs 
cf  the  company,  assumed  the  management. 

Mr.  Wilson  at  once  reorganized  the  working 
forces  and  doubled  the  capacity  of  the  plant, 
creating  an  output  of  30,000  complete  jobs 
per  year. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  stockholders  held 
September  5.  1906.  it  was  voted  to  double  the 
capital  stock,  making  it  SIOO.OOO;  which  was 
at  once  taken  up  almost  wholh*  by  former 
stockholders  and  additional  buildings  were 
constructed  which  allowed  the  company  to 
again  doul)le  its  capacity. 

This  company  has  already  made  a  reputa- 
tion for  good  work  and  is  making  fast  strides 
toward  lieing  one  of  Moline's  leading  manu- 
facturing plants. 


MOLINE  FFRNITURE  WORKS. 

The  iloline  Furniture  Works  was  incor- 
porated in  1898  with  a  capital  stock  of 
S25.000.  Their  principal  manufacture  is  wood 
mantels,  office  and  store  fixtures,  and  special 
furniture  to  order.  Officers  of  the  company 
are;  George  ^A .  Johnson,  president  and 
treasurer;  F.  A.  Landee.  vice-president;  F. 
A.  Johnson,  secretary.  In  1907  the  capital 
stock  was  increased  to  SIOO.OOO.  Since 
starting  in  1898  they  have  yearly  experienced 
a  verj'  flattering  increase  in  their  business. 

DEERE  &  COMPANY. 

Our  activities  as  a  nation  are  industrial, 
not  military. 

American  history  can  furnish  no  subject 
more  inspiring  than  the  achievements  of  men 
whose  life  stories  are  told  in  the  growth  of 
the  industries  which  they  alone  created, 
especially  when  those  industries  have  devel- 
oped into  national  or  international  import- 
ance, as  a  result  of  constructive  policies. 

Military  achievement  is  a  fruitful  source  of 
patriotic  inspiration,  but  should  be  drawn 
upon  with  caution.  It  is  fitting  that  on- 
coming generations  should  draw  a  portion  of 
their  inspirations  from  the  soldiers  of  industry 
among  whom  they  must  cast  their  lot. 

Men  who  build  up  great  industries,  give 
employment  to  working  men,  and  wrest  trade 
from  foreign  countries,  should  be  as  much 
objects  of  national  admiration  as  military 
heroes. 

After  all.  the  real  civilization  of  a  country 
is  measured  by  its  industries  and  not  by  the 
size  or  efficiency  of  its  armies. 

Progress  results  from  the  birth  of  new 
desires  and  the  growth  of  new  necessities. 
Satisfying  these  new  desires  and  supplying 
these  new  necessities  call  forth  men  of  genius 
who  devise  the  ways  and  means  and  lay  the 
foundations  for  new  industries. 

The  necessity  for  a  plow  that  wotikl  scour 
in  the  black,  sticky  prairie  soil  of  the  west. 


HISTORIC     ROCK     I  SLA  X D     COUNT Y 


165 


enlisted  the  genius  and  energy  of  John  Deere, 
who  invented  the  steel  plow,  which  is  now 
the  corner  stone  of  the  great  manufacturing 
industry  of  Deere  and  Company.  Like  other 
men  who  have  achieved  success,  he  had  an 
U])hill  fight.  The  story  of  the  pluck  and 
energy  displayed  and  of  the  obstacles  over- 
come until  success  was  finally  realized,  con- 
stitutes an  important  chapter  in  our  history. 

While  John  Deere  did  not  liegin  work  on 
the  steel  plow  until  after  he  was  thirty  j'ears 
of  age,  his  previous  experience  had  much  to 
do  with  his  success  in  this,  the  greatest  effort 
of  his  life.  He  was  a  natural  mechanic  and  a 
thoroughly  trained  blacksmith.  He  also 
gained  considerable  experience  that  proved 
heljjful  in  later  years,  while  making  hoes  and 
other  farm  tools. 

In  1837  Mr.  Deer.e  joined  the  great  stream 
of  hardy  settlers  then  pouring  into  the  west, 
where  opportunities  for  gaining  fortiuie 
seemed  unlimited.  He  landed  in  (irand 
Detour,  Illinois,  with  his  experiences  and 
about  seventy-five  dollars  in  cash. 

He  immediately  began  to  work  at  liis 
trade,  and  coming  in  daily  contact  with 
farmers  soon  learned  that  their  greatest  need 
was  a  plow  that  would  scour  in  their  soil. 
His  active  mind  began  to  work  on  the  problem 
of  producing  such  a  plow,  and  is  was  not  long 
before  he  had  a  solution.  The  first  .steel 
])low  was  constructed.  It  pro\ed  a  success. 
A  new  epoch  in  agriculture  was  ushered  in 
and  a  new  and  great  industry  dates  from  that 
time. 

The  expression,  "new  epoch."  is  used 
advisedly.  In  1S37,  when  .John  Deere  built 
his  first  steel  ]ilow.  American  farms  did  not 
produce  enough  to  supply  home  consumption. 
The  groiuid  was  possessed  of  ^-irgin  fertility, 
but  iniplements  were  so  crude  that  the  vast 
areas  availiabe  could  not  be  prepared  profit- 
ably for  seeding.  The  steel  plow  did  more 
than  any  other  agency  to  turn  the  tide  of 
affairs.  Now,  thanks  to  its  use,  this  country 
is   the   greatest   exporter   of   food   stuffs,   our 


farms  producing  a  large  surplus  over  and 
above  our  daily  wants.  The  handling  of  this 
sm-plus  provides  employment  for  an  army  of 
working  men  and  is  the  basic  support  of  most 
of  the  great  industries  for  which  we  are 
justly  famous. 

The  industry  created  out  of  an  idea  in  a 
private  blacksmith  shop,  has  grown  hand  in 
hand  with  agriculture  until  it  has  attained 
the  present  imposing  magnitutle  of  Deere  and 
Company.  Its  products  are  known  the  world 
over  and  the  name  of  John  Deere  ranks  with 
those  of  Fulton,  Watt,  Whitney  and  others 
of  equal  importance. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  first  difficulty 
in  marketing  the  new  steel  plows  was  to  get 
farmers  to  try  them.  Several  manufacturers 
had  taken  advantage  of  the  demand  for  a 
self-polishing  plow,  to  m:u'ket  plows  which 
were  said  to  scour,  l)ut   in  reality  would  not. 

John  Deere  stencilled  his  |)lows  "self 
polisher,"  and  displa\'ed  them  in  front  of  his 
shop.     Passing  farmers  \\-ould  look  at  them 

and  remark:  "self-polisher  be  d d,  there 

never  will  be  a  plow  that  will  scour  in  this 
prairie  soil."  ^Ir.  Deere  on  hearing  such  a 
remark  would  ask,  "stranger,  where  do  you 
live?"  On  being  told,  he  would  reply,  "take 
this  plow  home  with  you  and  try  it.  If  it 
does  not  scour,  I  will  send  and  get  it  without 
any  expense  to  you.  If  it  does  scour,  I 
want  you  to  pay  me  for  it."  Even  such 
liberal  terms  interested  only  a  few  at  first, 
the  rest  preferring  not  to  l)e  Isothered  with 
trying  an  implement  which  they  were  sure 
would  not  work.  Only  two  plows  were  put 
out  in  1838.  and  but  ten  in  1839.  After 
this,  however,  the  demand  increased  very 
rapidly  and  the  great  difficulty  was  to  supply 
it.  In  fact,  at  no  time  has  the  demand  for 
John  Deere  plows  been  completely  supplied, 
which  accounts  for  the  steady,  healthy  growth 
in  their  manufacture. 

It  soon  became  apparent  that  (!rand  De- 
tour, because  of  its  lack  of  power  and  trans- 
portation facilities,  was  not  a  suitable  place 


166 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


for  a  large  plow  mamifafturinii  imlustry.  In 
those  days  there  were  no  railroads.  Water 
was  the  only  economical  source  of  power  and 
avenue  of  transportation. 

Mr.  Deere,  together  wilh  Mv.  Tate,  liis 
foreman,  traveled  about  the  country  looking 
for  a  desirable  location.  They  finally  decided 
on  Moline,  Illinois,  and  moved  there  in  1847, 
being  attracted  by  the  excellent  water  power 
and  transportation  facilities  afforded  by  the 
Mississippi  River  at  that  point. 

The  manufacture  of  plows  was  begtm  imme- 
diately, and  by  the  Autumn  of  1848,  the 
business  had  grown  to  such  an  extent  that 
it  became  necessary  to  form  a  more  efhcient 
organization.  Mr.  J.  ^I.  Gould,  who  was  then 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  Deere,  Tate  and 
Gould,  proceeded  to  organize  the  office  force, 
and  establish  a  system  of  accounts.  He  also 
took  hold  of  the  selling  end  of  the  business, 
and  carried  otit  the  plans  for  financing  the 
company  on  a  larger  scale  than  before. 

Merchants  in  those  days  would  not  buj^ 
plows  outright,  as  they  did  other  articles  of 
merchandise.  It  was,  therefore,  necessary 
to  leave  the  plows  at  the  various  agencies  to 
be  sold  on  commission.  Thej^  were  to  be  paid 
for  at  the  time  of  sale,  but  many  farmers  ga^'e 
their  notes  instead  of  cash.  Dealers  would 
not  advance  anything  on  these  notes  and  it 
was  necessary  to  wait  until  their  maturity  in 
order  to  get  money. 

In  the  face  of  such  conditions,  and  the  lack 
of  local  banks,  it  was  often  difficult  to  finance 
the  firm,  iloney  had  to  he  borrowed  mostly 
from  individuals.  Largely  for  these  reasons, 
there  was  no  pay-day  for  the  emjjloj-es. 
Plows  were  traded  to  the  merchants  of 
iloline.  Hock  Island.  Davenport.  Muscatine 
and  other  nearby  towns  ami  orders  given  on 
them  to  the  workmen  for  what  thej-  wanted. 
Money  was  never  paid  out  for  wages,  unless 
an  employe  left  or  was  discharged.  In  such 
cases,  any  wages  due  were  settled  for  in  cash. 

It  was  also  difiicidt  to  transfer  money, 
because  exchange   could    be   ]nu-chased   only 


occasionally.  In  the  summer  time  money 
was  sent  to  .St.  Louis  for  this  purpose  by  the 
steamboat  clerks,  but  in  winter,  even  this 
convenience  was  cut  off. 

Another  difficulty  was  to  get  the  plows  to 
the  various  agencies.  It  was  necessary  to 
ship  them  by  river  to  distributing  points  and 
then  haul  them  by  team  to  the  merchants 
throughout  the  interior.  This  was  a  slow 
and  imcertain  process,  but  the  only  one 
available. 

These  illustrations  serve  to  show  the 
inconveniences  that,  in  those  days,  handi- 
capped the  conduct  of  a  business  of  more  than 
local  consequence.  However,  each  difficulty 
and  discouragement  was  surmounted.  John 
Deere  plows  were  winning  their  way  and  the 
firm  gathered  additional  strength  with  every 
victory  over  these  adverse  conditions. 

In  1852,  both  Mr.  Tate  and  :\Ir.  Gould 
retired  from  the'  firm,  and  Mr.  Deere  con- 
tinued the  business  alone.  The  demand  foi- 
his  plows  steadily  increased  and  the  output 
was  increased  as  fast  as  possible,  but  could 
never  be  made  to  equal  the  demand,  a  con- 
dition which  still  exists.  In  185"  ten  thous- 
and plows  were  manufactured.  This  was 
considered  an  enormous  output  in  those  days. 
and  it  was,  conditions  considered. 

By  1868  John  Deere's  business  had  grown 
to  such  proportions  that  a  more  complete 
organization  of  the  manufacturing  and  selling 
departments  became  necessary.  Accordingly 
Deere  and  Company  was  incorporated,  witli 
John  Deere  as  president,  C.  H.  Deere,  his  son, 
as  vice-president  and  general  managei-,  and 
S.  II,  ^'elie  as  secretary, 

Deere  and  Company's  growth  has  always 
been  steady,  sure,  and  in  response  to  a 
demand  for  its  products  that  has  remained 
in  advance  of  its  ability  to  sup|)ly.  The 
company  has  grown  from  an  idea  de\-elopecl 
in  a  little  country  blacksmith  shop,  througli 
the  factory  stage,  int;)  a  gre.tt  indu-;try  with 
magnificent  manufacturing  and  selling  organ- 
izations.     It   is  a  fitting   monument   to  .lolm 


HISTORIC     ROCK     I S  LA N D     CO  U N T Y 


167 


Deere,  its  founder,  and  C.  H.  Deere,  whose 
genius  for  organization  made  it  the  great 
industry  it  now  is. 

Today  the  floor  space  of  Deere,  and  Com- 
pany's factory  equals  the  area  of  a  good 
sized  farm  and  a  complete  implement  is 
turned  out  ever_v  thirty  seconds  of  the  work- 
ing year.  In  addition  to  this,  over  a  million 
l)l()w  shares  are  made  annually  to  equip  John 
Deere  plows  alreadj-  in  use.  This  one  item 
alone  exceeds  the  entire  output  of  many  plow 
factories.  Facilities  are  ample  for  shipping 
fift\-  complete  car  loads  of  implements  a  day. 
The  system  of  overhead  tracks,  upon  which 
imjDlements  and  parts  are  conveyed  from  one 
de]xirtment  to  the  other,  is  so  perfect  that  no 
handling  is  necessary  from  the  time  they 
leave  the  paint  shop  until  in  front  of  the  car 
door  for  shipment. 

Great  distributing  companies  have  been 
organized  in  the  principal  centers  throughout 
the  country,  some  of  these  companies  being 
the  largest  of  their  kind  in  the  world. 

The  Deere  organizations  furnish  a  livelihood 
to  about  twenty  thousand  people,  and  cover 
the  civilized  world  in  their  operations. 
Wherever  the  American  citizen  goes,  he 
finds  that  John  Deere  plows  have  preceded 
him. 

Agricultural  success  makes  the  railroads 
possible  and  keeps  the  wheels  of  industry  and 
commerce  in  constant  motion.  The  steel  plow 
made  agriculture  a  success.  It  emancipated 
the  farmer  from  bondage  to  the  soil,  enabled 
him  to  build  public  schools  in  which  to  edu- 
cate his  children  and  comfortable  homes  in 
which  to  enjoy  the  comforts  of  life. 

When  history  finally  casts  up  events  and 
determines  what  is  vrorth  while,  the  faces  of 
John  and  (".  H.  Deere  will  he  seen  in  the  hall 
<if  fame. 

The  industry  which  the  one  created  and  the 
other  developed  will  lie  an  object  to 
which  every  true  .\merican  will  point  witli 
l)ride. 


ARGILLO  WORKS. 

Argillo  Works,  one  of  the  leading  industries 
of  Rock  Island  County,  and  located  at  Carbon 
Cliff,  Illinois,  was  incorporated  in  1865  by 
William  S.  Thomas,  Adoniram  L.  Wait  and 
Jeremiah  Chamberlin,  with  a  capital  stock  of 
$100,000.  Jeremiah  Chamberlain  was  the 
first  president,  having  been  elected  at  the 
time  the  plant  was  launched,  and  serving 
four  years.  Mr.  Chamberlin  was  succeeded 
in  1869  by  JTvlo  Lee,  who  served  from  that 
time  until  1896. 

To  these  two  men  can  be  attributed  the 
success  of  the  plant,  as  it  was  they  who 
piloted  it  through  from  a  mere  experiment  to 
a  well  paj-ing  investment.  The  succeeding 
presidents  up  until  the  jiresent  day  have  also 
given  thoroughly  capable  service,  and  under 
then  supervision  the  plant  gradually  increased 
its  earning  powers  vmtil  now  it  is  one  of  the 
county's  most  thriving  industries. 

In  1896  W.  T.  Ball  became  president  and 
continued  until  J.  F.  Robinson  was  elected 
president  in  1899.  Upon  the  death  of  ;\Ir. 
Robinson,  his  wiie,  Mary  E.  Robinson, 
became  its  president  in  1903,  and  still  holds 
that  position. 

The  Argillo  Works  manufactures  clay 
products,  principally  fire  brick  and  farm 
drain  tile,  whicli  are  widely  distributed 
throughout  the  state,  and  in  fact  all  parts  of 
the  United  States. 

TRI-CITY  MANUFACTURERS'  ASSOCIA- 
TION OF  THE  CITIES  OF  DAVEN- 
PORT, ROCK  ISLAND  AND  MOLINE. 

The  Tri-City  Manufacturers'  Association 
was  organized  in  the  year  1900.  with  C.  H. 
Deere  of  Moline  as  president,  and  E.  H. 
Sleight  of  Moline  as  secretaiy. 

The  general  object  at  that  time  \\as  the 
]5romotion  of  the  interests  of  the  three  cities 
along  manufacturing  lines.  Although  started 
with  some  enthusiasm,  it  soon  languished 
and    practically    ceased    to    exist    until    two 


168 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


j'-ears  later.  When  the  machinists  through- 
out the  country  struck  for  a  shorter  work- 
day, the  Tri-City  ]\Ianufacturers'  Association 
awoke  to  life  again,  and  practically  reorgan- 
ized as  a  defense  association  to  check  the 
rising  tide  of  trade  unionism.  The  move- 
ment here  was  simultaneous  with  others 
throughout  the  country,  the  ever  increasing 
and  arbitrary  demands  of  labor  unions  nuik- 
ing  it  necessary  for  employers  to  luiite  in 
order  to  offer  effective  resistance. 

The  work  of  this  association  as  indicated 
above,  has  been  principally  of  a  defensive 
nature,  but  it  has  also  been  influential  in 
various  other  ways.  Its  influence  was  e.xerted 
in  behalf  of  the  Interstate  Commerce  Bill,  and 
in  opposition  to  the  so-called  Uniform  Bill  of 
Lading,  and  an  active  campaign  was  carried 
on  under  its  auspices  for  the  cause  of  reci- 
procity. 

The  princij.ial  nienibershij)  of  this  associa- 
tion is  in  ^loline.  and  while  the  association  as 
a  whole  cannot  act,  yet  the  Moline  members 
have  frec[uentl3'  met  for  the  consideration  of 
matters  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  their 
city.  The  iloline  members  of  this  associa- 
tion paid  for  a  new  private  water  main  along 
the  river  front  from  the  water  works  west, 
which  forms  a  very  important  secondary 
water  supply  in  case  of  fire;  indeed  superior 
to  the  Third  Avenue  main.  A  recent  fire  at 
the  Mutual  Wheel  Works  was  checked  Jiy 
this  new  water  main  only,  when  the  Third 
Aveiuie  main  had  collapsed.  It  seems  quite 
probable  that  a  very  disastrous  conflagration 
would  have  been  started  had  it  not  been  for 
the  new  main. 

The  Moline  members  of  this  association 
]5urchased  a  lot  and  also  advanced  the  money 
for  a  new  fire  station  north  of  the  railroad 
tracks.  At  their  suggestion  the  city  is  put- 
ting down  a  new-  water  main  on  Third  Avenue, 
for  which  the  property  owners  are  being 
assessed.  These  improvements,  although  paid 
for  by  the  manufacturers  or  the  property 
owners  on  Third  Avenue,  are  for  the  benefit 


of  the  whole  city,  which  is  practically  de- 
pendent upon  manufacturing  for  its  pros- 
perity. 

The  members  of  the  Manufacturers'  Asso- 
ciation have  also  contributed  liberally  to 
many  public  objects.  I  might  mention  the 
new  bathing  house  on  Eighteenth  Street,  also 
the  various  conventions  which  come  to  this 
city,  the  Manufacturers'  Hotel,  the  Moline 
Theatre,  etc. 

Tri-City  manufacturers  are  liberal  givers 
toward  public  ftuictions  and  enterprises.  The 
great  victory  in  obtaining  a  handsome  con- 
gressional appropriation  for  a  Government 
lock  was  brought  about  largely  through  the 
efforts  of  the  manufacturers,  and  the  estab- 
lishment of  such  lock  will  ]irove  of  untold 
value  to  the  community.  .A.  standing  com- 
mittee co-operates  with  other  civic  organiza- 
tions in  public  benefactions,  the  reception 
and  entertainment  of  conventions,  and  secur- 
ing desirable  and  representative  a.ssemblages 
for  local  entertainment. 

Information  of  general  importance  is  com- 
municated to  the  membership  by  a  .syste- 
matic series  of  btdletins  from  the  secretary's 
office.  From  the  same  source  items  of 
general  interest  are  bnlletineil  from  the 
association's  affiliated  organizations,  includ- 
ing such  far  reaching  associations  as  the 
National  Association  of  Manufacturers,  Na- 
tional Founders  Association.  National  Asso- 
ciation of  Agricultural  Implement  and  ^'ehicle 
Manufacturers,  Metal  Trades  Association, 
Citizens  Industrial  Association.  National  Asso- 
ciation of  Credit  ilen,  and  others. 

Along  defensive  lines  mentioned  above, 
our  association  defended  against  the  machin- 
ists' strike  in  1900  and  the  moulders'  strike 
in  1903,  successftdly  in  both  instances,  and 
this  we  believe  was  not  only  on  accoiuit  of 
our  firm  front,  but  because  we  were  essen- 
tially right  in  our  i:)osition.  The  manufac- 
turers conferred  with  the  men  and  offered  a 
reasonable  compromise  settlement,  but  in 
neither  instance  woidd  the  unions  accept  less 


//  /  .S  T  0  R  I  C     ROC  K     I  S  L  A  N  1)     C  O  U  N  T  Y 


169 


than  their  full  demands  in  every  ]iarticular. 
This  arliitrary  stand  gave  the  manufacturers 
the  moral  support  of  the  comnuuiity.  anil  of 
a  large  part  of  the  workmen  as  well. 

In  conclusion  would  say  that  the  Tri-City 
Manufacturers'  Association  is  only  one  of 
many  institutions  which  of  late  years  have 
s|)rung  up  all  over  the  country  in  response  to 
the  pressing  necessity  of  maintaining  a  check 
against  the  warlike  attitude  of  trade  unionism. 
The  public  in  general  will  readily  perceive  the 
necessity  of  these  organizations.  Employers 
must  look  to  themselves  largely  to  maintain 
their  own  rights,  which  no  one  else  will  do  if 
they  neglect  it.  Whatever  the  benefit  of 
trades  unionism,  and  without  entering  into 
further  discussion,  it  is  evident  that  they  have 
been  the  cause  of  prices  advancing  fully  as 
fast  as  they  have  affected  wages,  that  they 
have  sowed  discontent  and  warfare  in  peace- 
ful communities,  and  that  strikes  have  caused 
an  immense  amount  of  misery. '  They  have 
aimed  to  destroy  kincUy  relations  between 
employer  and  the  individual  employee. 

The  Tri-City  Manufacturers'  Association 
stands  for  the  open  shop,  but  it  also  stands 
for  a  high  standard  of  wages.  If  we  should 
ever  lose  our  influence,  or  fail  to  accomplish 
the  results  we  aim  at,  it  will  be  because  we 
have  neglected  to  pay  high  enough  wages  to 
an  intelligent  and  manly  class  of  workmen. 
Harry  Aixsworth, 

Ex-8ecretary. 
Moline,  Illinois,  September  S,  1906. 

THE   MOl.lNE   BUSINESS   MEN'S   ASSO- 
CIATION. 

In  response  to  a  petition  circulated  by 
Messrs.  C.  F.  Dewend  and  C.  Iver  Josephson, 
a  meeting  was  held  in  the  City  Hall  on  Sep- 
tember 13,  1898,  which  wa.s  attended  by  about 
one  hundred  of  Moline's  most  prominent 
business,  professional  and  manufacturing  men 
for  the  purpose  of  organizing  the  above  asso- 
ciation. Temporary  officers  and  committees 
were  appointed  on  menibershi]),  finance,  by- 


laws and  incorporation,  a  preamble  was  drawn 
up,  the  import  of  which  was  that  the  associa- 
tion was  organized  to  subserve  and  advance 
all  material  and  legitimate  interests  of 
Moline,  East  Moline  and  vicinity,  and  oin- 
welfare  generally. 

The  membership  at  present  is  about  one 
hundred.  The  association  meets  the  second 
Tuesday  of  each  month,  the  board  of  directors 
the  Tuesday  previous,  the  annual  meetings 
are  held  the  second  Tuesday  in  October. 
The  monthly  meetings  were  held  in  various 
]ilaces,  first  in  the  Citv  Hall,  then  in  Mc- 
Kinnie  Hall,  Moline  Club  Hall,  Elks  Club,  and 
Assembly  Room  of  the  Peoples  Savings  Bank 
and  Trust  Company.  Tiie  board  of  directors 
hold  their  meetings  in  tlie  secretary's  office. 
The  association  is  a  memlx-i-  of  the  Upper 
Mississippi  River  Improvement  Associatiin, 
as  well  as  a  member  of  the  National  Board 
of  Trade.  It  has  always  been  represented  by 
a  large  delegation  at  the  annual  meetings  of 
both  these  organizations  wherever  held.  It 
has  shown  what  can  be  accomplished  liy  a 
united  effort,  t)y  holding  the  Street  Fair  of 
1899.  which  attractetl  more  people  to  the 
city  than  any  other  event  held  heretofore, 
also  celebrating  the  same  year,  the  Fourth  of 
July,  with  a  public  demonstration  the  like  of 
which  was  never  known  in  this  part  of  the 
country.  It  installed  artisan  water  mains  to 
the  jniblic  fountain  on  Market  Square,  it, 
placed  other  fountains  in  the  city,  it  installed 
electric  street  decorations  as  well  as  flag 
decorations  for  all  festive  or  conventional 
occasions.  The  association  fiiuuicially  assists 
for  the  expense  of  all  State  conventions  held 
in  the  city,  and  is  instrumental  in  getting 
these  various  conventions  to  come  here.  It 
is  continually  looking  after  the  introduction 
of  new  industrial  institutions  to  settle  here, 
and  has  been  instrumental  in  obtainina: 
various  new  factories.  Through  its  persistent 
efforts  Moline  received  an  appropriation  fr.)m 
the  General  Oovernmcnt  of  $386. ()()()  for  a 
steamboat   lock    and    li;irb  }i-.     The    l.)ck    iuis 


170 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


been  completed  and  was  accepted  by  the 
National  Government  engineers  on  the  7th 
instant  of  this  month  (January,  1907),  the 
deepening  of  the  channel  harbor  and  con- 
structing a  landing,  and  the  beautifj'ing  of 
River  Side  Park  with  trees,  shrubberj^,  drives 
and  walks,  will  all  be  completed  this  year, 
giving  Moline  a  beautiful  park,  in  the  center 
of  the  city,  on  our  river  front. 

During  the  last  ^-ear  it  has  undertaken  and 
accomplished  the  building  of  a  modern 
theatre  at  a  cost  of  S75,000,  of  which  sum  the 
association  paid  S10,000,  raised  through  a 
seat  sale  and  donations.  The  theatre  was 
built  entire!}'  upon  plans  and  under  the  sm- 
veillance  of  the  association.  There  is  no 
more  modern  building  of  its  kind,  and  of  its 
size,  outside  of  Chicago. 

The  unity  of  thought  and  action  on  the 
part  of  the  members  and  the  dLi'ectors.  with 
the  financial  assistance  generously  bestowed 
by  our  manufacturers  and  business  men,  has 
made  it  possible,  and  will  in  the  future  make 
it  possible,  to  carry  on  the  great  work  for 
which  we  are  striving,  namely,  a  Greater 
Moline. 

MOLINE    RETAIL    MERCHANTS'    ASSO- 
CIATION. 

This  association,  like  the  Retail  Merchants' 
Association  of  Rock  Island,  affiliates  with 
both  the  National  and  State  organizations. 
Like  other  bodies  of  its  kind  its  objects  are 
to  advance  and  protect  the  business  interests 
of  its  members,  to  abate  trade  abuses  and 
illegitimate  practices,  to  secure  beneficial 
legislation,  and  in  various  ways  produce  a 
feeling  of  friendliness  and  co-operation  be- 
tween the  varied  business  interests  and  the 
public  as  a  whole. 

This  association  was  instituted  April  1. 
1903.     It  is  now  incorporated. 

The  first  workers  in  the  movement  looking 
to  the  perfection  of  this  organization  were: 
B.  H.  Quick,  S.  S,  Hoffman.  C.  F.  Dewend, 
Martin  Carlson,  Charles  G.   Hogberg,  C.   0, 


Lovejoy  and  \\'illiam  Carstens,  who,  with 
the  help  of  the  above  gentlemen,  did  the  first 
soliciting  for  membership.  Such  was  their 
success  that  inside  of  ten  days  one  hundred 
and  fifteen  business  men  had  signed  the 
charter  list. 

The  first  regidar  meeting  place  was  at  422 
Sixteenth  Street,  where  permanent  head- 
quarters are  now  located. 

The  success  of  the  Retail  Merchants  Asso- 
ciation has  been  phenomenal.  They  have 
saved  thousands  of  dollars,  not  alone  to  the 
members,  but  to  the  public,  by  protecting  the 
honest  people  from  the  dishonest.  Further 
than  this  twenty  per  cent  the  reduction  of 
freight  rates  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  which 
amoiuits  to  about  $20,000,000  to  the  people 
of  the  State,  was  brought  about  mainly  by 
the  united  efforts  of  the  local  and  state 
associations. 

MOLINE  CLUB. 

Organized  December  9,  1S95,  its  object 
being  for  the  advancement  of  social  inter- 
com'se  among  its  members  and  to  promote 
the  civic,  business  and  industrial  interests  of 
the  City  of  Moline.  The  membership  con- 
sists of  three  classes:  Resident,  non-resident 
and  honorary.  The  resident  membership 
being  limited  to  three  hundred  members. 
Any  male  eighteen  years  of  age  or  over,  living 
within  the  City  of  Moline,  shall  be  eligible  to 
resident  membership.  An}-  male  adult  whose 
residence  is  without  the  limits  of  Moline  shall 
be  eligible  to  non-resident  membership.  Any 
person  of  public  distinction  shall  be  eligible 
to  honorary  membership.  The  non-resident 
and  honorary  members  shall  enjoy  all  the 
privileges  of  the  Club,  except  of  those  voting 
or  holding  office.  The  annual  meetings  of 
the  Club  are  held  on  the  second  Tuesday  in 
May  of  each  year,  at  9  P.  M.  The  officers  of 
the  Club  are  president,  first  and  second  vice- 
]iresidents,  a  secretary  and  treasurer.  The 
various  committees  are  the  finance,  member- 
sliii),     house     and    grounds,     entertainment, 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


171 


press,  a\iditing,  and  civic  imi)rovement  com- 
mittee to  further  the  civic,  business-  and 
industrial  interests  of  the  City  of  Moline. 
The  ladies  and  minors  of  every  member's 
family  are  entitled  to  the  privileges  of  the 
(lull.  Xo  liquor  of  any  kind  shall  be  allowed 
in  the  club  house,  or  on  its  premises,  nor  shall 
gambling  be  permitted.  The  first  officers 
were:  C.  H.  Deere,  president;  C.  A.  Barnard, 
\ice-president;  E.  H.  Sleight,  secretary;  C.  F. 
Hemenwa}'.  treasurer. 

WOMAN'S  CLUB  OF  MOLINE. 

The  ^^'oman's  Club  of  Moline  was  founded 
May  23,  1903,  by  Mrs.  Frank  Gates  Allen,  of 
Moline,  who  called  the  first  meeting,  secured 
the  place  and  speakers  and  presented  a  plan 
of  organization  which  was  adopted.  The 
Club's  membership  grew  rapidly,  outgrowing 
the  capacity  of  successive  meeting  places, 
tintil  it  has  five  hundred  and  twenty-five 
members  and  holds  its  regular  meetings  in 
one  of  the  largest  church  buildings  in  Moline 
— the  First  CongTegational. 
■  The  object  of  the  Club,  as  stated  by  its 
constitution,  ''shall  be  to  foster  the  interest 
of  its  members  in  literarj-,  scientific,  musical, 
historical,  and  other  topics  of  vital  import- 
ance; to  promote  culture  and  cordial  personal 
relations  among  women,  and  to  contribute  to 
the  welfare  of  the  community."  Any  woman 
living  in  ]\Ioline  or  vicinity  is  eligible  to 
membershiji  in  the  Club.  It  has,  conse- 
quently, many  members  who  live  in  Rock 
Island,  Davenport  or  the  smaller  towns 
nearby.  Monthly  meetings  are  held  from 
October  to  May  inclusive.  At  these,  reports 
of  the  departmental  work  are  given,  a  pro- 
gram, consisting  of  music  and  the  discussion 
of  some  live  subject  by  an  authority  upon  it, 
is  presented  and  a  short  social  hour  follows. 
The  Club  has  several  deiiartmeuts:  The 
music  department,  formed  by  the  absorption 
of  the  Moline  Beethoven  t'lulj,  jirovides 
music  for  each  regular  meeting  and  one  or 
two  recitals  each  seasf>n.     The  philanthropic 


department,  formed  by  the  absorption  of  the 
Moline  Associated  Charities,  supports  the 
Moline  police  matron,  and  City  missionary, 
and  provides  for  most  of  the  relief  work  done 
for  the  poor  of  the  city. 

The  civics  department  encourages  the 
cleaning  and  beautifying  of  lots,  streets  and 
alleys,  the  opening  of  parks,  the  abatement 
of  nuisances,  and  imsanitary  conditions  and 
the  establishment  of  ]>ublic  plaj'  grounds. 
The  department  of  pure  food  and  domestic 
economy  aims  to  secure  the  intelligent  en- 
forcement of  the  ]nu'e  food  laws. 

The  art  anil  literatm-e  dejjartment  conducts 
a  stud}-  class  which  meets  fortnightly. 

The  legislative  department  keeps  the  Club 
in  touch  with  legislation  of  interest  to  its 
members,  especially  that  which  effects  women 
and  children. 

THE  MOLINE  YOUNtJ  MEN'S 

CH  RIST I  AN  ASSOC  I  ATI  O  N . 

The  Moline  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation was  organized  February  10,  1885. 
At  that  time  the  old  rink  was  secured  as 
temporary  quarters  and  an  efficient  work 
carried  on  for  several  years.  During  the 
years  of  1888  and  1889  a  building  fund  was 
raised  and  a  new  structin-e  erected  which 
continued  to  be  the  home  of  the  Association 
until  destroyed  some  years  later  by  fire. 

On  January  1,  1903,  the  Association  moved 
into  the  present  ciuarters,  where  a  steadily 
growing  work  has  been  maintained  in  the 
various  departments,  and  whose  spacious, 
well  lighted  rooms  have  become  the  home  of 
the  young  men  of  Moline  in  a  very  special 
way.  The  Association  is  not  alone  his  home, 
but  as  well  his  school  room,  his  play  ground, 
and  his  place  of  entertainment  and  Christian 
culture. 

In  the  night  school  conilucted  by  t';e 
Association  are  taught  all  the  comn  n 
branches,  such  as  arithmetic,  algebra,  pen- 
manship, spelling  and  granimer,  alsT  Englis'i 
for   Swedes   and   Creeks,   in    b;  th   elementni-\- 


172 


HISTORIC    ROC  K    ISLAND    COUNTY 


and  achaiiced  courses.  Other  courses  in 
mechanical  and  architectural  drawing,  elec- 
tricity, telegraphy,  bookkeeping,  commercial 
law,  and  vocal  music  have  been  taught 
in  the  night  school.  In  connection  with 
the  educational  department  a  debating  so- 
ciety ,is  conducted,  in  which  young 
men  are  trained  in  tlie  art  of  public 
speaking. 

A  physical  department  with  well  equii^ped 
gymnasium  and  expert  physical  director  is  a 
second  phase  of  the  work,  affording  a  place 
for  physical  development  under  whole.some 
Christian  influences.  This  department  is 
participated  in  by  both  men  and  boys  with 
great  pleasure  and  jirofit.  The  bath  rooms 
which  are  used  daily  by  large  nvimbers  of  men 
are  the  finest  in  the  city.  Fully  6,000  baths 
are  furnished  annually  to  members.  No  less 
than  35.000  visits  are  made  to  the  rooms  each 
vear. 


Tile  religious  pluise  of  the  work  is  wide  in 
scope,  covering  a  vast  field  of  religious  educa- 
tion. Bible  classes  are  conducted,  men'.s 
meetings  with  helpful  addresses  are  held  on 
Sunday  afternoons  anil  on  week  days  meet- 
ings are  held  in  the  various  shop.s  of  the  city 
at  the  noon  hour,  where  a  large  number  of 
men  listen  to  addresses  and  music  by  the  best 
talent  obtainable.  There  is  also  a  corps  of 
workers,  comprising  a  male  quartette  and 
speakers,  who  visit  the  variovis  churches  and 
missions  in  subiu'ban  towns  to  conduct 
religious  services. 

During  the  years  of  its  existence  the  .Moline 
Young  .Men's  Christian  Association  has  made 
a  i)lace  for  itself  in  the  city  of  inestimable 
value.  Its  aim  has  been  to  produce  well 
rounded  men  i)i  this  and  it  has  succeeded. 
The  ])roiluct  of  the  Association  has  gmie 
forth  to  raise  the  standards  of  moral  living 
and  to  enrich  the  world. 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


173 


ROCK  ISLAND  COUNTY. 


FIRST  ENTRIES  OF  LAND. 

Colonel  George  Davenport  and  Russell 
P'arnham,  on  October  19,  1829.  entered  land 
— .section  two,  seventeen  North,  two  We.st — 
which  was  the  first  land  registered  in  Rock 
Island  County.  The  south  half  of  this 
ground  including  that  land  east  one  mile 
fnmi  the  old  Fair  (Irounds  was  sold  to  Jonah 
H.  Case.  The  nnrtli  half  of  the  Davenport- 
Farnham  land  formed  a  part  of  the  posses- 
sions of  the  late  Bailey  Davenport. 

On  October  19,  1S29,  was  also  entered  the 
north  half  of  section  eleven,  bv  William  T. 
Hrasher,  upon  a  portion  of  which  laud  Ciiip- 
piannock  Cemetery  is  situated. 

Colonel  Davenport  entered  the  southern 
pari  of  section  eleven  in  1829-30.  On  this 
plat  of  ground  was  afterwards  laid  out  the 
famous  "paper  town''  of  Rock  Island  City. 
Daniel  Webster  is  said  to  Inave  held  an 
interest  in  this  (then  a  paper  town),  which 
he  sold  to  Caleb  Cushing  for  $10,000.  The 
town  plat  extended  from  Dingledine's  south 
line,  antl  the  south  line  of  Chip]iiaunock 
Cemetery,  south  to  Rock  River,  and  from 
the  ]\Iilan  road  three-fpun'ters  of  a  mile 
cast. 

I  )a\('niHirt  and  1  ariiliam  also  enteroil  at 
the  same  time  the  fractional  section  thirty- 
four,  eighteen  north,  two  west,  south  of  the 
Indian  Boundary  line.  This  plat  is  now  laid 
out  in  city  lots,  .-\dding  William  Carr,  who 
entered  land  here  in  October,  1829,  the  list 
is  complete  as  those  registered  in  the  year, 
(>]■  prior  to  that  date. 


In  1830  Colonel  Davenport  entered  other 
sections  and  in  1833  John  W.  Spencer  entered 
the  land  on  which  the  old  Schindler  farm  was 
situated.  The  year  1835  exceeded  all  previous 
years  as  a  land  entering  year.  In  1836 
companies  were  formed  and  large  amounts 
of  land  entered  for  them  in  the  names  of 
individual  citizens. 

ILLINOIS   AND    MISSISSIPPI    CANAL. 

Sl'MM.VRY. 

Illinois  and  Mississippi  Canal,  Illinois. — 
The  object  of  the  improvement  is  to  furnish 
a  link  in  a  navigalile  waterway  from  Lake 
Michigan  to  the  Mississippi  River  at  the 
mouth  of  Rock  River,  Illinois. 

The  canal  has  been  located  on  the  R(i(d< 
Island  route,  approved  by  the  Secretary  of 
War  October  27.  1S8S,  as  directed  in  the  act 
of  Congress  of  .\ugust  11,  1888.  It  proceeds 
from  the  Illinois  River  at  its  great  bend,  one 
and  three-cpuirters  miles  above  the  town  of 
Hennepin,  Illinois;  thence  via  Bureau  Creek 
A'alley  and  over  the  summit  to  Rock  River 
at  the  moutli  of  Cireen  River:  thence  l)y  slack 
water  in  Rock  Rivei-  and  a  canal  around  the, 
lower  rapids  of  the  river  at  Milan  to  the 
Mississippi  River  at  the  mouth  of  Rock  River. 

The  canal  is  to  be  at  least  eighty  feet  wide 
at  the  water  surface,  seven  feet  deep,  and 
with  locks  one  hundred  and  seventy  feet  long 
and  thirty-five  feet  width  of  lock  chamber, 
capable  of  passing  barges  carrying  six  hundi'ed 
tons  (maximum)  freight. 

\  re|5ort  upon  tlie  location,  with  dolailed 
estimate  of  cost,  of  this  <'anal  was  suiimittecl 


174 


HISTORIC     ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


June  21.  ]S'M),  and  is  pi-inted  in  tlie  Ainuial 
l{c|)(irt  of  the  Chief  of  ICnjjineers  for  ISOO. 
])afie  "jriSfi. 

The  ri\er  and  harl)or  act  of  Se])teniV)er  19. 
INIK).  made  tlie  first  apiiropriation  for  tlie 
eonstriK'tioii  of  the  canal,  and  directed  work 
to  be  begun  by  the  construction  of  one  of  the 
locks  and  dams  in  Rock  River. 

lu  accordance  with  this  act  work  was  begun 
in  Jvdy,  1S92,  near  the  mouth  of  Rock  River, 
on  the  construction  of  a  canal  around  the 
lower  rapids  of  the  river,  and  since  that  date 
has  been  prosecuted  as  rapidly  as  the  appro- 
priation of  funds  ]5ermitted.  The  survey 
work  in  locating  the  canal  on  the  ground  and 
proceedings  f<jr  acquiring  title  to  the  right  of 
way  have  been  completed,  and  the  canal  has 
been  definitely  located  on  the  ground  through- 
out its  entire  extent. 

The  river  and  harbor  act  of  March  3,  190o, 
authorizes  the  Secretary  of  War,  in  his  dis- 
cretion, to  construct  a  fixed  dam  with  mov- 
able crest  in  Rock  River,  in  lieu  of  the  lock 
and  dam  at  or  near  Sterling,  Illinois,  pro- 
vided for  l)y  the  approved  project,  the  said 
dam  with  movable  crest  to  be  built  from 
funds  alreaily  appropriated  or  authorized  for 
the  construction  of  the  canal  and  to  constitute 
a  part  of  the  ]iroject  for  its  construction. 

The  river  and  harbor  act  of  June  3,  1896, 
l)laced  the  work  \nider  the  continuing  con- 
tract system  and  limited  the  average  amount 
of  contract  liability  to  be  incurred  in  any  one 
fiscal  year  to  $400,000.  There  has  been 
expended  on  this  work  to  the  close  of  the 
fiscal  year  ending  June  30, 1908,  $7,319,563,39. 

The  result  of  this  expenditure  has  been: 

First.  The  acquisition  of  the  right  of  way 
for  four  and  one-half  miles  around  the  lower 
rapids  of  Rock  River  and  the  completion  of 
four  and  one-half  miles  of  canal  there,  in- 
volving the  construction  of  four  and  one-half 
miles  of  earthwork,  three  locks,  one  railroad 
and  two  highwa}'  swing  bridges,  seven  sluiee- 
waj^s  and  gates,  one  arch  culvert,  two  dams 
1 ,392  feet  long  across  the  arms  of  Rock  River, 


three  lock-kee])ers'  houses,  one  small  office 
l)uilding,  a  thorough  riprap))ing  of  the  canal 
Ijanks  (not  included  in  the  original  estimates), 
and  construction  by  contract  of  Moline 
wagon  bridge,  at  a  cost  of  $2,t.0()0.  which 
was  not  included  in  the  original  estimate. 

Second.  The  acquisition  of  right  of  way 
for  the  main  line  and  navigable  feeder,  com- 
l)letion  of  all  railway  and  highway  bridges, 
locks,  culverts,  aqueducts:  execution  of  all 
earthwork  and  completion  of  dam  and  con- 
trolling works  at  head  of  feeder;  erection  of 
fourteen  houses  and  partial  completion  of 
twenty-five  houses  for  overseers  and  lock 
tenders. 

The  canal  was  filled  with  water  and 
formally  opened  to  navigation  October  24, 
1907.  Operating  force  has  been  organized 
and  since  January  1.  1908,  the  work  has  been 
maintained  under  the  indefinite  appropria- 
tion for  operating  and  care  of  canals  and  other 
works  of  navigation,  the  completion  of  con- 
struction work  progressing  at  the  same  time. 

The  entire  work  embraced  in  the  original 
project  for  the  canal,  as  modified  by  subse- 
quent projects  and  plans  as  the  work  has 
progressed,  may  be  summarized  as  follows: 

Surveys  and  location  upon  the  ground; 
acquisition  of  right  of  way  and  fencing;  con- 
struction of — ninety-five  and  eight-tenths 
miles  of  earthwork;  sixty-seven  highway 
bridges;  one  farm  bridge;  three  pontoon 
bridges;  eight  railroad  bridges;  nine  aque- 
ducts; fiftj--two  culverts  (increased  to  sixty- 
two);  thirty-three  locks;  nine  sluiceways  and 
gates;  three  dams;  nineteen  houses  (increased 
to  thirtj'-nine) ;  outlet  to  Rock  River;  new 
highway  on  mile  sixteen;  improvement  of 
eight  and  five-tenths  miles  of  Rock  River; 
Moline  wagon  bridge  (not  in  original  esti- 
mate). 

The  work  thus  far  c(nni)leted  may  be  sum- 
nuu'ized  as  follows: 

Survej^s  and  location  upon  the  ground; 
acquisition  of  right  of  way  and  fencing;  con- 
struction   of — ninetj'-five     and     eight-tenths 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


175 


miles  of  earthwork;  sixty-seven  hi<;li\vay 
bridges;  one  farm  bridge;  eight  raih'oad 
bridges;  nine  aqiieduets;  sixty-two  culverts; 
thirt3'-three  locks;  thirty-foin-  sluice  gates; 
three  dams;  fourteen  houses  and  part  of 
twenty-five  additional;  new  highway  on  mile 
sixteen;  iloline  wagon  bridge;  one  pontoon 
bridge;  part  of  dredging  in  Rock  River; 
emergency  gates,   mile  twenty-three. 

The  work  remaining  to  be  done  consists  of 
completing  twenty-five  houses,  dredging  in 
Rock  River,  and  miscellaneous  work  of  revet- 
ment, bank  protection  and  finishing. 

PIONEER  DAYS  ON  THE  MISSISSIPri. 

BY  S.   W.  MC  M.\STF.R. 

The  first  steamboat  that  landed  at  P'ort 
Snelling,  Minnesota,  was  the  Virginia,  Captain 
Crawford,  in  1S23.  She  was  one  hundred  and 
eighteen  feet  long  and  twenty-two  feet  wide. 
At  that  early  day  the  conveying  of  supplies 
to  the  forts  on  the  upper  Mississippi  was 
about  all  the  traffic  there  was.  During  the 
few  years  immediatel}'  following  the  arrival 
of  the  Virginia  there  was  but  one  boat  a  year. 
The  Neville  came  in  1824;  the  Putnam  in 
1825;  the  bawrence  in  1826;  the  Fulton  in 
1827;  the  Eclipse  in  1828,  and  the  Black 
Rover  in  1829.  The  Red  Rover,  Captain 
Thochniorton,  made  her  first  appearance  in 
the  Galena  trade  in  1830.  The  master  of  this 
boat  built  and  commanded  the  Warrior  in 
1832  and  participated  in  the  Black  Hawk 
wai-  at  the  battle  of  Bad  A\.  He  always 
carried  on  his  boat  two  four-jKiunders.  His 
passenger  cabin  was  a  keelboat  towed  along- 
side. He  was  a  genial  man  and  a  great  fav- 
orite with  all  the  officers  at  the  forts.  Captain 
I'liochinortdM  also  built  and  commanded  a 
number  of  other  boats  during  his  long  career 
as  a  steamboat  officer.  The  last  craft  he 
commanded  was  a  government  boat,  tiie 
Barnard,  some  time  during  the  se\-enties. 

The  steamers  .Josephine,  Captain  .1.  Clark; 
and  the  Missoiu-i  Fulton,  Captain  Cuh'er,  were 
in  the  St.  Tj)uis  and  Galena  trade  in  182S  and 


1829.  In  1836  the  Missouri  Fulton,  Captain 
Orrin  Smith;  and  the  Frontier,  Captain  Smith 
Harris,  came  up.  The  latter  craft  was  built 
for  the  Rock  River  trade.  Tlie  Palmyra, 
Captain  Cole,  also  arrived  bearing  a  pleasure 
])arty  of  some  thirty  ladies  and  gentlemen, 
and  there  was  the  St.  Peter,  Captain  Thoch- 
niorton, with  a  party  of  St.  Loui.s  ladies,  and 
the  Rolla,  bringing  a  delegation  of  the  Sioux 
Indians  on  their  way  back  from  Washington, 
where  they  had  made  a  treaty  by  which  the 
valley  of  the  St.  Croix  was  opened  to  the 
whites. 

From  1836  there  were  steamers  passing  up 
and  down  the  river  almost  daily,  taking  sup- 
lilies  for  the  various  small  towns  below  Galena 
and  Dubuque.  The  boats  that  were  in  the 
trade  between  Galena  and  Fort  Snelling  in 
1837  were  the  Palmyra,  Dubuque,  Gipsy, 
Pavillion,  Emerald,  Wyoming,  Olive  Branch, 
Ariel,  Hei-oine,  Rolla,  Burlington,  Galena  and 
Irene.  The  boats  during  that  season  were 
the  Dubuque,  Rolla,  Emerald  and  Heroine. 
The  steamer  Brazil  in  1841  was  sunk  on  the 
Rock  Island  rapids. 

Between  the  latter  date  and  1S47,  a  large 
number  of  Ijoats  were  engaged  in  the  trade 
between  St.  Louis  and  Galena,  .\mong  them 
were  the  lone,  Captain  LeRoy  Dodge;  St. 
Croix,  Captain  Hiram  Bersie;  War  Eagle 
Captain  Smith  Harris;  Falcon,  Captain  T.. 
Morehouse;  Rock  River,  Count  \.  Harasky; 
Monona,  Captain  E.  H.  Glevin;  and  Iowa, 
Captain  D.  B.  Morehouse.  In  1847  the  Argo, 
Captain  William  I^odewick,  started  as  a 
regular  packet  between  Galena  and  Fort 
Snelling.  Captain  Ludewick  was  an  uncle  of 
Mrs.  Bailey  and  Mrs.  Boyle,  of  Rock  Island. 
In  1848  he  was  in  command  of  the  Dr.  Frank- 
lin with  Captain  Russell  Blakely.  my  oldtime 
friend,  as  clerk.  The  Franklin  was  the  first 
boat  belonging  to  the  Galena  and  Minnesota 
Packet  Company.  ^lost  of  the  stockholders 
in  this  company  were  Cialenans.  This  steam- 
er, the  Franklin,  was  the  nucleus  from  which 
Krew   the   fleet   of   the   Galena   and    St.    Paul 


176 


HISTORIC    ROC  K    ISLAND     COUNTY 


I'ackcl  ('(ili)|)aii\',  the  fii'.st  ur,ii,aiii/c(l  stcain- 
Ixial  ciiiiiiinny  on  llic  u|i])pr  Mississi))|.ii.  wliic-li 
ill  after  years  heeuiiie  one  of  the  most  power- 
ful coiiipanies  on  tlie  fireat  river,  l)riiiging'  out 
from  year  to  year  as  tlie  trade  increased, 
many  new  and  finely  built  floats. 

Ill  18.54,  when  the  Chicago  and  Rock  Island 
Railroad  reached  the  river  here  a  big  excur- 
sion was  run,  bringine;  some  1,200  eastern 
men,  including  many  jirominent  statesmen 
anil  newspajjer  men,  and  the  Minnesota 
Packet  Company  met  them  at  the  Rock  Ishmd 
wharf  with  the  steamers  (iolden  Era,  Ca])tain 
Hiram  Bercie;  G.  W.  Sparliawk,  Cajjtain  I,. 
Morehouse;  War  Eagle,  Cajitain  Harris,  and 
the  Galena,  Captain  D.  R.  Morehouse.  On 
.these  magnificent  packets  about  1,000  of  the 
excursionists  took  a  free  ride  to  St.  Paul. 
During  the  trip  the  stage  of  water  was  good 
and  at  times  the  boats  «ould  be  lashed 
together  in  pairs  so  that  the  passengers  could 
pass  from  one  to  the  other.  Taken  all 
together  this  affair  was  most  far-reaching  in 
its  effect  in  bringing  to  the  notice  of  promi- 
nent eastern  men  the  vast  possibilities  of  the 
north.  This  magnificent  excursion  has  never 
been  equalled  in  size  and  results  in  the  history 
of  the  river.  A  vast  tide  of  emigration  soon 
afterw-ard  began  setting  westward. 

The  Galena  and  Minnesota  Packet  Conipany 
was  at  the  summit  of  its  career  from  1S.5()  to 
1860.  It  had  a  fine  and  large  fleet  of  boats 
running  at  that  time.  Two  daily  lines  of 
])ackets  were  rim  from  Galena,  a  daily  from 
St.  Louis  to  St.  Paul,  a  daily  to  Rock  Island 
and  a  flaily  between  the  u]iper  and  lower 
rapids. 

In  1857  Captain  Davidson  organized  anoth- 
er line  of  steamers  to  run  on  the  upper  river. 
This  line  ultimately  was  to  swallow  up  and 
destroy  in  the  end  all  others  except  the 
Diamond  Jo  Company,  which  still  exists. 
This  was  known  as  the  White  Collar  line. 
During  this  year  the  St.  Louis  and  St.  Paul 
steamboat  men  decided  to  inaugurate  a  daily 
service    by     running    in    rotation     «itli     the 


Canada,  ('ai)tain  .laiiies  Ward;  W,  L.  Ewing, 
('a|)tain  .M.  Green;  Denmark,  Captain  Dick 
Gray;  Metropolitan,  Captain  T.  H.  Rhodes; 
Pembona,  Captain  Thomas  H.  Griffith; 
Northerner.  Captain  P.  Alford,  and  Lucy 
May,  Captain  ,1.  B.  Rhodes.  .-Xlong  in  the 
early  sixties  these  different  boats  were  united 
under  tlie  ownership  of  a  stock  company,  and 
the  Henry  Clay,  Cajitain  Charles  Stephenson, 
was  taken  in.  There  were  then  more  boats 
on  the  Mississi])pi  Ri\-er  plying  to  and  from 
St.  Paul  than  ever  before  or  since,  some 
ninety-five  in  all.  I  might  give  the  names 
but  that  would  require  too  much  space. 

From  1856  to  1860  there  was  a  very  large 
amount  of  excursion  travel  coming  from  New 
Orleans  and  St.  Louis  to  the  cool  shady 
retreats  found  around  the  lakes  near  St.  Paul, 
many  of  the  excursionists  staying  two  or 
three  months.  Often  the  boats  would  have 
their  upper  guards  piled  full  of  trunks.  At 
night  after  eleven  o'clock  the  cabin  floors 
would  lie  filled  with  cots.  From  eight  to 
ten  the  colored  cabin  boys  would  get  out 
their  violins  and  dancing  would  be  indulged 
in.  With  good  boats,  attentive  ami  obliging 
officers  and  good  table  fare  the  time  passed 
pleasantly.  No  hurry,  no  care,  beautiful 
s('enery  all  the  way,  particularly  along  the 
banks  of  the  ujjper  river.  How  many  hapjiy 
hours  I  have  passed  in  this  way  on  the  many 
trips  I  have  taken  since  I  first  came  west. 

The  Keokuk  and  McClure  line  which  plied 
between  St.  Louis  and  Keokuk,  united  with 
the  Northern  line.  After  Davidson  had 
wrecked  the  lines  on  the  upper  river  and  after 
the  death  of  John  McClure  this  line  w-as  left 
to  be  sold.  Davidson  bought  it,  thus  acquir- 
ing control  of  the  old  reliable  Northern  line 
and  of  all  the  steamboat  intere.sts  on  the 
i-i\-er.  The  holders  of  a  majority  of  the  stock 
in  the  Northern  line  applied  for  a  receiver  to 
manage  the  business.  Davidson  was  com- 
pelled to  fight  for  his  property.  This  took  so 
long  that  the  cost  of  the  litigation  left  him 
with  little  of  value.     The  business  was  ruined 


//  /  N  •/•  ()  R  I  (■     h'  ()  (■  K     I  S  L  A  X  I)     C  0  C  N  T  Y 


177 


-  liis  health  was  broken,  the  (.■onuneri'e  of  the 
Xorth  line  was  destroyed  and  the  remnants 
of  what  had  been  a  grand  industry  in  liuihling 
uj)  the  commerce  of  the  nortinvest  was  no 
more. 

l'"roni  1846  to  i860  I  was  actively  engaged 
in  business  in  Galena.  I^ater  1  bought  wheat, 
Hovu'  and  corn  along  the  river  in  large  amounts 
and  ship]iecl  to  St.  I-oiiis.  In  connection  with 
my  Ijusiness  I  necessarily  tra\'eled  often  on 
the  river  between  St.  Louis  and  St.  Paid,  and 
became  well  acquainted  with  many  of  the 
prcnninent  captains  and  clerks  and  other 
officers  of  the  boats.  I  was  a  stockholder  in 
the  Northern  line,  also  a  director  and  stock- 
holder in  the  (lalena  and  Minnesota  Packet 
Company. 

Among  the  river  men  I  knew  1  desire  to 
especially  mention  Captain  Russell  Jilakeley, 
of  Galena  and  St.  Paul,  and  say  that  I  am 
indeiited  tii  him  for  much  (if  the  inforinatiim 
presented,  which  has  been  gleaned  from  a 
pamj)idet  he  read  before  the  Minnesota  His- 
torical society  in  1898.  He  was  a  pi'ominent 
citizen  of  St.  Paul  for  many  years.  Two 
years  ago  he  died.  The  title  of  the  pamphlet 
lie  wrote  is  "The  History  of  the  Discovery  of 
the  Mississippi  River  and  the  Advent  of 
('ommerce  in  ilinnesota." 

Before  closing  this  sketch  of  steambiating 
on  the  upper  river  in  the  olden  times  1  would 
mention  a  few  of  the  men  I  knew  best. 
Among  them  were  Captain  Orrin  Smitli  of  the 
Hrazil  and  Nomonee,  Ca])tain  S.  D.  Harris  of 
the  ^Var  Eagle  and  (Jray  Eagle,  Captain 
Hiram  Bersie  of  the  St.  Croix,  Gcdden  Era  and 
Northern  Eight,  Captain  W.  H.  Gabbart  of 
the  Sucker  State,  Captain  James  Ward  of  the 
Metropolitan,  and  Captains  Thomas  Buford, 
T.  B.  Rhodes  and  John  W.  Rhodes.  Among 
the  clerks  was  Daniel  \'.  Dawley,  who  filled 
this  position  for  over  fifty  years  (I  knew  him 
first  in  1S3S  as  clerk  on  an  Ohio  River  l)oat, 
the  W.  \V.  Wells,  and  afterward  in  that 
position  on  the  Sucker  State);  George  R. 
.Melville,  Robert  Melville  and  George  C.  Prish. 


But  few  of  these  old-time  friends  are  left.  I 
know  of  only  Cajitains  Bennett  of  Moline, 
Captain  Thomas  Ibiioi'd  of  Rock  Island, 
Captain  W.  H.  Gabbart  of  l)aven|iort,  ami 
Captain  John    {{Jiodes  of  Savanna. 

Wlien  I  liiok  hack  over  the  sixty-nine  years 
1  have  passed  on  the  iip])cr  Mississijjpi  and 
think  of  the  marvelous  changes  that  have 
taken  place  in  the  great  northwestern  country, 
I  feel  that,  if  years  were  reckoned  by  the 
changes  that  ha\e  occurred  during  this  time, 
I  might  well  l)e  two  centuries  of  age. 

nv  J.   w.   i..\ wiii'.Ai). 

The  names  of  a  few  of  the  many  magnificent 
steamers  that  were  frecjuent  callers  at  our 
levee  in  the  days  before  the  civil  war,  when 
steamboat  business  was  at  its  zenith,  are  still 
fresh  in  my  mind.  Many  of  our  citizens  will 
remember  such  boats  as  the  Time  and  Tide, 
Brazil,  Lady  Eranklin,  Montauk,  Bonacord, 
Antliony  Wayne,  Danube,  (ireek  Slave,  Julia 
Dean,  Lamertine,  Golden  Era,  Itaska,  Grey 
Eagle,  Effie  Afton,  Excelsior,  James  McKee, 
and  Lusern.  All  these  boats  were  large,  finely 
e(pii|)ped  side-wheelers,  for  a  stern-wheeler  in 
those  times  was  sel  loni  seen.  Boats  were 
constructed  in  a  manner  to  l)est  take  care  of 
the  business  demands.  Ivich  boat  was  pre- 
])ared  to  carry  a  large  amount  of  freight,  and 
so  arranged  also  as  to  accommodate  com- 
fortably two  hundred  and  three  hundred 
imssengers.  No  hotel  in  any  city  sur])assed 
their  bill  of  fare.  Their  tables  were  fiu'nished 
with  the  best  that  the  markets  could  afford, 
and  served  in  a  manner  unexcelled. 

Steamboating  fifty  years  ago  was  attended 
with  many  difficulties,  chief  among  which 
was  the  lower  rapids.  There  it  was  that 
through  the  major  ]jart  of  the  boating  season 
all  freight  and  passengers  had  to  be  trans- 
ferred over  and  ai'nund  I  lie  portage.  Each 
boat's  cargo  had  to  lie  removed  and  placed 
on  great  litters  or  flat  boats,  each  one  cover- 
iug  al)out  one-half  an  acre  of  river,  so  to 
speak.      These   were   tnwed    ii\'er   the   rapids. 


178 


HISTORIC    ROC  K    ISLAND    COUNTY 


and  then  the  jiOdils  were  replaced  aboard  tlie 
boat  on  which  they  belonged.  Then  the 
steamer  would  proceed  on  her  journey.  These 
were  vexatious  delays  and  attended  by  great 
expense  and  much  hibor. 

The  pilots  on  the  river  in  those  days  were 
men  who  had  the  chart  of  the  river  and  the 
course  of  the  channel  and  the  numerous 
difliciUt  crossings,  the  shoals,  hidden  rocks 
and  other  obstructions  which  lay  in  their 
bath,  in  their  heads.  It  required  years  of 
con.stant  practice  and  diligent  stud}-  and 
close  observation.  To  attain  the  vast  and 
important  knowledge  they  must  know  the 
path  on  the  darkest  and  stormiest  night  as 
well  as  in  the  light  of  daj-. 

How  different  the  condition  of  toda}-.  The 
lower  rapids  have  been  shot  out — with  a  great 
stone  wall  that  forms  the  outer  bank  of  a  sliip 
canal,  through  which  steamers  pass  with  their 
cargo  undisturbed.  The  reefs,  sandbars, 
snags  and  other  obstructions  have  been 
removed,  the  channel  deepened  and  widened 
where  required,  stone  piers  and  buoys  in  the 
river,  provided  to  mark  the  coiu-se  of  the 
channel  bj'  day,  with  lights  in  vast  numbers 
to  show  the  way  by  niglit.  The  government 
has  ex]3ended  vast  sums  of  money  in  the  past 
years  to  improve  navigation  and  encourage 
commerce  on  our  western  rivers. 


am;xt  to  rivkr  xavigatiox. 

Tlic  (idice  of  the  Government  engineer  in 
control  (if  the  Government  improvement  along 
the  Mis.sissippi,  from  the  mouth  of  the  Mis- 
souri Hiver  to  St.  Paul,  together  wdth  a 
luinibcr  of  adjacent  natural  artificial  water- 
ways, is  located  in  Rock  Island.  Througli 
its  annual  appropriations,  about  .$80U,000  are 
spent  in  the  interests  of  improved  navigation 
in  the  district  indicated. 

The  first  Government  engineer's  office 
established  for  the  improvement  of  the  upper 
river  was  located  in  Davenport,  in  1S66,  and 
was  in  charge  of  General  James  H.  \Mlson. 
The  olllce  was  orisin.'dh'  intended  to  control 


only  the  improvement  of  the  Hock  Island 
ra])ids.  General  Wilson  was  transferred  to 
Keokuk,  and  the  work  of  building  the  canal 
around  the  rajiids  there  was  placed  in  his 
charge.  The  Davenport  ofl^ce  was  left  under 
Major  {".  J.  Allen,  who,  about  two  years  after 
it  was  originally  established,  removed  it  to 
Rock  Island,  quarters  being  taken  in  the 
Skinner  Block  over  the  People's  National 
bank. 

In  1870  Colonel  John  Macomb  was  placed 
at  the  head  of  the  offices,  and  under  him  they 
were  removed  to  the  building  at  the  north- 
east corner  of  Second  Avenue  and  Xineteenth 
Street.  Colonel  F.  V.  Farquhar  took  charge 
in  1877,  and  under  his  direction,  the  j'ear 
following,  the  general  survey  of  the  river 
made  from  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri  to  St. 
Paul  was  begun,  from  which  a  general  line  of 
improvement  for  the  whole  distance  was  later 
mapped  out. 

Colonel  A.  ^lackenzie  came  on  in  1879  and 
the  office  was  imder  his  management  for  a 
period  of  fifteen  years.  In  1S91  quarters 
were  taken  on  the  fourth  floor  of  the  new 
^Mitchell  and  Tynde  Building,  ilajor  Mac- 
kenzie continued  in  charge  until  his  promo- 
tion to  assistant  chief  engineer  at  Washington. 
Colonel  W.  R.  King,  his  successor,  died  after 
a  year's  residence  in  the  city,  and  Major  C. 
McD.  Townsend  took  charge  in  May.  1898. 
The  present  quarters,  on  the  second  and  third 
floors  of  the  federal  building,  at  the  corner  of 
Second  Avenue  and  Sixteenth  Street,  were 
taken  possession  of  January  9,  1 S96. 

Colonel  James  I..  Lusk  assummed  charge 
in  April,  1903,  and  was  succeeded  by  Colonel 
Charles  S.  Riche  in  April.  19()o.  and  who  is 
still  in  general  charge.  Colonel  Charles  W. 
Durham,  first  assistant  engineer  since  1871  : 
James  D.  Du.Shane,  assistant  engineer;  W.  .\. 
Thompson,  assistant  engineer;  Samuel  Ed- 
wards, assistant  engineer;  James  McElherne. 
assistant  engineer;  Montgomery  Meigs,  assist- 
ant engineer;  A.  L.  Richards,  assistant  engi- 
neer; C.  P.  Comegvs,  auditoi-. 


IIISTOHlr     HOCK     I  S  L  A  \  J)     COUNTY 


179 


The  working  plants;  consist  of  two  boats, 
dredges,  snag  Ijoats,  barges,  duni|5  boats, 
qnarter  boats,  office  boats,  eiii])loying  over 
one  tliousand  men  during  the  working  season. 


ILI.IXOIS    WESTERN    HOSPITAL 
THE  INSANE. 


I  OH 


WATERTOWX,  ILLINOIS. 

The  Illinois  Western  Hospital  for  the  Insane 
was  established  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature 
approved  May  22,  1895,  by  which  act  the 
usual  board  of  three  trustees  was  created  and 
$100,000  appropriated  for  the  construction, 
furnishing  and  maintenance. 

After  considering  various  propositions,  the 
trustees  finalh'  selected  a  site  near  the  village 
of  Watertown,  in  Rock  Island  County,  on  an 
elevation  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the 
Mississippi  River  and  five  miles  above 
Moline. 

The   corner  stone   was   laid   September   ». 

1896,  Governor  Altgeld  delivering  the  dedi- 
catory address.  Owing  to  the  luifavorable 
weather,  the  insolvency  of  the  contractors, 
and  an  inadequate  appropriation,  the  work 
proceeded   slowly   and    when,   on    March    18, 

1897,  the  new  trustees  were  appointed,  they 
found  the  buildings  incomplete.  With  addi- 
tional appropriations  granted  by  the  Legis- 
lature, they  were  enabled  to  resume  opera- 
tions and  on  May  16,  1898,  the  front  wards 
were  ready  for  occupancy  and  three  hundred 
and  thirty-six  patients  were  received  from  the 
.lacksonville  Hospital.  In  the  Spring  of  1899 
other  wards  were  completed  and  additional 
patients  received  from  Jacksonville,  Elgin 
and  Diuming.  Since  that  time  there  has 
been  constructed  the  Anne.\;,  male  and  female 
infirmaries,  parole  ward,  tubercular  cottages, 
a  chapel,  a  large  amusement  haU,  carpenter 
shop,  male  and  female  dormitories  for  em- 
ployes and  dormitory  on  the  farm  for  patients. 
A  fair  ground  of  twelve  acres  has  been 
enclosed  and  the  necessary  buildings  erected 
lo  carry  on  an  annual  fair.  A  pathological 
and  hydratic  building  and  industrial  hall  are 


now  in   ]ir()cess  of  construction.     The   [xjjju- 
lation  of  the  hospital  is  now  l..jOO. 

The  hospital  grounds  consist  of  five  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  one  hundred  acres  of  which 
are  on  the  hills  immediately  surrounding  the 
institution,  ])roviding  a  healthy  location  free 
from  all  malaria  and  affording  a  magnificent 
outlook  u))on  the  Mississippi  A'alley.  The 
farm  and  garden  are  in  the  bottoms  to  the 
south  and  cast  of  the  institution,  the  farm 
buildings  Ijoing  about  a  half  mile  from  the 
institution  proper.  Access  to  the  hospital  is 
furnished  by  a  switch  from  the  Chicago. 
Btu'lington  and  Quincy,  which  follows  the 
south  line  of  the  farm,  the  switch  running  to 
the  top  of  the  hill. 

Fireproof  construction  has  been  adopted  in 
all  of  the  large  buildings  which  are  con- 
structed of  brick  or  stone. 

In  their  [)rimitive  condition,  the  grounds 
surrounding  the  buildings  were  very  irregular 
and  the  soil  was  of  such  a  character  that  each 
rain  caused  considerable  damage.  These 
natural  difficulties  have  in  a  large  measure 
been  overcome  and  the  institution  is  now  well 
l)rovided  with  concrete  walks,  macadam  roads 
and  considerable  has  been  done  towards 
beautifying  the  grounds.  This  has  only  been 
accomplished,  however,  iiy  moving  at  least 
50,000  cubic  yards  of  earth,  filling  up  many 
deep  ravines,  and  by  the  exercise  of  constant 
vigilence  to  prevent  washing  by  rain. 

Although  within  easy  distance  of  the 
Mississippi  River,  the  institution  has  its  own 
wells  from  which  it  draws  an  abundant  supply 
of  pure  water.  A  sew'age  plant  has  been 
cf)nstructed  into  which  enters  the  sewage 
from  the  entire  institution.  In  this  sewage 
box  all  solid  matter  is  destroyed  by  a  natural 
process  and  nothing  passes  out  e.xcept  a 
stream  of  clear  odorless  water  which  finds  its 
way  to  the  river. 

The  institution  is  well  equipped  and  could 
carry  on  its  existance  in  a  large  measure 
independent  of  the  outside  world,  having  its 
own  electric  light  and  steam  plant,  in  adilition 


180 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


111  I  he  water  sii|i|ily  ami  sew  af^e  .system,  its 
own  cari'ieiiter  slidp,  machine  shop,  store 
hiiikliiifi-,  lamulry  ami  rcfri,ti'eratiiii;  phuit, 
printing  office,  tin  sliop  and  garnient  factory. 
I'^iectricity  is  used  entirely  for  light  and 
power  and  the  buildings  are  heated  with  the 
exhaust  ste;ini. 

The  site,  valued  at  .«40,000,  was  paiil  for 
by  the  citizens  of  Rock  Island  County,  one- 
half  in  sid)S('rii)tions  and  one-half  by  the  sale 
of  County  Ixmds.  Though  somewhat  in- 
accessible, the  fact  that  the  institution  has 
never  had  a  case  of  malarial  or  typhoid  fever, 
more  than  compensates. 

The  board  of  trustees  are  F.  W.  Gotdd, 
president,  Moline,  Illinois;  Allan  M.  Clement, 
Chicago,  Illinois;  and  William  Trembor,  Free- 
port,  Illinois,  Doctor  W.  Fl  Taylor,  of 
Monmouth,  was  elected  superintendent  in 
January,  1897,  and  has  continued  in  charge 
of  the  institution  since  that  time. 

liOCK    ISLAND    COUNTY    INFIRMARY 
AND  POOR  HOUSE. 

in  the  early  (hiys  the  county  poor  were 
boarded  out  in  various  places,  but  the  county 
ill  about  18.50  or  1852  pvu'chased  the  old 
IJiiiiiah  Wells  farm,  which  was  located  at  the 
I  urn  of  the  old  ('amden  Mills  road,  about  half 
a  mile  north  of  the  wagon  bridge,  across  the 
Rock  River.  On  this  farm  was  a  long  two- 
story  frame  house,  whicli  was  made  our  first 
County  Pool-  Hf)use.  November  20.  I860, 
Rock  Island  County  ]iurchased  the  farm  of 
James  M.  Smith,  near  Coal  Valley,  for  a  con- 
sideration of  $3,000.  Mr.  Frederick  Weyer- 
haeuser, who  then  lived  in  Coal  Valley,  built 
the  first   ])oor  house  on  this  property. 

The  first  time  it  was  erected  it  was  forl\ 
by  sixty  feet,  though  since  its  destruction  bv 
lire,  December  20,  1002,  a  new  building  of 
brick,  fifty-eight  by  one  hundred  feet,  and 
four  stories  high  has  taken  its  place.  The 
new  structure  was  completed  in  1003  at  ,a  cost 
of  .1i;2(),()()(). 


William  S.  Pailev  was  appointed  steward 
of  the  poor  farm  September,  1860.  At  that 
time  tlie  iiifiriiiary  contained  but  eighteen 
ininates.  .\h-.  I'ailcy's  salary  at  that  time 
was  four  liiindred  dollars  ]icr  year.  P>y  1  S(iO 
his  salary  had  Ijeen  increased  to  .11 ,000  per 
year,  the  number  of  inmates  having  vastly 
increased  by  that  time.  Kxcepting  the  year 
1869  Mr.  Bailey  was  superintendent  of  the 
infirmary  until  1881.  when  he  was  succeeded 
l)y  Mr.  A.  Puttinan.  who  served  three  years. 
Following  Mr.  Buttman  came  Mr.  James 
Robertson,  who  served  two  years,  then  Mr. 
W.  H.  H.  Dow,  who  served  eleven  years. 
December  1.5,  1897,  Mr.  .John  C,  Swank  was 
appointed  superintendent,  and  he  has  since 
officiated  in  that  capacity. 

CHURCHES. 


.     FIRST  MF;TH0DIST  lOPlSCOPAL 
CHURCFI. 

The  first  class  of  which  there  is  any  record, 
and  which  became  the  nucleu.s  of  the  church, 
was  organized  December  6,  1836.  .\t  an 
earlier  date  Rock  Island,  or  as  then  kn:iwii, 
Stephensiui.  was  recognizetl  as  within  the 
bounds  of  tlu>  Illinois  Conference,  wliich  at 
that  time  covered  the  entire  state.  Ser\-ices 
were  occasionally  held  at  an  earlier  date  than 
above  mentioned,  Peter  Cartwright  being 
|iresiding  elder  of  ;i  large  territory.  This 
noted  pioneer  j^ireacher  was  a  ]iower  in  early 
Methodism.  His  autiljiography  is  of  thrilling 
interest.  The  names  of  those  forming  the 
first  class  are  as  follows;  Michael  Ilartzell. 
class  leader;  Jane  Brashar.  Pera  \'andruf'f, 
Nancy  Trickcll,  ,!oliii  Tiiidall,  John  Spencer, 
I'Jizabeth  Sanford,  Lucy  Bardwell,  Ann  Tin- 
dall,  Nancy  Hartzell,  Eliza  Spencer,  .John 
Sanford,  Hanna  I'ciidletoii,  ,John  Tuttle,  Mar\- 
Mutler,  i']sther  .Morris,  .Abigail  Curtis,  Mary 
McLaughlin,  ,Iohn  Metzgar,  Elizabeth  Yau- 
ilnirf,  .\inos  .M()or(>.  l.(>ali  l>r;ishar,  William 
T.  Brashar.  Catherine  \'andrnff.  Nanc\'  Wells. 


.Morgan  I'erguson   a 


Thomas   Brit lingliam 


< 


a: 


o 


//  /  S  T  ()  li  I  (■     R  0  C  K     I  S  L  A  N  D     C  0  U  .V  T  Y 


181 


The  only  surviving  member  at  the  ])resent 
time  is  Nancy  Hartzell,  widow  of  the  late 
Mii-hael  Hartzell.  and  mother  of  Joseph 
Hartzell,  bishop  of  Africa,  who  for  a  number 
of  yeai's  has  been  accomplishing  a  wonderful 
work  on  that  continent. 

During  the  formative  period  of  the  church 
it  had  no  place  of  worship  of  its  own.  In  its 
beginning  the  society  met  at  the  home  of  J.  W- 
Spencer.  This  was  a  log  house  that  stood 
near  Seventh  Avenue  and  Nineteenth  Street. 
There  Methodist  preachers  always  found  a 
cordial  welcome.  Without  disparagement  to 
others  it  may  safely  be  said  that  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Spencer  stood  sponsors  for  the  church;  a 
relation  that  they  worthily  maintained  dur- 
ing the  remaining  period  of  their  lives.  About 
the  year  1836  a  brick  school  house  was  erec^ted 
in  I'nion  Square,  now  known  as  Sjiencer 
'Scuiare,  and  Methodist  services  were  held  in 
it.  In  1843  preparations  were  begun  for  the 
building  of  a  church  to  occupy  the  northwest 
corner  of  the  same  Scjuare;  a  site  set  apart  by 
the  then  i)ro])rietors  for  that  purpose.  The 
church  was  finished  in  the  year  1S44,  vmder 
the  ])astorate  of  Reverend  Isaac  Searles. 
This  was  a  briedc  building,  without  ornamen- 
tation, built  at  a  cost  of  about  .'$4,0()().  It 
was  dedicateil  in  December  of  the  year  of  its 
completion.  It  remained  the  home  of  the 
church  for  eleven  years,  until  the  erection  of 
a  much  more  commodius  and  ini])osing 
structure,  on  the  site  of  the  ])resent  church. 
The  conference  of  1843  made  Rock  Lshind  a 
station,  and  Reverend  Andrew  Coleman  was 
aiJiJointed  pastor.  During  the  pastorate  of 
Reverend  (!.  L.  S.  Stuff,  1850-18,51,  the  first 
pars(UKige  wasljuilt;  a  Ijrick  building  still 
occupied  as  a  residence,  on  Nineteenth  Street 
just  north  of  Fifth  Avenue.  This  house  when 
built  was  in  a  field  belonging  to  Mr.  S))encer. 
The  second  church,  as  above  referred  to,  was 
undertaken  din-ing  the  pastorate  of  Re\'erend 
William  Taskci-,  and  finished  in  ISoo, 
Reverend  S.  (1.  .1.  Wort  hingion  being 
pastor. 


The  first  conference  at  Rock  Island  was  held 
in  this  church  the  same  year,  Hishop  ,Ianes 
presiding.  The  dedication  did  not  take  place 
until  April  20,  1856,  when  its  entiic  iii(h'lited- 
ness  was  provided  for. 

On  the  evening  of  December  5,  1S55,  fom- 
months  before  the  dedicati.in,  a  supper  was 
served  in  the  basement  of  the  church,  by  the 
ladies,  at  one  rioUar  ])er  plate,  and  six  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars  was  realized.  It  was  spoken 
of  as  the  largest  festival  ever  held  in  the  city. 
The  ferry  boat  raji  free  and  pciiple  came 
from  Davenport,  Moline  and  other  adjacent 
towns,  while  the  good  Methodists  kept  open 
hou.se  foi'  all. 

A  new  parsonage  was  built  adjoining  the 
new  church  in  1856.  The  Holbrook  bell, 
which  still  failhfull\-  calls  to  flie  s(>\-era' 
services  of  the  chur(di,  was  purchased  in  1869, 
at  a  cost  of  .fl ,'_'()().  Re\-erend  Richard 
Haiiev  was  pastor.  In  1S70-71 .  under  Re\-erend 
J.  H.  Rhea,  the  church  was  thoroughly  re- 
paired, an  alcove  built  in  the  rear  of  the 
)5ulpit  for  the  occu])aHcy  of  a  new  pipe  organ, 
the  whole  expense  being  about  $8,500.  wdiich 
amcnint  was  fully  met  at  the  time  of  reopen- 
ing, on  which  occassion  Doctor  K.  ().  Haven, 
afterwartls  bishop,  preached. 

The  Central  Illinois  Conference  c(Hn-ened, 
for  the  second  time  at  Rock  Island,  in  1864, 
Bishop  Scott  presided.  At  this  time  the  war 
of  the  rebellion  was  being  fought  to  a  finish; 
the  second  election  of  Abraluun  I>inc(dn  was 
pending.  It  can  truthfully  be  stated  that  of 
the  2,29!)  soldiers  which  went  out  from  this 
county  this  church  sent  her  fidl  (|uota. 

Hisho])s  Simpson,  Peck  and  Howman,  at 
different  times,  occupied  the  puljjit  of  this 
church,  as  did  Doct(U-  William  Hutler,  who 
told  of  his  wonderful  experiences  in  .Mexico 
and   India. 

The  third  conference  held  in  Rock  Island 
was  in  1883,  at  the  close  of  the  pastorate  of 
Reverend  ,1.  S.  McCord.  Bishop  Andrews 
]iresided.  His  sermon,  preached  on  Stmday 
morning    .it    the    opera    house,    was    one    of 


1S2 


//  ;  S  T  O  h'  1  C     R  0  C  K     ISLAND     CO  U  N  T  1' 


exceedinji  power  ami  beaut}'  of  diction.  At 
this  conference  Clia]5lain  McCabe  was  ])re.sent, 
delighting  all  by  his  beautiful  rendering  of 
Christian  song.  Reverend  H.  G.  Pearce 
followed  Doctor  McCord  as  ])asl(ir. 

The  personnel  of  the  laity  of  tlie  chuicli  is 
worthy  of  mention,  but  .sj^ace  forbids  the 
naming  of  more  than  one,  who  was  notably 
zealous  and  full  of  good  works,  viz:  Edward 
W.  Spencer.  His  birth  antedated  the  organ- 
ization of  the  chiu'ch  by  two  j-ears.  He  was 
nurtured  in  a  Christian  home  and  at  the  altars 
of  the  chm-ch.  He  ilid  not  disregard  the 
obligations  thus  imposed  upon  him.  For 
nearly  a  third  of  a  century  he  was  Sundaj' 
school  superintendent  and  choir  leader.  He 
organized  and  largely  maintained  by  untiring 
services  the  yoimg  people's  and  children's 
meetings,  while  other  ser\'ices  of  the  church 
were  a  special  care. 

Others  who  went  out  from  this  church  and 
entered  the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  were  William  B.  Frizzell,  J.  W. 
Frizzell  and  \A'illiam  A.  8]iencer.  The  last 
named  after  an  honored  career  has  ]iassed  on 
to  the  other  shore. 

The  semi-centennial  jubilee  of  the  church 
was  held  A]iril  2-5  inclusive,  1S87,  during  the 
l)astorate  of  Reverend  G.  J.  I.ucky.  It  was 
an  occasion  of  great  interest,  and  spiritual 
profit  to  the  church.  The  ]irincipal  addresses 
made  at  that  time  fortunately  are  preserved 
in  l)ook  form,  entitled,  Fifty  Years  of  Metho- 
dism in  Rock  Island.  There  is  no  relation  in 
life  outside  of  the  family,  so  close  and  tender 
as  that  e.xperienced  in  the  church,  that  which 
constitutes  Christian  fellowship. 

Reverend  G.  W.  Gue  followed  Reverend 
Luckey  in  the  pastorate.  Not  later  than  the 
secontl  year  as  pastor,  he  iiegan  to  whisper 
in  the  ear  of  one  here  and  there  that  the 
proper  thing  to  do  was  to  build  a  new  church. 
It  was  not  a  little  thing  to  undertake,  and. 
furthermore,  very  numy  seenied  cpiite  satis- 
fied to  continue  to  worshiii  in  the  old  sanc- 
tuary, so  long  their  spii'ituid  home;  as  at  its 


altars  many  have  been  born  into  the  kingdom 
of  their  Lord  and  Savior;  while  from  its  doors 
loved  ones  had  been  borne  to  their  last  resting 
]ilace.  Hallowed  associations  made  it  ]irec- 
ious.  Having  put  his  hand  to  the  work. 
Reverend  Gue  was  not  one  to  turn  back.  He 
was  persistent  and  continually  at  it,  two  very 
important  elements  in  the  accomplishment  of 
a  purpose.  To  write  the  history  of  this 
enterprise  is  more  than  now  can  be  under- 
taken. Consumate  thought  sanctified  by 
])rayer  and  the  earnest  effort  of  all  the  people 
made  possible  the  accomplishment  of  the 
work  undertaken.  1'he  corner  stone  of  the 
edifice  was  laid  September  24,  1889;  Bishop 
Ninde,  by  invitation,  was  present  and  made 
the  ]irincipal  adilress.  Many  of  the  pastors 
of  other  chiu'ches  in  the  city  were  present  and 
participated  in  the  service.  A  year  and  a 
month  from  the  laying  of  the  corner  stone  the 
chm-ch  was  dedicated,  October  26,  1890.  The 
long  cherished  hope  had  eventuated  in  ulti- 
mate fruition.  The  cost  of  the  building  was 
about  $4.5,000.  which  amoimt  was  pro\'ided 
for  |irevious  to  tlie  dedication.  .\t  the  end 
of  four  years  as  pastor  Re^•erend  (!ue  was 
transferred  to  Portland,  Oregon.  He  has 
since,  together  with  his  estinmblc  wife,  jiassed 
to  his  final  reward. 

Reverend  F.  W.  Merrell  succeeded  Reverend 
Gue  as  pastor.  He  served  the  chm-ch  faith- 
fully and  well  for  five  years,  the  memliership 
of  the  church  being  largely  increased  during 
that  period.  Near  the  close  of  his  pastorate, 
at  the  instance  of  Captain  T.  J.  Robinson, 
who  made  the  donation,  a  new  pipe  organ 
was  placed  in  the  church.  This  necessitated 
quite  a  change  in  the  auditorium  which, 
together  with  other  imjirovements.  made  an 
expense  of  about  $7,000. 

Reverend  C.  O.  McCulloch  succeeded  Re\- 
erend  ^Merrell  as  pastor.  His  service  fur  a 
))erio(i  of  fi\'e  years  was  fraught  with  great 
blessins  to  the  church.  During  the  fourth 
year  of  Ids  miuisti'v  .-i  new  parst)nage  was 
built,    at    a    cost    of   S4,0(H).      To    secure    thai 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     CO  U  N  T  Y 


183 


ainoniit,  besides  nearly  as  much  more  of 
iiiileijtedness  before  the  work  was  undertaken, 
ri'(|uired  strenuous  effort.  Reverend  Mc- 
Culloch,  however,  jji'oved  equal  to  the  task. 
At  the  end  of  his  fifth  year  he  ^\■as  appointed 
to  Macomb. 

Reverend  R.  B.  Williams  wa-s  the  successoi- 
of  Doctor  ik'Culloch.  An  event  of  no  little 
interest  occurred  during  his  fifth  year,  l.ieinj; 
the  occasion  of  the  meeting  of  the  board  of 
l)ishops,  lasting  for  the  most  part  of  a  week. 
Also  the  same  year  tlie  church  was  be;iutifully 
frescoed. 

The  conference  that  met  for  the  fourtli  time 
ill  Hock  Island,  September  11-18,  1907, 
througli  its  ]jresiding  bishop.  Earl  Cranston, 
gave  him  the  appointment  to  the  Rock  Island 
charge  for  the  seventh  consecutive  time. 
This  action  which  was  in  accord  with  the 
i-ecjuest  of  the  local  quarterly  conference  for 
his  return,  makes  further  connnent  on  his 
pastorate  unnecessarj-. 

In  1906  the  society  purchased  the  adjoining 
lot  on  the  west,  adding  greatly  to  the  sight- 
liness and  value  of  the  chiu-ch  property. 

As  an  au.xiliary  .society,  the  first  to  l^e 
organized  was  the  sewing  society,  in  1S43. 
In  many  respects  it  has  proven  the  better 
half  of  the  church.  It  would  l)e  monumental 
if  the  total  of  its  giving  and  ]iroviding  could 
be  shown.  Other  societies  have  added  greatly 
to  the  usefulness  of  the  church.  The 
Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  organ- 
ized in  1870;  the  Home  Missionary  Society, 
organized  in  1883;  and  the  Epworth  League, 
with  other  minor  organizations,  are  all  work- 
ing to  the  one  end,  the  upbuilding  of  Christ's 
kingdom.  The  Sunday  school,  the  most 
important  arm  of  service,  must  not  be  ovei-- 
looked;  indeed  it  is  from  this  source,  more 
largely  than  any  other,  that  the  church 
)-ecruits  its  membership.  As  a  distinctively 
.Methodist  Simday  school  it  was  organized  in 
184.5.  J.  W.  VanSant  being  elected  superin- 
tendent. In  the  years  that  have  intervened 
much    earnest    effort    has    been    put    forth. 


Sometimes  the  superintendent  and  teachers 
ha\e  felt  despondent,  but  the  work  has  gone 
bra\-ely  on  and  it  certainly  is  beytuid  human 
ken  to  measure  the  good  that  has  been 
wrought.  Surely  God  has  been  gracious  to 
his  people. 

FIRST  BAPTIST  CllrRCH. 

This  church  was  organized  .June  4,  1837,  at 
the  house  of  Lemuel  Ludden,  whicli  stood 
just  east  of  the  ]iresent  city  limits,  near 
Sechler's  carriage  works.  There  were  oidy 
seven  mend)ers  at  that  time,  viz:  lie\'erend 
Titus  Gillel,  Zachariah  Cook.  Barl)ara  Cook, 
Lemuel  Ludden,  Silah  Liiddcu,  Phoebe  Skin- 
ner and  Nancy  Taylor.  They  selected  Rev- 
erend Titus  Clillet  as  pastor.  Meetings  were 
held  in  pri\'ate  houses,  and  later  in  the  Court 
House.  On  June  8,  1844,  the  "brick  school 
house."  then  standing  on  Union  Square — 
now  Sjiencer  Sc|uare — was  piu'chased  f(n' 
.f4.o.34,'4,  and  fitted  as  a  place  of  worship. 
The  first  real  church  building  was  erected  in 
1848,  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Third 
Avenue  and  Fifteenth  Street,  where  the 
Memorial  Christian  Church  now  stands,  at  a 
co.st  of  .1!3,5()0.  That  building  was  sold,  and 
the  present  edifice  at  the  southwest  corner  of 
the  same  streets  was  erected  in  1870,  at  a 
cost  of  .118,000.  The  parsonage  on  Fifteenth 
Street,  adjoining  the  church,  was  built  in 
1879,  at  a  cost  of  ,S2,'2.50,  and  was  presented 
to  the  church  July  31,  1879,  by  Mrs.  Zeruiah 
R.  Boyer. 

The  church  luis  ha,d  a  long  and  varied 
history,  luu'ing  numbered  in  its  membership 
many  of  whom  the  city  has  been  proud,  and 
who  have  given  character  and  helpfulness  to 
the  entire  community.  The  largest  member- 
ship at  any  time  was  September  23.  190G. 
when  the  total  reached  four  hundred. 

The  church  is  entirely  free  of  debt,  and  all 
departments  of  the  work  are  in  active  and 
successful  operation.  The  pro]:)erty  is  care- 
fully ke]:)t  by  a  board  of  fi\-e  trustees,  and  is 
all  in  first  class  condition.      The  organization 


184 


HISTORIC     liUC  K     ISLAND     CO  U  N  T  Y 


is  in  a  thorouglily  jirosperoiis  condition,  and 
is  (loiiij;  an  aggressive  work  in  the  evangeliza- 
tion   and    Christian     teaching    of    the    com- 

niunity. 

Harry  ^^■.  Reed.  Doctor  of  Philosophy,  has 
been  pastor  of  the  chm'ch  since  May  1,  1902- 

ST.  JAMES  CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 

Reverend  J.  G.  Allemann  came  to  Rock 
Lsland,  Illinois,  in  1850,  started  to  organize 
a  church  and  began  building  in  the  Summer 
of  1851  a  stone  church,  the  size  being  forty  by 
sixtj'-six  feet,  and  dedicated  it  St.  James 
Church,  it  being  the  first  Catholic  Church  in 
Rock  Island,  and  Reverend  J.  G.  Allemann 
being  the  first  pastor. 

Reverend  J.  G.  Allemann  getting  advanced 
in  years,  in  May.  1856.  was  succeeded  by 
Reverend  John  P.  Donelan.  he  remaining  as 
assistant  to  Reverend  John  P.  Donelan  until 
1859.  when  Reverend  John  P.  Donelan  was 
transferred  to  Rockford,  Illinois.  Reverend 
P.  J.  R.  Murphy  taking  Reverend  John  P. 
Donelan's  parish  here  and  remained  pastor 
until  the  Summer  of  1861.  when  he  was 
appointed  chaplain  of  the  Fifty-eighth  Illinois 
Regiment.  Next  came  Reverend  P.  J.  Mc- 
Elherne.  who  succeeded  Reverend  P.  J.  R. 
^lurjihy. 

St.  James'  congregation  grew  so  large  that 
Reverend  P.  J.  McElherne  began  the  building 
of  the  present  St.  Mary's  Church,  now 
occupied  bj-  the  German  Catholics.  The 
building  was  begun  in  1863  and  completed  in 
1865.  Reverend  P.  T.  McElherne  remained 
as  jjastor  until  1870,  when  Reverend  J.  P. 
Roles  was  appointed  pastor. 

In  1S74  Reverend  J.  P.  Roles  transferred 
St.  Mary's  Church  to  the  German  Catholic 
and  bought  tiie  Presbyterian  Church,  corner 
Fourteenth  Street  and  Second  Avenue,  and 
dedicated  it  St.  Joseph's  Church.  In  1877 
Reverend  J.  P.  Roles  was  transferred  to 
Chicago.  Illinois,  and  Reverend  Thomas 
Mackin  was  appointed  to  fill  the  \;icancy  of 
Reverend  J.  P.  Roles. 


He  remained  here  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  February  22,  1904,  when  Reverend 
J.  Roach  came  here  as  temporary  pastor 
until  October.  1905.  when  Dean  J.  J.  Quinn, 
from  Chatsworth,  Illinois,  was  aiipointed  the 
present  pastor. 

TRTXITY   EPISCOPAL  CHURCH. 

Some  time  prior  to  1853,  Reverend  Louder- 
back  held  Episcopal  services  in  Rock  Island; 
the  first  recorded  vestrv  meeting  being  held 
at  Trinity  parish  November  12.  1853.  The 
organization  of  Holy  Trinity  Church  was 
effected  about  this  period.  Among  the  orig- 
inal members  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  M.  Harris, 
Mrs.  Langley.  Mrs.  Joseph  Brackett.  Mrs. 
Goldsniith  and  Mr.  Bailey  Davenport. 

The  first  church  was  fini-shed  June  11,  1857. 
at  a  cost  of  S2.000.  The  present  church  was 
completed  January  30.  1870.  at  an  original 
cost  of  816,000.  Reverend  L.  Goodall  was 
elected  first  rector  October  18.  1854.  Trinity 
Episcopal  Church  belongs  to  the  Quincy 
diocese,  and  is  one  of  the  most  representative 
of  the  Episcopal  denomination  in  this  state. 
Reverend  Granville  H.  vSherwood  succeeded 
Doctor  Richard  F.  Sweet,  deceased  (see 
biography  elsewhere),  who  was  rector  for 
twenty-se^en  years. 

Trinity  Chapel,  at  the  northwest  corner  of 
Seventh  Street  and  Fourth  Avenue,  is  a 
branch  of  this  organization. 

THE  UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 

The  United  Presbyterian  Church  of  Rock 
Island,  Illinois,  was  organized  as  an  .Associate 
Reform.ed  Presbyterian  Church,  July  I.  1854. 
bv  direction  of  the  second  .\.  R.  P.  Presbytery 
of  Illinois. 

The  Reverend  Matthew  Bigger,  together 
with  Ruling  Elders  John  Colins  and  William 
Haverfield.  met  in  the  seminary  building,  in 
the  rear  of  the  Memorial  Christian  Church. 
The  organization  was  effected  by  admitting 
into  niemliorsliip  fourteen  members  from  the 
.\.    H.    1'.    Church,    five    members    from    tiie 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAXD     COUNTY 


185 


A.  P.  Church  and  one  on  profession  of  faith, 
makins;  a  total  of  twenty  members.  The  first 
elders  were  Erskin  McClellan.  James  Todd 
and  Hugh  Warnock.  The  congregation  re- 
ceived new  members  every  year  except  1857 
and  1861.  The  total  number  received  from 
Jnlv  1,  1S.54.  to  July  1.  1904.  is  five  hundred 
and  fifty-four.  The  decrease  kept  pace  with 
the  increase  for  a  number  of  years. 

The  services  were  held  in  the  seminary 
building  and  in  the  Court  House  for  the  first 
six  months.  In  the  meantime,  bj-  the  hard 
work  and  self-denial  of  the  acting  pastor, 
Reverend  J.  R.  McCali.ster  and  the  member- 
ship, a  plain  frame  building  was  built  on  the 
site  of  the  present  church.  This  building  was 
removed  in  1873  to  the  corner  of  Fifth 
Avenue  and  Eleventh  Street,  where  it  yet 
stands,  doing  service  for  the  German  Pres- 
byterians first,  and  now  for  the  Swedish  Free 
Evangelical  Church. 

The  building  was  entered  the  first  Sabhath 
of  January,  1855.  The  pulpit  furniture  was 
not  upholstered,  for  the  Reverend  J.  R.  J\Ic- 
Callister's  pulpit  sofa  was  a  nail  keg  with  a 
board  across  it,  while  the  pulpit  itself  was  a 
ilr\-  goods  box.  The  pews  were  planks  laid 
across  nail  kegs  or  boxes.  The  lights  were 
plain  tallow  candles.  Most  of  the  work  on 
the  building  was  done  by  the  members,  under 
the  direction  of  Mr.  James  Todd,  who  is  with 
us  today,  though  his  membership  has  not 
been  with  us  all  these  years.  By  degrees  the 
pews  were  made,  and  grained  by  other  mem- 
bers. They  are  still  in  use.  Their  backs 
were  not  very  high,  and  were  anything  but 
comfortable. 

Reverend  J.  R.  McCalister  continued  as 
stated  supply  until  July  1,  1860.  In  the 
mean  time  the  congregation  of  Daven])ort 
wa.s  organized  and  he  supplied  both  congre- 
gations. Fifty-four  ))ersons  were  received 
into  the  membrsehip  during  this  pastorate. 
.\mong  them  was  .A.  Conner,  who  afterwai-d 
became  a  minister,  but  w  as  uiialde  to  continue 
ill  the  ministrv  long  on  account  of  ill  liealth. 


Following  Mr.  McCallister  was  Reverend 
W.  H.  Jefferes.  who  continued  for  fifteen 
months.  Then  the  congregation  was  without 
a  regular  pastor  until  April,  1863,  when 
Reverend  Henry  Wallace  was  called  and 
continvied  until  .April.  1871. 

During  the  pastorate  of  Doctor  Wallace 
there  were  seventy-five  persons  received  into 
membership,  yet  the  decrease  seemed  to  be 
as  great  as  the  increase,  on  account  of  re- 
movals. 

After  another  season  without  a  ])astor. 
Reverend  J.  A.  Reynolds  was  called  for  full 
time  in  Julv  of  1871:.  There  were  init  thirty- 
five  members  to  again  take  up  the  work. 
There  had  been  one  hundred  and  fiftv-eight 
persons  received  in  the  eighteen  years. 

As  the  church  building  was  not  \ery  invit- 
ing, there  was  an  effort  made  to  Ijuild  a  new 
church,  so  in  the  Spring  of  1873  t!:e  present 
building  was  planned  and  begun,  but  was  ik  t 
entirely  finished  until  1876.  by  which  time  the 
membership  had  increased  to  seventy  mem- 
bers. The  cost  of  the  new  church  was  .flO.- 
000.  of  which  amount  the  people  paid  nearly 
$7,000.  The  balance  was  from  the  board  of 
chtirch  extension  and  outside  help. 

At  the  close  of  Doctor  Reynold's  ]5astorate 
the  membership  was  ninetj'.  Immediately 
following  Doctor  Reynolds,  Reverend  J.  H. 
Bown.  Doctor  of  Divinity,  took  up  the  work, 
continuing  for  three  years,  after  which  there 
was  a  season  without  a  pastor.  In  the  Sum- 
mer of  1889  Reverend  T.  H.  McMicliael. 
Doctor  of  Divinity,  then  a  student,  filled  the 
])ulpit,  and  in  the  Fall  of  1889  Reverend  H. 
C.  Marshall  became  stated  suji])])-  and  cnn- 
tinued  eight  years. 

Many  of  the  members  living  in  .Moline 
desiretl  either  their  letter  to  connect  with 
some  church  there  or  that  we  give  tl.em 
[ireachim^.'so  a  mission  was  started  in  1S95, 
which  was  afterward  formed  into  a  churc.:, 
^lay  14.  1898,  with  twenty-seven  mend)e  s 
from  the  Rock  Island  congregation,  and  l)e- 
c:iirie  iiide|ieMdeiit    in    19l!l.      ,\t    the  close  of 


1S6 


HISTORIC     ROCK     I S  LA  X  D     CO U N T  Y 


the  Reverend  H.  C.  Marshall's  ])astorate  the 
membership  was  about  one  hundred  and 
thu'ty,  counting  the  two  fields.  Moline  and 
Rock  Island. 

Again  we  were  without  a  pastor  for  a  year, 
wlien  in  September  of  1S9S  the  Reverend  D. 
L.  McXary  became  stated  supplj^  devoting 
his  time  to  the  two  congregations  for  a  time, 
until  Moline  became  independent. 

Of  the  original  members,  as  far  as  is  know  n, 
there  are  but  two  living.  ^Ir.  James  Todd 
and  Jlrs.  Margaret  Caughey,  of  Coal  A'alley. 
Illinois,  while  .J.  ^I.  Logan  and  wife  of  Mon- 
mouth, anil  Mr.  .1.  R.  Johnston,  of  Los 
Angeles,  California,  were  received  in  LS55. 
There  may  be  others  we  have  lost  track  of. 

The  following  are  those  who  have  served 
as  elders,  the  elders  elect,  and  clerks  of  the 
session. 

Erskine  McClellan,  in.stalled  July  1,  1854. 
withdrew  December  7,  1S6.5;  died  January. 
1904:  James  Todd,  installed  Julv  1.  1S54 
withdrew  early  in  sixties:  Hugh  Warnock, 
installed  July  1,  1854,  died  May  12,  1898; 
Thomas  McCall,  in.stalled  August  17,  18'64, 
died  early  in  seventies;  Samuel  F.  Cooke, 
installed  March  20,  1867,  withdrew  January, 
1898,  died  December  13,  1898;  Joseph  Mc- 
Kee,  Doctor  of  Medicine,  Jlarch  18,  1877, 
withdrew  July  9,  1888;  James  ilcConnell. 
installed  March  18,  1877,  died  February  9, 
1881;  Alex  White,  installed  March.  1877, 
withdrew  April,  1878;  Edwin  B.  McKown. 
installed  November  19,  1890,  Samuel  H. 
^lontgomery.  installed  November  19,  1890, 
withdrew  ]May  14,  1898;  James  D.  Warnock, 
installed  November  19,  1890. 

Elders  Elect — Charles  E.  Bryan,  James  A. 
Weed,  F.  P.  L3'singer,  M.  Bollman. 

Clerks  of  Session — Hugh  Warnock,  no  date 
given,  to  July  1,  ls70:  Samuel  F.  Cooke.  July 
1.  1870  to  November  22,  1890:  Samuel  H. 
Montgomery,  November  22,  1890  to  ilay  14, 
1898;  James  I).  Warnock,  May  14,  1898  to 
the  present  time. 


I'pon  Diu'  roll  was  tlie  name  of  one  who  has 
been  apjiointed  to  a  position  that  will  bring 
to  liim  national,  yea,  world  wide  fame,  if  he 
shall  be  permitted  to  carry  out  the  work  our 
government  has  placed  in  his  hands.  The 
work  he  has  done  for  various  railroads  the 
past  twenty- five  years  bespeaks  for  him 
success.  I  refer  to  Honorable  John  F. 
Wallace.  Doctor. of  Laws,  who  was  with  us 
when  the  present  church  was  being  built. 
He  has  been  appointed  engineer  in  charge  of 
the  Panama  canal. 

An  interesting  item  we  wish  to  speak  of  is 
that  the  three  succeeding  generations  of  the 
first  superintendent,  Mr.  Hugh  Warnock,  are 
represented  in  our  school  today  in  J.  D. 
Warnock,  our  treasurer:  Miss  Mildred  War- 
nock, one  of  our  teachers;  and  Dorothy  and 
Margaret  Soule,  who  are  enrolled  in  our 
primary  department. 

Our  superintendents  since  organization 
have  lieen  Hugh  Warnock.  Reverend  J.  R. 
^IcCallister,  Alexander  White  and  E.  B. 
McKown.  Excepting  about  four  or  five  years 
ilr.  Hugh  Warnock  served  as  superintendent 
for  nearly  thirty-fi\'e  years. 

GERMAN     EVANGELICAL     LUTHERAN 
IMMANl'ELS  CONGREGATION. 

RELIGIOUS  TENETS. 

This  body  of  Lutherans — as  indeed  the 
whole  Missouri  Synod,  of  which  it  is  a  part — 
takes  a  firm  stand  on  the  basis  of  the  Church 
of  tlie  Reformation;  accepting  the  Scrijitures 
of  the  Old  and  New  Testament,  as  being 
throughout  the  inspired  Word  of  God,  and 
the  only  rule  and  standard  of  doctrine  and 
life.  It  accepts,  as  a  true  and  correct  exhibi- 
tion of  the  doctrines  of  Scri])ture,  the  entire 
confessions  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church,  as  contained  in  the  Book  of  Concord 
of  loSO.  Its  central  doctrine  is:  full  atone- 
ment bj-  Christ,  and  justification  l)y  grace, 
through  faith  in  Christ  Jesus.  Holding  that 
two   can    not    walk   together  excejit   they   be 


//  1  ST  0  RI  C     It  0  C  K     I  S  LAND     CO  U  N  T  Y 


1S7 


agreed,  it  rejects  altar  fellowship,  and  prac- 
tices close  communion. 

Holding  that  no  one  can  serve  two  masters, 
it  will  not  recei^•e  into  voting  membership 
any  ]iers()n  belonging  to  an  oathbound  secret 
society.  Holding  that  the  command  to  bring 
up  children  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of 
the  Lord,  is  still  binding  it  has  always  aimed 
to  establish  and  maintain  parochial  schools. 

The  affairs  of  the  congregation  are  man- 
aged by  the  members,  every  male  member  of 
the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  having  signed 
the  constitution,  is  entitled  to  a  vote.  Reg- 
ular sessions  are  held  the  first  Sunday  of  each 
month  at  2:30  P.  M.  One-third  of  the 
members  constitute  a  quorum.  Majority 
rules.  Absentees  waive  the  privilege  of 
voting. 

HISTORICAL   SKETCH. 

In  the  beginning  of  1856  a  small  number 
of  Lutlierans,  foremost  among  them  Mr.  M. 
Kurz,  applied  to  the  Missouri  Synod  for  a 
faithful  Lutheran  pastor  to  attend  to  their 
spiritual  w-ants.  By  request  of  Synod,  Rev- 
erend C.  A.  T.  Selle,  of  Crete,  Illinois,  investi- 
gated nuitters,  and  ])reached  the  first  Lutheran 
sermon  in  this  section  of  the  country.  This 
was  April,  I,S,56.  On  June  19,  the  congrega- 
tion organized  with  a  membershi])  of  seven. 
Reverend  V.  Ahner  being  duly  called  was 
ordained  and  installed  August  31,  by  Rever- 
end W.  Mueller,  of  Chicago.  Ha\-ing,  as  yet, 
no  house  of  wor.ship,  services  were  held  in  the 
old  Second  Presbyterian  Church  until  the 
Summer  of  18.57,  when  a  building  site  was 
purchased  on  the  corner  of  Sixth  Avenue  and 
Thirteenth  Street.  A  frame  building  on  the 
gromid  was  remodeled  for  ])arsonage  and 
school. 

THE    FIRST    CHURCH. 

During  the  following  Winter  and  Spring  a 
neat  brick  chiu-ch  was  erected  by  Mi-.  George 
Riess,  contractor.  It  was  dedicated  on  the 
third  Simday  after  Ivister.  Though  the 
menilicrship  had  by  this  time  increased  to 
sevoiilci'ii,    yel     it    was    quite    a    venture,    as 


neither    of    the    members    was    possessed    of 
earthly  goods. 

THE    SECOND    CHURCH. 

The  rapid  growth  of  the  congregation  soon 
necessitated  a  larger  building.  A  more  con- 
venient location  being  desirable,  a  new  site 
on  the  corner  of  Fifth  Avenue  and  Twentietii 
Street  was  procured  at  the  cost  of  !g2,.5()(). 
This  was  in  March,  1865.  Plans  were  sub- 
mitted by  the  Messrs.  Rie.ss  and  Schlueter; 
the  contract  was  awarded  to  Mr.  Hartman. 
The  new  church,  forty  by  sixty,  with  an 
annex  twenty-three  liy  thirty,  to  serve  as 
dwelling  and  school,  was  detlicated  in  the 
Fall  of  1866,  the  Reverend  C.  A.  .Meunickc 
officiating. 

THE    THIRD    CHURCH. 

iiy  the  grace  of  God  the  congregation 
experienced  a  steady  growth,  and  again  it 
liecame  necessarj^  to  provide  more  room.  A 
building  committee,  consisting  of  the  l>oard 
of  trustees  and  the  Messrs.  C.  Haensgen,  W. 
Schroether,  J.  Kirsch,  ,J.  Bruchmann.  W. 
Kurth,  C.  Schillinger,  H.  Lange,  H.  Bnniswig, 
C.  Schoede,  with  Teacher  El.  Selle  as  secretary, 
was  a])pointed  in  November,  1895.  Plans 
«ere  furnishetl  by  Messrs.  Brack  and  Kerns. 
The  contract  was  let  to  Mr.  Nic.  Juhl.  The 
following  year,  the  old  church  was  torn  down 
and  the  new  one  erected.  This  magnificent 
building  is  a  Gothic  struct lu'e,  sixty-two  by 
one  himdred  and  two,  surmotmted  by  two 
spires  one  hundred  and  eight  and  one  hundred 
and  sixt\'-two  feet  respectively;  seating  capac- 
ity, 1,000;  cost,  $25,000.  The  interior  is 
tastefully  decorated  with  freizes  and  |)aiiit- 
ings  liy  Artist  H.  Voege.  It  was  dedicate;! 
December  20,  1896,  by  Reverend  C.  A- 
Mennicke,  assisted  by  the  Reverend  \\.  J). 
Mennicke,  Reverend  A.  J3rauer,  Re\erend 
Professor  F.  Streckfuss,  Reverend  Professor 
L.  Wessel. 

P.ASTOBS. 

The  first  jiastor.  Reverend  I'.  Ahner.  s(-:-\c  I 
from  August,  LS56,  until  Auijusl,  IS,")7,  when 
he    accepted    a    call    to    Gial'ton,     Wisciinsin. 


188 


HISTORIC    ROCK     I  S  LA  N  I)     CO  U  N  T  Y 


His  successor.  Reverend  C.  A.  T.  ScUe.  was 
installed  in  July,  1S5S.  Durinji'  his  ])astoral(' 
the  congregation  formally  connected  with  the 
Missouri  Synod.  In  1861  he  accepted  a  call 
as  professor  nf  the  Teachers  Seminary  at 
Fort  Wayne.  Indiana,  later  on  at  Addison. 
Illinois.  He  was  succeeded  by  the  present 
pastor.  Reverend  C.  A.  Mennicke.  This 
eminent  divine,  a  graduate  of  Concordia 
Seminar}-.  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  arrived  at 
Rock  Island,  May  14.  1861.  He  preached 
his  first  sermon  on  Whit  Sunday  and  was 
ordained  the  ninth  Sunday  after  Trinity. 
He  is  still  serving  faithfully,  sharing  the  joys 
and  sorrows  of  his  flock. 

In  1880,  his  health  being  greatly  imiiaired. 
he  was  granted  a  vacation  for  a  tri])  to 
Germany.  During  his  absence  Reverend 
August  Haensgen  gratuituously  served  as 
pastor  pro  ton.  Upon  his  return  he  entered 
upon  his  duties  with  renewed  vigor.  In  1886 
his  son,  Reverend  A.  C.  Mennicke,  was  in- 
stalled as  assistant  pastor,  serving  in  this 
capacity  until  April,  1892,  when  he  acce])ted 
a  call  to  Edford,  Henry  County,  Illinois.  In 
1893  Professor  Reverend  Selle,  having  re- 
signed his  professorship,  located  at  Rock 
Island  and  served  as  assistant  pastor  until 
^larch,  1898.  when  he  resigned.  Shortty 
afterward,  while  on  a  visit  to  Chicago,  he 
departed  this  life;  his  remains  were  brought 
to  Rock  Island  and  interred  in  the  Lutheran 
Cemetery. 

Since  July  31.  1898,  Reverend  E.  D.  Men- 
nicke, second  son  of  Reverend  C.  A. 
Mennicke  is  ably  filling  the  office  of  assistant 
pastor. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  parish  school  is  as  old  as  the  congre- 
gation. It  was  taught  by  the  pastors  until 
the  Summer  of  1862.  when  Mr.  F.  Moeller  was 
installed  as  teacher.  He  held  this  position 
for  forty  years,  resigning  in  1902.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Mr.  I.  Kaspar. 

In  1856  a  second  teacher  was  ailded  in  tiie 
person  of  Mr.  H.  Brakesuehler;  he  was  fol- 


lowed successively  by  the  Messrs.  Trenhold. 
K'Iciiistoubcr  and  Docscher.  The  latter  re- 
signed in  ]S73. 

In  1S66  a  tliii'd  teachei'.  Mr.  A.  Schoe\erling, 
was  called.  In  1S69  he  was  succeeded  liv 
^Ir.  E.  Selle,  a  gifted  educator,  who  is  still  in 
active  service. 

The  scliools  were  carried  on  separately, 
one  on  Twentieth  Street  and  one  on  Thirteenth 
Street,  until  1876.  when  the  Twentieth  Street 
school  was  moA'ed  to  Thirteenth  Street.  In 
1885  the  Thirteenth  Street  |jro|)erty  was  sold, 
and  the  schools  were  transferred  back  to 
Twentieth  Street,  where  a  commodious  school 
bad  been  built. 

In  1900  it  was  found  necessary  to  branch 
out.  Teacher  I".  Moeller  l>egan  teaching  on 
the  l)iuff.  Teacher  E.  Selle  retained  in  charge 
of  the  Twentieth  Street  school  and  Reverend 
E.  I).  Mennicke  gathered  and  taught  a  class 
in  the  low  er  ]iart  of  the  city.  Being  successful 
a  school  house  was  iuiilt  on  Eighth  Street 
(1901)  and  placed  in  charge  of  Mr.  F.  Lust- 
feld;  he  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  E.  Rolf  in  the 
Summer  of  1906.  In  1903  a  new  school  was 
erected  on  Thirty-sixth  Street,  and  placed  in 
charge  of  Mr.  I.  Kaspar. 

AN.MVERSARV    t'ELKIili.VTIOXS. 

The  following  anniversaries  were  celebrated : 

Twenty-fifth  anniversai-y  of  the  congrega- 
tion, July  19  and  20,  1881. 

Twenty-fifth  anni\-ersary  of  the  |)astor. 
Reverend  C.  A.  Mennicke,  July  IS.  1SS6. 

Twenty-fifth  anni\-ersary  of  Teacher  l'\ 
Moeller,  August  26.  1887. 

Twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  Teacher  E. 
,Selle,  July  19,  1891. 

Fortieth  anniversary  of  the  pastor.  Rever- 
end C,  A.  Mennicke,  July  23,  1891. 

Fortieth  anniversary  of  Teacher  V.  .Moeller, 
September  26,  1902. 

Fortieth  anniversary  of  Teacher  K.  I.. 
■  Selle,  June  25,  1 906. 

Fiftieth  anni\-ersary  of  the  congregation, 
June  24,  1906. 


//  /  ,s'  r  O  R  I  C     RO  C  K     I  S  L  A  X  D     CO  U  X  T  Y 


189 


CEMETKin'. 

December  o,  1869.  a  nmnlier  of  menihers 
organized  as  tlie  tlerman  Liitlieran  Cemetery 
Association,  and  purchased  a  twelve-acre 
tract  on  Twenty-fonrth  Street.  South  Rock 
Island.  Two  acres  were  resold.  I'oiir  of  tlie 
rcniainin.i;  ten  acres  were  inmiediately  ]ilotted 
out  for  sale.  Subsequently  the  wliole  tract 
was  donated  to  the  congregation.  Mr.  \\  .  I'". 
Schroeder,  treasurer;  JMr.  H.  Schoeve,  sexton. 

.\S.SOCI.\TIOXS    ^MTHI^"    THK    ''ONCRr(i.\TIO.\. 

(1)  Mutual  Aid  Society  in  case  of  death. 

(2)  Mutual  Aid  Society  in  case  of  sickness. 

(3)  liudies  Society. 

(4)  Mission  Society. 

(.'>)    Young  Men's  Association. 

(6)  Young  Ladies'  Association. 

(7)  Mixed  Choir. 

The  Churcli  Council,  comprising  all  the 
officials,  is  a  board  of  supervisory  character: 
it  consists  of: 

Pastors — C.  A.  and  E.  D.  Mennicke. 

Teachers — E.  I..  Selle.  Imanuel  Kaspar,  K. 

V.  I^)lf. 

Elders — Charles  Haensgen,  W.  E.  Sciu-oeder, 
IT.  Lange,  J.  Roehr.  W.  A.  Schroether. 

Trustee.s — N.  Juhl.  H.  Clemann.  C.  Schooch'. 
]'].  Hoffmann.  W.  Scharmann. 

Sclioolijoard  —  H.  W.  Horst,  chaii'iuan:  C. 
Horst,  A.  Seidlitz,  Reverends  C.  .\.  and  Iv  1). 
Mennicke,  E.  L.  Selle,  Imanuel  Kaspai',  sec- 
retary: E.  F.  Rolf. 

.la  nit  or — J.  Roliwe(hler. 

\\  .  1\  Sclivoeder,  chairman  of  congregation. 

E.  L.  Selle,  secretary  of  congregation. 

C.  Haensgen,  treasurer  of  congregation. 

11.  l.aiige,  assistant  treasurer  congregation. 

THi;  (lERMAX  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL 
CHURCH. 

'Ilic  Rock  River  Conference  of  the  .Metho- 
dist I'lpiscojial  Church  began  a  missicm  among 
the  (lerman  people  of  Rock  Island  in  !^ep- 
t  ember  of  the  year  18o5,  sending  Reverend 
rilrich  von  fJunter  .as  first  missionary,  and 
after    two    \-ears    work    among    tlic    f'lcnuaiis 


he  had  succeeded  in  gathering  a  membership 
large  enough  to  build  the  Cernian  Methodist 
Church  on  Twentieth  Street  between  Sixth 
and  Seventh  Avenue,  where  also  the  first 
parsonage  was  built.  This  church  was  dedi- 
cated by  Reverend  Haas  in  ]Sr>7.  Ry  this 
time  the  St.  f^ouis  (ierman  Conference  had 
been  organized  and  t]ii.s  mission  was  turned 
o\er  to  said  German  Conference. 

After  having  labored  for  fifteen  years  more 
among  the  German  ])eo]ile  the  membership 
had  increased  to  such  an  extent  that  the 
cliurch  on  Twentieth  Street  became  too 
small  to  accommodate  the  people.  That 
chiuch  and  jjarsonage  were  then  sold  and  a 
lot  with  a  small  house  on  the  corner  of 
Fourteenth  Street  and  Sixth  .\ venue  wa.s 
bought.  The  small  house  with  only  two 
rooms  had  two  more  rooms  added  to  it 
and  became  the  parsonage.  .\l)out  five  years 
ago  another  story  was  put  on  this  building 
and  it  was  otherwise  remodeled  into"  the  pres- 
ent parsonage.  On  the  corner  of  the  lot  the 
present  church  was  built  an<l  dedicated  in  the 
year  1874. 

The  membership  ha.s  ne\er  been  very  large, 
but  much  good  has  lieen  accomjilished 
through  this  church  among  the  (ierman  people 
of  this  city.  VV.  C.  Sclutltze  is  the  present 
pastcn'. 

THE  HROADWAY   PRESBYTERIAN. 

On  October  28,  1874,  a  lit  tic  company  of 
Presl>yterians  met  at  the  home  of  Mr.  D.  T. 
Robinson  to  consider  the  ad\isal)ihty  of 
organizing  a  Presb}'terian  Church  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  city.  The  conclusion  was, 
"we  deem  it  expedient  to  organize."  A 
petition  to  the  Presbytery  of  Rock  River. 
])resented  at  Princeton,  Illinois,  on  .\pril  13. 
1875.  by  a  committee  consisting  of  .Mr.  C.  C. 
More  and  Doctor  .1.  W.  Stewart,  was  favor- 
ably heard,  and,  the  Presbytery  sent  Rev- 
erend Josiah  Milligan.  Re\-erend  .1.  H.  Moore 
and  Elder  Snyder  tf)  Rock  Isl.-md  to  canvass 
the  field  and  (U'ganize  the  church.      The  new 


190 


//  /  N  T  ()  R  I  r     R  n  (■  K     ISLAND     CO  U  N  T  Y 


cliin'cli  was  (ii-iiaiuzcil  April  '_".),  In7"),  ami  llio 
fiilluw  iiij;  ollicers  oloclccl:  I'llders.  1).  1'. 
.More,  {'.  ('.  More,  II.  Lee  Miic-liell  and  J.  W  . 
Stewart;  Dcai-diis.  Doctor  S.  ( '.  PliiiiiiiU'i-,  H. 
A.  Sinythe,  \\ .  ('.  U'elcli  ami  H.  Iv  Woods: 
Tnistees,  D.  T.  Robinson,  Alexander  Steel, 
S.  J.  Keator,  C.  V.  More,  W.  C.  Welch,  A.  F. 
Fleming,  T.  J.  Rodman,  U  .  H.  True.sdale  and 
Spencer  Gregg. 

Fifty  members  were  received  by  letter  from 
the  mother  Presbyterian  church,  now  known 
as  the  (^entral,  and  seven  united  upon  pro- 
fes.sion  of  faith.  These  organization  services 
were  held  in  the  basement  of  the  Central 
Church,  the  auditorium  of  which  was  in  the 
hands  of  workmen  repairing  the  damages 
wrought  by  the  tornado  of  Septendier  18, 
]  875. 

Lots  wei'e  [jurchased  for  the  new  church  at 
the  corner  of  Broadway  and  .Spencer  Streets, 
now  Seventh  Avenue  and  Twenty-third 
Street,  and  the  name  Broadway  chosen.  On 
May  9,  1875,  a  Sunday  school  was  organized, 
with  sixty-one  scholars,  in  what  was  known 
as  Greenbush  Chapel,  at  the  corner  of  Twenty- 
eighth  Street  and  Ninth  Avenue.  Doctor  C. 
D.  Nott,  of  the  First  Presl.)yterian  Church, 
Davenport,  preached  on  Sunday  afternoons 
until  the  coming  in  November,  1S75,  of  Rev- 
erend T.  H.  Hench,  who  had  been  called  as 
the  first  pastor.  May  2,  1876.  the  cornei'- 
stone  of  the  new  church  building  was  laid. 
The  Sunday  school  room  of  the  new  building 
was  ready  for  occupancy  Fclirnaiy  11.  1S77. 
Here  the  congregation  worshiped  until  the 
auditorium  was  completed,  in  187S. 

Reverend  W.  S.  Marquis,  who  was  called  in 
March,  18S4,  and  installed  as  pastor  on  June 
15,  1884,  and  who,  up  to  the  [iresent  time 
(1908)  is  still  serving  the  church. 

.\mong  the  more  interesting  and  important 
facts  in  the  history  of  this  chtu'ch,  the  follow- 
ing may  be  mentioned:  The  dedication  of 
the  auditorium,  November  3,  1878;  Soutli 
Park  .Mission,  orgiinized  July  15,  1888;  South 
I'aik    Chaiiel,    dedicated    October    7,    1888; 


plans  for  enlargement  of  church  and  new- 
Sunday  school  room  a(io])ted  September  3, 
1S!)4;  corner  store  of  same  Laid  and  Twentieth 
anniversary  celebrated  April  L".).  1895;  Sunday 
school  I'ooiii  dcdiralcil  December  8,  1895; 
Rexerend  (iraJi.ani  Lee,  a  member  of  the 
church,  ordaineil  to  the  Gospel  ministry  and 
sent  foi-tli  to  Koi'ca  in  1894,  now  suiJ]3orted 
as  the  foi'.'ign  mission  pastor  of  Broadway 
church:  Sunday  school  room  used  by  the 
High  school  for  one  year  after  the  burning  of 
the  High  school  building,  February  15,  1901 ; 
Synod  of  Illinois  entertained  October,  1904. 

SPENCER  MEMORIAL  METHODIST 
CHURCH. 

At  a  ccniference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  for  this  district,  held  during  the 
month  of  September,  1900,  J.  B.  Rutter,  the 
]3astor  of  the  Methodist  E])iscopal  Church,  at 
Milan,  asked  the  Elder  and  the  Conference 
for  the  privilege  of  organizing  a  church  in  the 
Edgewood  Park  district,  between  the  cities 
of  Rock  Island  and  ^loline.  and  this  permis- 
sion was  granted  to  him,  and  on  the  25th  day 
of  April,  1901,  he  and  his  wife,  l';ila  Alter 
Ruttei,  organized  a  Sunday  school,  with  Mr. 
Rutter  as  pastor  and  Miss  Maud  Ma.xwell 
secretary.  On  June  5,  he  organized  a  society 
known  as  the  Edgewood  Park  I^adies'  .Aid. 
Mrs.  M.  E.  Le\-erich  w-as  elected  president, 
Mrs.  J.  A.  Pauley  vice-president  and  Mrs. 
Ella  Alter  Rutter  secretary.  On  the  7th 
day  of  October,  1901,  at  a  meeting  called  for 
that  i)urpose,  the  following  persons — David 
J.  Sears,  S.  J.  Ferguson,  W.  PL  Scott,  J.  A. 
l'aule\%  Andrew  Olson,  James  Gauley  and  T. 
C,  Nvitter — organized  themselves  into  a  board 
of  trustees,  and  elected  J.  A.  Pauley  secretary. 
J.  B.  Rutter,  the  pastor,  gave  the  name  of 
Spencer  Memorial  Methodist  Episcopal  church 

This  organization  then  adopted  the  Svmday 
school  as  above  organized,  and  the  Ladies' 
.Aid  Society  above  organized,  and  together 
thov  became  the  congregation  of  the  Spencer 
Memorial   .Methodist   Episcojial  Cliurcli. 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


I'Jl 


Dining  the  time  of  the  completion  of  this 
organization.  J.  H.  Rutter  received  a  clona^ 
tion  of  two  lots  from  Mr.  Frank  Rolnnson, 
now  deceased,  and  on  October  23,  1901,  the 
Ladies'  Aid  Society  undertook  to  ))ut  a 
foundation  of  the  new  church  ujion  the  lots 
at  the  corner  of  Forty-third  Street  and 
Seventh  .Avenue,  and  the  corner  stone  of  this 
foundation  was  laid  on  Thank-sgivinfi  ilay, 
1 902.  The  church,  Sunday  school  and  Ladies' 
Aid  Society  were  holding  their  meetings  at  a 
little  chapel,  known  as  the  Old  Swede  Church, 
at  the  Corner  of  Third  Street  and  Fourth 
Avenue,  in  Moline.  On  October  25,  1903, 
through  the  energy  and  ingentuty  of  J.  B. 
Rutter,  the  chnrch  proper  had  been  erected 
and  finished  upon  the  foundation  laid  by  the 
Ladies'  Aid  Society,  and  dedication  services 
were  held  amid  a  great  demonstration.  The 
people  of  Edgewood  Park  district  together 
with  other  generous  minded  people  of  Rock 
Island  and  Moline,  placed  the  chiu'ch  organ- 
ization in  a  position  to  do  legitimate  church 
business.  The  building  and  foundation,  to- 
gether with  the  expenses  of  obtaining  the 
same,  had  cost  over  $20,000,  and  this  enor- 
mous debt  hanged  over  the  new  organization 
unprovided  for  until  September  8,  1907,  foi- 
while  through  the  efforts  of  the  pastor,  .1.  B. 
Rutter,  the  church  building  had  been  jjlaced 
in  position  and  the  congregation  well  organ- 
ized, yet  it  remained  for  the  conference  of  the 
Methodist  Episcojial  Church,  held  during 
September,  1906,  to  prox-ide  a  man  in  the 
l)erson  of  W.  P.  ^lacVey,  to  .systematize  and 
provide  for  the  raising  of  the  encn-mous  cliurch 
debt.  The  new  pastor,  who  re])lace(l  .1.  H. 
Rutter,  succeeded  in  ])lacing  this  debt  in  a 
nnuuigeable  form,  and  now  at  the  last  con- 
ference held  din-ing  the  month  of  Septend)er, 
1907,  the  Reverend  W.  P.  MacVey  was 
replaced  by  F.  E.  Shult,  the  new  jiastor. 
The  pastorate  of  .1.  H.  lint^er  e.xtended  froin 
Scpl(Mnl)er,  191)1,  to  Septcndjcr,  1906-  li\c 
vcars.      lutii  Marcii  .31,   lOO."),  he  had  liv  iiis 


side,  Ella  Altar  Rutter,  his  wife,  and  to  her 
in  great  measure  is  clue  the  tireless  energy 
and  effort  required  in  tlie  organization, 
management  and  building  of  this  church. 
On  March  31,  1905.  she  died,  leaving  as  her 
monument  Spencer  Memorial  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  The  name,  Spencer,  is  in 
honor  of  a  well  known  citizen  by  the  name  of 
William  Spencer. 

Since  its -organization  the  church  has  gained 
in  each  of  its  departments,  the  Simday 
school  has  increased  from  a  membership  of 
ten  to  a  membership  of  over  two  hundred. 
The  Ladies'  Aid  Society  has  increased  from 
a  membership  of  thirteen  to  a  membership  of 
seventy-five.  The  church  has  now  a  member- 
ship of  one  hundred  and  eighty-one  regular 
affiliated  members,  and  in  the  leadership  of 
our  new  pastor,  F.  E.  Shult,  the  people  of  the 
Spencer  Memorial  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
expect  to  accomplish  great  things  for  Metho- 
dism in  the  Edgewood  Park  district. 

HEBREW  CONGREGATIONS. 

Rock  Island  has  two  well  established  and 
flourishing  synagogues,  the  largest  of  which 
is  Beth  Lsrael,  located  at  the  corner  of 
Twenty-second  Street  and  Third  Avenue,  M. 
Goldman,  Rabbi.  This  congregation,  in  the 
year  1902,  erected  a  nuignificent  edifice  in 
which  to  worsiii|).  Tiie  Beth  Israel  Congre- 
gation, nnuiy  years  prior  to  the  coiistrnction 
of  their  present  synagogue,  had  occupied 
various  quarters  and  hail  a  l.-u'gc  nicinliership. 
Immediately  following  the  building  of  their 
jiresent  house  of  worship,  another  congrega- 
tion was  formed,  so  tiiat  the  Hebrews  in  the 
lowei'  end  of  the  city  winild  not  be  called 
upon  to  tra^'erse  the  long  distance  interven- 
ing between  the  Beth  Israel  synagogue  and 
their  homes.  This  second  synagogue,  B'Nai 
.lacob  Congregation,  is  temporarily  located 
on  Nintli  Street  and  Eighth  .Avenue,  and  is 
undei'  the  <lirection  of  Freilerick  Iviiiluiau. 
|iresident   of  tin;  congregatiou. 


19'j 


//  /  S  T  (I  'R  !  ('     ROCK     ISLAND     C  O  U  N  T  Y 


i':i)(;i:\\()()i)  hai'tist  ciiiiicH. 

The  I'liMicli  was  orj;:iiii/i'il  Defeiiihor  .'i, 
MX).).  Iiy  ilic  (•(iiiuii<r  togolhcr  of  twenty-sex-cii 
lia|)tists  tVciiii  I  lie  I'irst  Clnirch  of  Moliiic  ami 
l;(.ck  Island.  They  callcil  H.  B.  Hayden  as 
pastoi-  on  Decemlier  10.  1!K)5.  The  cluiich 
iii'cw  III  sixty-two  members.  The  title  to 
the  old  Bajitist  Chapel  on  Forty-fourth 
Street  was  cleared  by  action  of.  the  First 
Haptist  ('IihitIi  and  the  i-eslduary  heirs  of 
Mr.  Sinnetl. 

The  buiklin<r  was  nio\'ed  to  a  lot  on  tlie 
corner  of  Fifth  Avenue  and  I''orty-foui'th 
Street,  donated  b^-  ilns.  Pnidine  Sinnett;  the 
parsonage,  also  donated  liy  her,  is  on  this  lot. 

GERMAN    KVANGKLICAL    FRIEDENS 
CONGREGATION. 

This  congregation,  a  niendier  of  the  German 
Evangelical  Synod  of  North  America,  was 
founded  September  8,  1895,  by  Re-\-erend  C. 
F.  Off.  witli  thirty  members.  The  first 
officers  elected  were:  Martin  Oswald,  Henry 
Fues,  Herman  Meese.  John  Wendt.  In  Ajiril. 
1896,  Reverend  Theo  V.  Krueger.  of  Cum- 
berland, Indiana,  was  elected  as  jiermanent 
pastor  of  the  congregation.  In  the  Summer 
of  this  year  the  congregation  bought  the 
church  ]H'operty  of  the  English  Methodist 
Episcopal  congregation,  at  ol6  Ninth  Street. 
In  October.  1899.  Reverend  Krueger  left  tlic 
congregation,  and  Re\'erend  J.  F.  C.  Tref/er 
was  elected  as  his  successor.  Under  his 
management  the  ]xirsonage  was  built  sc.uth 
of  the  church.  No.  520  Ninth  Street. 

When  Reverend  Trefzer  left  the  congrega- 
tion  in  October,  1903,  Reverend  Ed  E. 
Klimpke  of  .\urf)ra.  Illinois,  the  present 
pastor,  was  called  to  succeed  him.  He  took 
up  the  wdi'k  in  the  congre,gatioii  the  1st  of 
.May,  190^.  In  1905  and  1906  the  church 
was  rebuilt  with  a  cost  of  $2,000.  The 
officers  of  the  congregation  at  present  arc: 
Reverend  Ed  E.  Klimpke.  ))astor:  .John 
Wendl.    iiresident ;   Carl    Krueger,   secretary: 


Herman  Meese,  treasiu'er:  Otto  Woest,  secre- 
tary. The  congregation  has  at  |)resent  a 
membership  of  about  one  hundred  ami  fifty' 
Tlie  Ladies'  .Md  Society  has  seventy-five 
members.  The  officers  are:  Mrs.  Emma 
Kami,  president:  Mrs.  Fennesy,  ^•ice-presi- 
dent  :  .Mrs.  ])ora  Krueger,  secretary;  Mrs. 
I'^lise  Seidel,  treasurer;  Mrs.  I'omranke,  finan- 
cial secretary.  The  Young  Peo]ile's  Society 
has  about  thirt\'  members.  The  officers  are: 
He\'erend  Ed  E.  Klimjike.  ]iresident  :  Miss 
( )lga  Krueger,  vice-president ;  Miss  Martha 
Kilmjjke,  secretary;  jMr.  Arthu.i  Len.';,  treas-. 
urer;  Miss  Bertha  I'omranke,  financial  secre- 
tary; iliss  Martha  Schmidt,  librarian. 

The  Sunday  school  has  a  membership  of 
about  ime  huudreil. 

FIRST  CHURCH  OF  CHRIST  (SCIENTIST) 

First  Church  of  Christ,  Scientist,  of  Rock 
Island,  Illinois,  is  a  branch  of  the  First  Church 
of  Christ,  Scientist,  Boston,  Massachusetts, 
It  was  organized  on  November  2,  1896,  to 
take  possession  of  and  conduct  ser^•ices  in 
the  church  edifice  which  had  been  erected 
for  its  use  liy  a  few  adherents  of  the  Cliristian 
Science  faith. 

This  was  the  first  church  edifice  erected  in 
the  State  of  Illinois  to  be  used  exclusively  for 
the  Christian  Science  w-orship.  Its  location 
is  on  Twenty-third  Street,  near  Ninth  Avenue. 
and  near  the  geograjihical  center  of  the  city. 

The  dedicatory  service,  held  on  November 
S.  1906,  was  the  first  Christian  Science  Sun- 
day service  held  in  Rock  Island,  the  local 
Christian  Scientists  having  jireviously  attend- 
ed church  in  Davenport,  Iowa. 

The  Sunday  services  are  held  at  10:45  A, 
M.,  and  are  conducted  by  two  readers,  who 
are  elected  every  three  years  from  the  mem- 
bership of  the  church.  One  of  the  readers 
reads  from  the  Bible.  The  other  from  Science 
and  Health  with  key  to  the  Scriptures,  the 
text  book  of  Christian  Science  by  Mary 
l'>aker  G.  I'lddy.  Sunday  school  is  held 
immediateh-   aft(-r  the  morning  serA'ice. 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


193 


For  a  numher  of  years  a  reading  room  has 
been  maintained  in  connection  with  the 
church. 

ST.  PAUL'S  (BELGIAN)  CATHOLIC 
CHURCH. 

St.  Paul's  Chiu'ch,  located  on  Twenty- 
fourth  street  and  Eighth  and  a  half  Avenue, 
was  opened  for  services  for  the  fir.st  time  on 
February  5,  1905.  On  that  occasion  the 
choir  rendered  beautiful  music  and  the  pastor, 
Reverend  J.  B.  Ceulemans,  delivered  the 
sermon,  in  which  he  spoke  of  the  many 
jirevious  attempts  which  were  made  to 
organize  a  parish  in  whicli  the  Belgian 
Catholics  of  Rock  Island  could  worship 
together  in  a  congregation  all  of  their  own 
people. 

Although  their  place  of  worship  is  very 
modest,  it  is  quite  attractive  inside.  The 
Revei'cnd  J.  B.  Ceulemans  was  born  in  Bel- 
gium, where  he  was  educated  and  ordained 
a  priest.  In  1907  Father  Ceulemans  took 
charge  of  Sacred  Heart  Chur<-h  in  .Mi)iine,  and 
left  Rock  Island. 

He  was  succeeded  by  another  priest  from 
Belgium,  Father  Leon  E.  VanStoppen.  This 
is  the  ]ire.sent  pastor,  and  who  builded  the 
parsonage  house,  which  is  a  fine  improve- 
ment to  tlie  cliurch  jiroperty. 

SACRED    HEART   CATH.OLIC   CHURCH. 

The  Sacred  Heart  parish  was  founded  .July 
28,  1898,  by  the  Reverend  John  F.  Lockney. 
It  includes  all  the  English  s])eaking  catholics 
between  Twenty-third  Street,  both  sides,  to 
Forty-sixth  Street.  Father  Lockney  built  a 
temporary  church  on  Twenty-eighth  Street 
and  used  it  two  years.  He  moved  the 
parochial  residence  twenty  feet  east  in  order 
to  have  room  to  built  the  new  church. 

Tiie  corner-stone  of  the  new  church  w^as 
laid  in  May,  1901,  and  the  first  mass  in  the 
new  church  was  Christmas,  1902.  The  new 
church  cost  $36,000.  Father  Lockney  bought 
the    property    for    $5,500.     The    magnificent 


church,  rectory  and  grounds  are  worth  today 
$60,000.  The  pastor  and  peojile  have  worked 
very  zealously  together  and  tlie  parish  in  is 
a  very  flourishing  c(uulition.  Father  Jvockney 
still  presides  over  the  destifties  of  the  parish 
and  is  the  longest  resident  Catholic  pastor  in 
Rock  Island. 

CHURCHES  OF  MOLINE. 


FIRST  CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH. 

Organized  1844.  First  pastor.  Reverend 
A.  B.  Hitchcock,  a  Yale  graduate,  and  a  man 
of  great  influence  in  the  community.  The 
first  chorister  was  Anson  M.  Hidiliard,  and 
who  organized  the  first  l>rass  band  in  the 
three  cities.  He  developed  a  strong  chorus 
choir,  the  parent  of  all  Moline's  later  musical 
organizations.  The  first  church  building  was 
a  small  wooden  structure,  now  occupied  as 
the  freight  depot  of  the  Burlington  railroad. 
A  brick  structure  was  erected  at  Seventeenth 
Street  and  Fifth  Avenue  in  1869,  and  this 
was  remodeled  at  an  expen.se  of  $40,000  in 
1900.  The  church  is  unusually  complete  in 
its  app(jintments,  having  ]iarlors,  a  dining 
room  ani_l  kitchen  ca]iable  of  serving  three 
liundred  ]5eo|)le  at  once,  gymnasium  and 
shower  baths  for  the  boys'  club,  etc.  The 
church  has  a  nuignificent  organ  of  1,500  pipes, 
built  on  the  Bennett  .system,  the  gift  of  Sarah 
M.  Atkinson,  in  memory  of  her  husband  and 
son. 

Among  the  pioneers  in  the  church  were 
John  Deere,  D.  C.  Dimock,  Charles  Atkinson, 
Jonathan  Huntoon,  Joseph  Huntoon,  R.  K. 
Swan,  Thomas  Merryman,  N.  C.  Tyrrell  and 
W.  H.  Edwards.  The  church  has  given  birth 
to  three  other  churches,  the  Second  Congre- 
gational, now  some  eighteen  years  old,  and 
the  Ridgeview  and  East  Moline  churches, 
organized  three  years  ago.  It  has  given 
several  thousand  dollars  to  the  work  of  these 
organizations.  The  present  pastor  is  Paul 
W.  Brown,  who  has  been  with  the  church 
since  1904. 


194 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAN.D    COUNTY 


THE  SWEDISH  METHODIST  lOPlSCOPAL 
CHURCH. 

Tho  cliiirch  was  organized  in  September, 
1849,  b_v  lievererid  Jonas  Hcdstroin  of,  it  is 
said,  seven  members.  Among  them  was 
Glaus  Bengston,  the  first  Swedish  settler  in 
Moline.  The  meetings  of  the  clinrch  were 
held  in  Mr.  Bengston's  home  for  more  tlian 
ten  j'ears.  In  1 860  the  first  churcli  was  bviilt 
on  Park  Street  and  Board  man  Avenue,  now 
Seventh  Avenue  and  Fifteentli  Street  or 
"Five  Points."  That  building  was  sold  in 
1871  and  the  old  American  Methodist  church 
was  bought  and  moved  to  the  corner  of  Henry 
and  Lynde  Streets,  now  Fifth  Avenue  and 
Sixteenth  Street,  where  the  new  church  was 
built  in  1889,  during  the  pastorate  of  Martin 
Hess.  During  all  these  years  tlie  church  lias 
had  a  steady  growth  and  progress,  so  from 
the  seven  first  members  the  total  number 
counts  to  date  two  Inmdred  and  twenty-five. 
If  all  the  members  who  have  |oined  and  later 
moved  to  other  places  had  held  their  memlier- 
shi]j  here  the  church  would  now  number 
more  than  twice  its  ])resent  membership. 

About  twenty-five  pastors  have  served  the 
church  dni-iiig  the  |)ast  sixty  years.  Among 
them  many  of  the  pioneers  in  Swedish 
Methodism.  The  present  ])astor  is  John  P. 
Miller,  who  is  serxing  his  fourth  year.  The 
])arsonage  was  built  about  thirty-fi\'e  years 
ago.  The  church  projierty  is  worth  today 
about  $30,000. 

SWEDISH    EVANGELICAL    L LUTHERAN 
CHURCH. 

This  church  was  organized  with  fifty 
meml)ers  about  1850.  Its  membershi])  is 
considerably  over  a  thousand,  with  over 
three  hundred  Sunday  school  scholars.  Rev- 
erend L.  P.  Esbjorn,  in  charge  at  Andover, 
Henry  Comity,  was  [nistor  also  of  this  church 
lip  to  18.56,  and  under  his  ministry  the  first 
church  was  built.  He  was  succeeded  by 
Reverend  0.  C.  T.  Andreen.  till  1860;  Rev- 


erend G.  Peters,  till  1863;  Reverend  J.  S. 
Benson,  from  1866  to  1873;  followed  by  the 
Reverend  A.  G.  Setterdahl.  ■  The  present 
pastor  is  Reverend  Lawrence  A.  Johnston. 
The  present  church  building  is  of  brick,  in 
the  Gothic  style  of  architecture,  of  very 
handsome  design,  costing  nearly  $30,000. 

FIRST  BAPTIST  CHURCH. 

Reverend  Joseph  Elliot,  a  clergyman  from 
Ohio  came  here  in  November,  1850,  on  a  visit 
to  his  son,  residing  here.  He  was  invited  to 
preach,  and  did  so;  curiosity  drawing  a  large 
congregation  to  hear  the  stranger.  On  the 
evening  of  January  IS,  1851,  the  church  was 
organized,  ^\•ith  twenty  members,  the  Re^•- 
erend  Mr.  Elliot  being  its  first  pastor,  suc- 
ceeded by  Reverends  Ebernhart,  L.  C.  Carr, 
F.  D.  Rickerson,  William  Patterson,  Isaac 
Newell,  T.  F.  Borchers  and  G.  F.  Linfield, 
respectively.  The  ]iresent  pastor  is  the 
Reverend  Benjamin  F.  Martin. 

ST.    ANTHONY'S    (ROMAN    CATHOLIC) 
CHURCH. 

The  first  Catholic  priest  to  officiate  at 
Moline  was  Father  Allemann,  of  Rock  Island, 
in  1857.  He  held  services  at  different  ])laces 
outside  of  his  regular  jjarish,  at  Moline, 
Hampton,  and  other  points.  In  1858  the 
church  was  built  in  Moline. 

ST.  MARY'S  CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 

Is  located  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Tenth 
Street  and  Fourth  Avenue.  Reverend  Joseph 
S.  Kelly  is  rector,  and  Reverend  Michael 
Gildea,  assistant  rector. 

THE  FIRST  SWEDISH  BAPTIST  CHURCH 

The  First  Swedish  Baptist  Church  of  Moline, 
Illinois,  was  organized  May  7,  1876.  Those 
organizing  themselves  to  a  church  were  before 
members  of  the  Swedish  Church  in  Rock 
Island,  which  was  organized  in  1853. 

The  counsel  present  at  the  organization 
was:  Doctor  Nasbitt,  D.  Hawes  and  D.  Coll)v 


//  I  ST  0  RI  C     R  0  C  K     ISLAND     COUNTY 


195 


fi-din  the  American  Clmrch  in  Rock 
Island;  Reverend  Powell,  Rockbausch  and 
Williams,  from  Davenport;  Reverend  L.  L. 
Frisk,  P.  Hailing,  A.  Y.  Yonson,  P.  Flodin 
and  C.  0.  Yensen  from  the  Swedish  IJajitist 
Church,  of  Rock  Island;  Reverend  T.  F. 
Porches,  Frank  Sinnet  and  0.  (inmiell,  from 
the  American  Baptist  Church,  Moline. 

Reverend  T.  F.  Borches  was  elected  chair- 
man and  Reverend  O.  Lind  clerk.  The  mem- 
bership of  the  new  church  at  its  organization 
was  seventy-four.  The  following  officers  were 
elected:  Deacons,  Yohannes  Anderson  and 
Christoffer  Lofquist;  trustees,  Charles  Carl- 
son, Nels  Rundquist  and  P.  Erickson.  Prop- 
erties owned  by  the  church  are  a  churcli 
building,  a  parsonage  and  a  house  for  the 
janitor. 

The  seating  capaicty  of  the  church  is  five 
liun<h'ed.  It  is  built  of  brick.  The  parsonage 
is  located  in  the  finest  part  of  the  city.  The 
cliurch  has  had  a  steady  growth  since  its 
(irganizati(ni.  Over  three  hundred  have  Ijeen 
baptized;  about  two  hmidred  and  twenty-five 
received  by  letter  and  about  fifty  by  exper- 
ience. The  total  numl)er  of  meml)ers  re- 
ceived since  its  organization  is  over  six 
hundred.  The  membership  at  present  is  two 
hundred  and  thirty-five. 

The  pastor  now  having  charge  of  tlie 
cliurch  is  Reverend  Detlof  T.ofstrom,  who 
began  work  in  connection  with  the  church 
April  6,  1905.  He  came  here  from  McKees- 
port,  Pennsylvania.  He  is  a  graduate  from 
the  Swedish  Dejiartment  of  the  University  of 
Chicago  since  April  14,  1892.  Reverend 
Lofstrom  was  born  in  Sweden  and  came  to 
this  country  twenty  years  ago. 

THE  SECOND  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL 
CHURCH. 

The  Second  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
was  organized  in  the  year  1890  by  the  Rev- 
erend Addis  Albro,  who  was  then  pastor  of 
the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  aiul 
Presiding^Elder    M.    A.    Head    of    tlic    Rock 


Island  District.  The  United  ]3rethern  church 
owned  a  building  in  Stewartville,  and  their 
membership  was  fast  becoming  extinct,  when 
they  decided  to  dispose  of  their  cliurch 
property.  The  building  was  purchased  from 
the  United  Brethern  people,  and  steps  were 
taken  at  once  to  organize  a  Second  Metho- 
dist Church  in  Stewartville,  now  known  as 
South  Moline.  Into  this  new  organization 
were  received  forty-eight  members  from  the 
Fii'st  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The  first 
pastor  appointed  was  Reverend  S.  L.  Guthrie. 
During  the  first  year,  revival  services  were 
held  and  sixty-six  members  were  added  to 
the  roll.  His  pastorate  was  blessed  with 
great  results.  The  second  year  plans  were 
made  to  improve  the  building.  A  league 
room  was  added  at  a  cost  of  nearly  -11,000. 
Reverend  Guthrie  was  pastor  two  years.  In 
September,  1892,  Reverend  J.  W.  Edwards 
was  appointed  pastor,  and  remained  one  year. 
Reverend  Fletcher  DeClark  was  appointed 
pastor  in  1893.  He  was  followed  in  1894  by 
Reverend  W.  H.  Crane,  who  was  pastor  two 
years.  In  1896  Reverend  R.  G.  Pearce  was 
appointed  pastor  and  remained  one  year  and 
six  months;  owing  to  failing  health  he  re- 
signed. January  10,  1898,  Reverend  A.  H. 
Smith  was  appointed  pastor  and  served  the 
church  two  years  an<l  si.x  months.  Rev- 
erend G.  H.  Thorpe  was  the  next  pastor 
taking  up  the  work  June  2,  1900.  Reverend 
C.  C.  McKown  was  ai)|iointe<l  pastor  Sep- 
tember, 1900,  followed  by  Reverend  A.  E. 
loder,  September  23,  1901.  September  26, 
1904,  the  present  pastor.  Reverend  D.  S. 
Andrewartha,   was   assigned  the  charge. 

During  all  these  pastorates  the  church  has 
steadily  made  gains.  The  members  are 
earnest  in  their  efforts,  for  the  success  of 
their  church.  At  present  improvements  are 
being  made,  and  when  completed,  will  put 
the  property  in  splendid  condition,  making 
it  one  of  the  most  attractive  churches  for  its 
size  in  the  City  of  Moline. 


196 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


SECOND   CONGREGATIONAL   CHURCH. 

The  Second  Congregational  Church  of 
lloline  was  started  as  a  Mission  Sunday 
School  sometime  between  ISSO  and  1890.  It 
was  organized  as  a  church  June  7,  1891,  Rev- 
erend J.  M.  McKnight  being  its  first  pastor. 
There  were  thirt.v-two  members,  twenty-six 
coming  in  by  letter  and  si.\  on  confession  of 
faith.  The  first  clerk  and  treasurer  was 
William  Gamble.  The  trustees  were  C.  T. 
Guy.  W.  V.  Richards,  John  Williams,  J. 
Stofft  and  W.  T.  Ball. 

The  parsonage  was  built  in  1903.  The 
present  membership  is  one  hundred  and 
sevent3^  The  present  pastor  is  Reverend 
Richard  S.  Haney. 

CHRIST  CHURCH. 

The  Episcopal  church  was  late  in  coming 
to  Moline.  It  was  organized  May  22,  1891, 
as  a  mission  under  grant  from  Bishop  Burgess. 
Sixty  persons  signed  the  a]iplication  to  the 
Bishop  and  called  the  Reverend  Robert 
Hewitt  as  first  priest  in  charge.  For  se^'eral 
years  the  organization  met  in  the  association 
rooms  in  the  auditorium.  The  congregation 
was  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the  State 
on  September  11,  1891.  and  adopted  a  con- 
stitution. The  first  wardens  were  George  B. 
Hull  and  John  .\.  ^lann.  Reverend  L.  Sin- 
clair came  from  Sudbiu'v.  Ontario,  to  the 
charge  of  the  parish  in  September,  1892,  and 
remained  until  the  spring  of  1894,  when  a  call 
was  extended  to  Reverend  F.  K.  Howard  of 
Mt.  Pleasant.  Iowa,  to  become  rector. 

During  the  rectorship  of  Father  Howard 
the  present  church  building  was  erected  and 
occupied  Januar}'  1,  1895. 

Reverend  Robert  Hewitt  was  again  called 
to  the  parish  in  1897  and  remained  in  charge 
until  June  1,  1899.  The  parish  was  then 
without  the  regular  ministrations  of  a  priest 
until  June  1,  1900,  when  the  Reverend  Doctor 
F.  H.  Burrell  was  called  from  Darlington, 
Wisconsin. 


No  missions  have  been  organized  as  off- 
shoots of  this  parish,  but  it  is  in  a  healthy, 
growing  condition,  and  futxire  prospects 
bright. 

THE  PLYMOUTH  CONGREGATIONAL 
CHURCH,  EAST  MOLINE,  ILLINOIS. 

In  the  Summer  of  1903,  the  Reverend  W. 
A.  Elliott  (under  the  auspices  of  the  Congre- 
gational Sunday  School  Society,  directed  by 
Reverend  W.  F.  McMillan,  secretary),  entered 
East  Moline  and  succeeded  in  organizing  a 
school.  Although  difficult,  it  has  proven 
beneficial  to  the  community,  and  has  been 
well  attended,  especiall}'  bv  the  young.  In 
December,  1903,  under  dkection  of  the  First 
Congregational  Church  of  Moline,  the  Rev- 
erend Frank  Hoover,  state  evangelist  of  the 
Congregational  Home  Missionary  Society  of 
Illinois,  held  a  series  of  evangelical  services, 
assisted  by  Reverend  W.  W.  ^^■illard  of  the 
First  Congregational  Church  of  iloline.  and 
Reverend  J.  W.  Davies  of  Creston,  Illinois; 
meetings  being  held  in  the  John  Deere  School 
buildings.  As  a  result  the  names  of 
twenty-five  people  were  received  for  mem- 
bership. 

Organization  was  perfected  January  15, 
1904,  and  incor])oration  February  28,  1905. 
The  council  unanimously  voted  to  recognize 
the  Plymouth  Congregational  Church  of  East 
Moline,  Illinois.  An  unusually  pleasant  even- 
ing of  song  service,  scriptural  reading  and 
hand  of  fellowship  was  indulged  in,  followed 
by  an  exceedingly  fine  sermon  by  Doctor  A. 
M.  Brodie,  of  Chicago,  closing  with  prayer 
and  benediction.  Reverend  J.  W.  Davies 
was  the  first  ordained  pastor,  followed  by  the 
Reverend  Henry  Harris  of  Chicago,  whose 
strong  efforts  and  skill  as  an  organizer  and 
builder,  with  the  assistance  of  the  Reverend 
Paul  Brown,  the  regular  pastor,  and  his  con- 
gregation succeeded  in  erecting  a  fine  church 
of  concrete  blocks.  Reverend  Walter  H. 
North  is  the  present  pastor. 


HISTORIC    ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


197 


SACRED    HEART   BELGIAN   CATHOLIC 
CHURCH. 

The  Belgian  Catholic  population  of  this 
city  had  worshiped  at  St.  Mary's  church 
ever  since  the  organization  of  that  parish, 
some  thirty  years  ago.  But  with  the  growth 
of  the  city,  the  need  of  a  separate  congrega- 
tion became  more  and  more  apparent.  In 
answer  to  an  often  expressed  desire,  Bishop 
John  Lancaster  Spalding  of  Peoria  organized 
this  congregation  in  September,  1906. 

Building  operations  wer6  started  in  Novem- 
ber of  the  same  year,  and  completed  iu  March, 
1907.  The  work  has  met  with  the  hearty 
and  enthusiastic  support  of  the  membership, 
which  is  upward  of  three  hundred  families. 

In  September,  1907,  there  was  opened  in 
connection  with  the  church,  a  parochial 
school,  numliering  at  present  two  hundred 
and  sixty  pupils.  This  school  follows  the 
jHiblic  school  program  in  all  its  grades  and  is 
free  to  children  of  all  denominations. 

The  congregation  possesses  at  present  a 
church  and  school  edifice,  a  parsonage,  and  a 
residence  for  the  Sisters  conducting  the 
school.  The  present  pastor  is  Reverend  J. 
B.  Ceulemans,  residence  1304  Sixteenth 
Avenue,  Moline,  Illinois. 

CHURCHES  OF  TOWNSHIPS. 


CORDOVA  CHURCHES. 

In  the  Fall  of  1843,  Elder  Jesse  N.  Seeley, 
a  missionary  under  the  American  Baptist 
Home  Mission  Society,  held  a  series  of  meet- 
ings, resulting  in  the  conversion  of  a  number 
of  persons,  ten  of  whom  were  baptized  by 
Elder  Jesse  N.  Seeley.  These,  with  others  in 
this  vicinity  who  were  members  of  Baptist 
churches  in  other  places,  united  in  measures 
for  church  organization,  and  called  a  council 
of  delegates  from  other  churches  for  a  meet- 
ing on  December  28,  1843. 

The  following  brethern  were  present: 
James  Turner,  Enos  French,  John  Campbell, 
William  Hubbard,   William  Parkhurst,  Bath 


Church;  Luther  Edwards,  Reverend  E.  Mar- 
cellas.  0.  Blanchard,  William  W.  Pierce,  D. 
Wilson,  Port  Byron  Church;  Reverend  J.  N. 
Seeley, Davenport,  Iowa;  J.  H.  Swartwout,  Ga- 
lena, Illinois;  E.  Calkins,  Rock  Island,  Illinois. 
The  council  was  organized  by  appointing 
Reverend  J.  N.  Seeley  moderator  and  Daniel 
Wilson  clerk. 

The  church  letters  were  then  called  for  and 
presented  by  the  following:  Levi  Hunger- 
fcn-d  and  Betsey  Hungerford,  Madison,  Ohio; 
Frances  Swartwout,  Francis  D.  Swartwout, 
Thomas  Swartwout,  Clarissa  Swartwout, 
Clarissa  E.  Swartwout,  Elizabeth  Swartwout, 
Port  Byron,  Illinois;  William  Armstrong, 
Rebecca  Passmore,  Joseph  R.  Sexton,  Mahala 
Sexton,  J  and  L.  Cool,  Margaret  Cool,  Andrew 
S.  Ege,  Mary  Ann  Ege,  Charity  Golden, 
Amanda  Adams,  these  were  baptized  by 
Reverend  J.  N.  Seeley,  and  led  to  the  oi-gan- 
ization  of  the  church. 

The  afore  named  eighteen  were  the  con- 
stituent members  of  the  Cordova  Baptist 
church,  organized  the  2Sth  dav  of  December, 
1843. 

On  August  24,  1844,  it  was  decided  to  build 
a  meeting  house,  which  on  February  13,  1845, 
was  dedicated.  Sometime  in  18.56  a  parson- 
age was  built  and  the  church  decided  to 
build  ft  new  meeting  house,  and  on  November 
17,  1858,  the  new  meeting  house  was  dedi- 
cated, which  is  the  one  used  by  the  church 
today. 

THE  PORT  BYRON  CONGREGATIONAL 
CHURCH. 

The  Port  Byron  Congregational  Church  was 
organized  in  1849,  on  the  first  and  second 
days  of  September,  through  the  instrumen- 
tality of  Reverend  Julius  A.  Reed,  home 
missionary  agent  for  Iowa.  Previous  tn  this 
time  there  had  been  Congregational  preach- 
ing in  the  town  once  or  twice. 

The  church  edifice  was  started  in  1854  and 
completed  in  1856.  The  parsonage  was  built 
in   1894.     The  original   numljer  of   members 


198 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


was  twelve  and  now  it  is  aliout  one  hundred 
and  forty-nine.  At  present  we  have  no 
pastor,  as  Reverend  W.  R.  Shaw  resigned 
October,  1907. 

PORT  BYRON  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL 
CHURCH. 

This  church  was  organized  in  1S36,  with  a 
membershi])  of  six  or  eight,  among  whom 
were  Archibald  Allen,  Candaee  Allen,  J.  H. 
Lyford  and  wife,  and  John  Mitchell  and  wife. 
The  earliest  meetings  were  held  in  a  log  cabin, 
but  a  good  church  was  built  some  years  later, 
at  an  expense  of  $3,000.  The  church  is  in  a 
flourishing  condition,  with  a  good  member- 
ship. 

COE  TOWNSHIP  CHURCHES. 

The  Church  of  the  United  Brethern  in 
Christ  was  organized  at  the  house  of  Father 
John  Walker,  on  Canoe  Creek,  in  1847,  where 
the  earliest  meetings  were  held.  The  first 
church  was  built  in  1S49,  at  a  cost  of  three 
hundred  dollars,  but  replaced  by  a  new  one 
in  1868,  at  an  expense  of  $3,000.  The  pastors 
have  been  Herman  Scott,  Moses  Clifton,  E. 
Church,  John  Dollarhide,  W.  E.  Henry,  F. 
Dietz,  Merrit  Lathrop,  J.  K.  M.  Looker,  A. 
B.  Frasier,  J.  H.  Young,  G.  Brisby,  George 
Snyder,  C.  Wendle,  J.  H.  Griniiu,  W.  R. 
Coursey,  S.  F.  Medlar  and  C.  Bender. 

BETHESDA,  CANOE  CREEK  TOWNSHIP. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Be- 
thesda,  was  built  in  lS59,-l)y  Reverend  Steph- 
en Odell,  Perry  Henderson  and  others.  It 
is  located  abouta  mile  southwest  of  Hillstlale. 
It  has  a  fair  membership,  with  a  gdod  Sunday 
school  attendance. 

METHODIST    lll'ISCOl'AL   CHURCH, 
ZIMA. 

The  first  Methodist  Episcopal  class  organ- 
ized in  Zunui  was  in  March.  1S70,  in  the 
Wake  school  house,  and  the  following  named 
persons  composed   the  class:     John   A.    \)tn\- 


ohoo  and  wife,  L.  W.  Beal  and  wife,  Mrs. 
Mary  Moody,  Mrs.  Knowls,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
J.  Dillon,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  McKeever, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  Wake,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Nathaniel  Mumma,  and  quite  a  number 
joined  on  probation  and  came  into  the  church 
later,  and  others  wandered  away  forever. 
The  first  Methodist  Episcopal  church  that 
was  built  was  dedicated  in  September,  1870, 
by  Reverend  Worthington;  the  first  pastor 
was  Reverend  Jemerson,  and  the  first  elder 
was  the  sedate,  efl^cient  and  Godly  Reverend 
Doctor  Hunter.  The  first  church  built  was 
taken  down  in  1903,  and  during  the  thirty- 
three  years  it  was  occupied  we  had  twenty- 
one  pastors  and  ten  elders,  and  among  them 
was  some  grand,  good  men,  consecrated  men, 
and  all  were  faithful  to  their  trust. 

In  January,  1904,  the  new  church  was 
dedicated  by  the  Reverend  Smith  of  Aledo, 
and  the  pastor  was  Reverend  Mecham,  and 
after  him  came  Reverend  T.  Wood,  theii  A. 
A.  Waters.  The  present  pastor  is  Reverend 
W.  Hull,  and  the  present  elder  is  Reverend 
Doctor  Wiley.  When  we  built  the  first 
clnuxh  the  circuit  was  called  Zuma,  Cordova, 
Carbon  Cliff  and  Pleasant  Valley,  belonging 
to  the  circuit.  In  the  seventies,  Fairfield 
built  a  church;  Cordova  and  the  other  two 
places  were  added  to  Port  Byron,  and  Hamp- 
ton, then  in  1S95  or  1896  Hillsdale  built  a 
church  and  it  was  dedicated  by  Reverend 
Elder  Head,  and  since  then  the  circuit  has 
been  called  Hillsdale. 

RAPIDS  CITY. 

The  first  chiu-ch  organized  in  Rapids  City 
was  the  Church  of  Christ,  on  September  8, 
18.56,  by  Elder  G.  W.  Smith,  with  a  member- 
shi|)  of  twelve.  Commencing  May.  18,57,  A. 
G.  Lucas,  an  evangelist,  was  i)astor  for  two 
years,  and  added  eighty  members,  he  being 
succeeded  by  Elder  H.  C.  Thrown,  who  added 
forty-two  members  in  a  year  and  (uie-half. 
The  church  owns  a  commodious  brick  house, 
built  upiiu  tlie  land  dnnated  iiy  Jciiias  Harlier. 


H  PSr  0  RIC     ROC  K    ISLAND     COUNTY 


199 


HAMPTON  CHURCHES. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was 
foiiuded  by  the  Reverend  G.  G.  Worthington 
in  1S42  or  1S43.  Among  its  members  were 
Harmon  G.  Reynolds,  E.  F.  Arcidarius  and 
wife,  and  Nancy  Thompson;  the  membership 
being  eleven.  The  church  has  belonged  to 
respectively  the  Rock  Island  circuit,  Moline 
circuit,  Port  Byron  circuit,  when  in  1865  the 
Hampton  circuit  was  organized.  In  1870 
Hampton  was  joined  to  Zuma  antl  called 
Rock  River  circuit.  In  1874  Zuma  was  cut 
off  and  Hampton  circuit  resumed. 

The  Congregational  Church  was  organized 
February  15,  1853,  by  the  Reverend  A.  B. 
Hitchcock,  with  a  member.ship  of  fourteen. 
A  church  was  built  in  1856  and  1857,  at  a 
cost  of  $2,500. 

FIRST  BAPTIST  CHURCH   OF   WATER- 
TOWN. 

This  church  was  organized  July  27,  1865, 
by  Elder  H.  S.  P.  Warren,  Laura  J.  Warren, 
Mary  A.  Bayte,  Mary  E.  Newton,  and  E. 
Warren.  The  first  pastor  was  Elder  H.  S.  P. 
Warren.  They  built  a  liouse  of  worship  in 
1877,  which  was  greatly  improved  in  1906. 
The  present  pastor  is  Reverend  H.  W.  Parker. 

COAL  VALLEY  CHURCHES. 

Coal  Valley  is  well  supplied  with  churches. 

The  Welsh  Baptist  Church  was  organized 
in  1866,  under  the  supervision  of  Reverend 
T.  M.  Matthews,  remaining  its  pastor  until 
1870. 

In  1867  the  Presbyterian  Church  was  organ- 
ized, with  John  Barton,  Albert  Owens,  Fred- 
eric Freeburg,  Hugh  Caughey  and  Robert 
Lee  as  trustees;  the  membership  numbering 
twenty-five  members.  A  church  was  built 
the  same  year,  costing  $2,500. 

The  Primitive  Methodists  were  organized 
in  1868,  a  church  being  erected  the  following 
year,  costing  $2,000.  Their  first  preacher 
was    Reverend    Charles    Dawson,    who    came 


from  Kewanee  once  a  month.  It  was  some 
time  before  they  had  a  regular  resident 
minister. 

The  Welsh  Congregational  Chiu'ch  was  or- 
ganized in  1857  by  the  Reverend  John  L. 
Richards,  with  a  membership  of  fifteen. 
Meetings  being  first  held  at  the  liome  of  Mrs. 
Sarah  Williams.  In  the  year  1862  a  house 
of  worship,  costing  $1,000.  was  built. 

The  Roman  Catholic  residents,  prior  to 
1875,  were  connected  with  the  Rock  Island 
mission.  In  1870  they  build  a  church,  cost- 
ing .12,000,  which  was  formerly  opened  for 
worship  by  Reverend  John  P.  Roles,  who 
supervised  the  building  of  the  cliurch,  which 
is  in  a  flourishing  condition. 

THE   FIRST   PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 
OF  MILAN. 

Tlie  First  Presljyterian  Church  of  Milan, 
Illinois,  originally  known  as  the  First  Pres- 
byterian Church  of  Camden,  Old  School 
Branch,  was  organized  in  April,  1845.  The 
town  was  laid  out  in  1843,  and  as  the  settlers 
were  mainly  God-fearing  men  and  women, 
they  soon  felt  the  need  of  a  religious  organi- 
zation. As  the  majority  of  those  who  desired 
the  church  were  of  Presbyterian  belief,  they 
resolved,  with  Mr.  William  Dickson  at  the 
head,  to  organize  a  church  of  this  denomina- 
tion. To  this  end,  notice  was  duly  given  to 
the  people  of  the  town  of  Camden  and 
vicmity  to  meet  in  the  meeting  house  on 
April  5,  1845.  The  Reverend  Samuel  Cleland 
was  the  moderator,  and  the  Reverend  Thomas 
Vaill  clerk  of  the  meeting.  The  meeting 
being  constituted  with  prayer  by  the  moder- 
ator, the  object  of  the  meeting  was  stated. 
Mr.  William  Dickson  presented  a  number  of 
articles  and  resolutions  for  consideration  and 
action,  these  forming  the  constitution  by 
which  they  were  hereafter  to  be  regulated. 
After  the  second  reading  they  were  imani- 
mously  adopted.  The  first  services  in  the 
town  of  Camden  were  held  in  the  mill  owned 
by  F.  R.  Brunot  and  James  Dickson,  Reverend 


200 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


Ithamar  Pillsbury  preaching  the  sermon 
from  the  text  found  in  Luke,  17:35.  During 
the  Winter  of  1844-45,  the  services  were  held 
at  the  home  of  James  Uickson,  as  the  mill 
proved  too  cold  for  comfort.  It  was  during 
the  Winter  of  1845-46  that  Father  Dick.son 
built  the  first  church;  not  so  much  as  the 
price  of  a  nail  was  contributed  by  anj'one 
else.  Laborers  were  scarce  and  mone}-  scarce; 
so  the  greater  part  of  the  work  devolved  upon 
him.  The  timbers  must  be  taken  from  the 
forest  and  floated  across  Rock  River,  as  there 
were  no  bridges.  The  task  was  a  difficult 
one,  but  the  btiilding  was  com]ileted  on  May 
21,  1846,  and  dedicated  free  of  debt  on  the 
22d,  to  the  services  of  Almighty  God.  Rev- 
erend Wilson  ]ireache<l  the  iledicatory  sermon, 
and  Reverend  Pillsbury  offered  the  dedicatory 
prayer.  The  following  Sunday,  May  24th, 
the  first  sacrament  was  celebrated.  ^Mlether 
with  minister  or  without,  as  it  often  was,  the 
church  depended  in  a  great  measure  on  this 
good  man.  Father  Dickson,  to  afford  the 
means  of  grace.  Everj'  Sabbath  the  voice  of 
prayer  and  praise  might  be  heard.  Often  he 
read  a  sermon  to  the  little  Viand  of  worshipers, 
and  was  ever  their  leader.  The  founders  or 
charter  members  were:  William  Dickson. 
Mariam  C.  Dickson,  James  Dickson,  Ruth 
Ann  Dickson,  Sarah  Dickson,  David  M.  Dick- 
son, Francis  E.  Dickson,  William  Clark, 
Almina  Clark,  Eliza  Ann  Dickson,  Elizalieth 
M.  Dickson,  William  Pinkerton,  Rachel  Pink- 
erton,  Edmund  Hollister  and  Emma  A. 
Hollister. 

During  the  pastorate  of  Doctor  W.  W. 
Morehead  the  little  cliurch  became  too  small 
to  accommodate  the  growing  congregation. 
The  necessit\-  of  a  new  chtu'ch  brovight  about 
the  building  of  the  present  house  of  worshiji. 
This  building,  begun  in  1S66,  was  dedicated, 
also  free  of  debt,  by  Doctor  Morehead,  on 
October  4,  1S6S.  The  committee  who  at- 
tended to  this  work  were:  James  Dickson 
and  N.  D.  liradley.  The  interior  of  the  Ijuild- 
ing  was  remodeled  in  1902,  and  is  now  one  of 


the  prettiest  and  neatest  chtirches  in  this  part 
of  the  State.  In  1878  the  parsonage  was 
built,  later  a  barn  was  added.  In  1894  a 
pipe  organ  was  placed  in  the  church.  The 
present  membership  is  one  hundred  and 
forty.  The  following  have  served  as  pastors 
since  the  organization  of  the  church:  Rev- 
erend Ithaman  Pillsliurg,  1845-48;  Reverend 
W.  \Y.  Bockus,  1850-51;  Reverend  S.  T. 
Wilson,  1852-54;  Reverend  Thomas  M.  Ches- 
nut,  1855-56;  Reverend  Jacob  Coon,  1858-63; 
Reverend  W.  W.  ^forehead.  Doctor  of  Divin- 
ity, 1863-71;  Reverend  Moses  Noerr,  Doctor 
of  Divinity,  1871-77;  Reverend  S,  T.  Davis, 
Doctor  of  Medicine,  1878-79;  Reverend  G.  B. 
Black,  1879-81;  Reverend  S.  T.  McClure, 
1881-83;  Reverend  C.  F.  Carson,  1883-88; 
Reverend  Watson  Russell,  1889-90;  Reverend 
W.  B.  McKee,  1890-93;  Reverend  I).  T. 
Rol:>ertson,  1894-97;  Reverend  H.  W.  Reherd, 
1897-1901 ;  Reverend  Marion  Humphreys, 
1901-05;  Reverend  H.  Cullen,  Doctor  of 
Divinity,  present  pastor,  l)cgan  liis  work 
October  1,  1905. 

METHODIST    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH    OF 
MILAN. 

Reverend  F.  Haney  first  held  service  here, 
as  one  of  the  stations  on  the  Camden  circuit, 
and  was  followed  by  Reverend  John  Grundy, 
who  remained  two  j'ears.  The  church  was 
organized  in  1848,  and  i)reaching  was  done 
in  the  school  house,  until  1854,  when  the 
church  was  built, 

ANDALUSIA  CHURCHES. 

The  earliest  meetings  of  tlie  ^lethodist 
Episco]ial  Chiu'ch  Society  were  held  during 
1849,  at  the  residence  of  Mrs,  Sarah  Buffum, 
At  this  time  there  were  only  about  seven 
church  members  of  all  denominations  in  the 
township,  and  ministers  were  doing  mission- 
ary work.  Subsequently  their  meetings  were 
held  in  various  places,  until  the  organization 
of  the  class  at  the  resilience  of  Joseph  Garnett, 
at  Sulphur  Sjirings,  in  the  Fall  of  1858.     The 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


201 


original  members  were:  Mrs.  Sarah  Ruffum, 
Elizabeth  Ebj',  F.  A.  Cobb,  Joseph  Garnett, 
Mrs.  Clara  W.  Ferguson  and  Mrs.  Susan 
Garnett,  at  which  time  W.  J.  Giddings  was 
pastor,  succeeded  by  Reverend  Mr.  TJnthe- 
cum,  and  Reverend  Mr.  Welsh  in  l.S.^9. 
During  their  pastorate,  the  district  school 
house  was  improved  for  the  Baptist  Church, 
and  there  they  held  their  meetings.  The 
Reverends  Ashl)augh  and  Richmond  in  1861 ; 
J.  W.  Barteles  in  1S64,  and  Mr.  Martin  in 
1865.  In  1866  the  society  built  a  house  of 
worship,  which  was  dedicated  in  March,  1867. 

The  first  church  of  the  United  Brethern  in 
Christ,  of  Andalusia,  held  their  first  meetings 
in  the  Summer  of  1863  in  tlie  district  school 
house,  the  Reverend  John  \\'enger  preaching 
the  first  sermon;  meetings  only  being  lield 
occasionally.  It  was  mainly  through  the 
influence  of  H.  S.  Tliompson  and  wife  the 
services  were  had,  and  led  to  the  organization 
of  the  church  by  Reverend  Samuel  Knox  in 
September,  1864,  at  the  school  house.  H.  S. 
Thompson  and  wife,  M.  M.  Thompson  and 
Cynthia  Smith  were  the  original  four  members. 
H.  S.  Thompson  was  the  first  class  leader  and 
steward.  The  pastorate  of  the  church  was 
first  filled  I)y  Reverend  Samuel  Knox.  Rev- 
erend St.  Clair  Ross,  during  his  pastorate  in 
1868,  devised  means  for  building  a  suitable 
house  of  worship.  The  Sabbath  school  main- 
tained by  tliis  cliurcli,  liad  its  origin  in  a 
Union  Sabbath  school  organized  Maj^  1,  1859. 
As  the  various  churches  grew  strong  enough, 
denominational  Sabliath  schools  were  estab- 
lished. 

The  First  Bajitist  Chiu-ch  of  Andahisia  held 
their  first  metings  in  1867.  Pursuant  to  a 
business  meeting  of  the  Bajitist  Church  held 
at  Edgington  the  second  Saturday  in  Novem- 
ber, 1866,  authorizing  the  members  of  the 
church  residing  in  Andalusia  and  vicinity,  to 
form  a  separate  organization.  A  meeting 
was  called  at  Andahisia  May  1,  1867,  for  the 
purpose  of  forming  a  church  organization, 
which  was  done  the  evening  of  May  15.  1867, 


witli  a  membership  of  twenty-five.  They 
succeedetl  in  providing  a  suitable  meeting 
house  at  a  cost  of  about  $2,000,  on  a  lot 
donated  by  S.  M.  Boney  and  others.  Rev- 
erend O.  T.  Conger  was  the  first  pastor,  fol- 
lowed by  Reverends  J.  C.  Post,  Mr.  Lamb,  of 
Davenport,  Iowa;  James  Young,  S.  D.  Ross, 
Gilman  Parker,  Thomas  A.  Williams. 

DRURY  T()\\'XSIIII'  CHURCHES. 

At  Wrayville  the  (Icrnian  Methodists  have 
a  church,  built  in  1875,  at  a  cost  of  .SI, 000. 
They  also  have  a  parsonage,  in  which  the 
Reverend  CarweU  resides. 

Near  Foster  the  Baptists  have  a  house  of 
worsliip,  built  aliout  1871,  through  the  efforts 
of  their  first  jiastor.  Reverend  E.  Odell.  A 
]iarsonage  was  built  for  the  occupancy  of  the 
pastor,  who  is  now  Reverend  S])illcr. 

EDGINGTON  CHURCHES. 

The  Presbyterian  Churcli,  organized  in  the 
Dunlap  cabin  in  the  Fall  of  1837,  was  the 
first  chiu-ch  organized  in  Edgington.  Joseph 
Dunlap  and  Daniel  Montgomery  were  the 
first  elders.  The  organization  was  effected 
Ijy  Re\'erentl  John  Montgomery,  an  itinerant 
home  missionary,  by  appointment  of  the 
Presbyter}'  of  Schuyler.  Church  services 
were  held  for  several  years  once  a  month,  or 
at  long  intervals,  in  the  Dunlap  cabin  during 
Winter  months  and  in  the  barn  in  Summer. 
Reverend  John  Montgomerj^,  the  first  minis- 
ter, was  a  brother  of  Daniel  Montgomery. 
The  Jlontgomeries  came  from  Pennsylvania 
in  1836;  Daniel  locating  "far  out  on  tlie 
prairie,"  on  section  twenty-six.  and  his 
brother,  John,  the  missionary  over  in  Mercer 
county.  In  those  (hiys  tliere  was  a  conimiui 
l.)rotherhood  and  sisterhood  among  the  ].)eo]3le 
of  all  professions.  Tiiey  came  long  distances, 
in  liig  wagons,  to  church,  some  with  ox  teams, 
some  on  horsebacl<.  ami  some  on  foot.  Chiu-ch 
courtesies  were  not  gilt  edgetl,  nor  sillv  fringed. 
Worshipers  did  not  stand  aloof  until  intro- 
duced before  speaking  to  one  another.     The 


202 


HISTO  RIIIC    ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


social  gulf  was  narrow  and  easily  bridged  by 
a  hearty  handshake  and  "howily-do."  Dur- 
ing the  years  1843-44  a  church  was  built 
twenty-two  by  forty  feet  in  dimensions. 
Most  of  the  material  of  whicli  it  was  built 
was  taken  out  of  the  timber  surrounding  it. 
The  church  thus  built  had  added  to  it  in 
1859  a  vestibule,  gallery  and  tower.  The 
church  had  no  settled  minister  for  years. 
Those  who  served  the  longest  terms,  either 
as  pastor  or  supply  were  Reverends  Samuel 
Cleland,  A.  W.  Loomis,  Jesse  M.  Jamison, 
Thomas  M.  Wilson  and  Thomas  R.  Johns(m. 
The  pastorate  of  the  latter  began  May  28, 
1863,  and  continued  until  June,  1904,  making 
a  pastorate  of  thirty-nine  years.  During  the 
ministry  of  Mr.  Johnson  the  community 
developed  and  enjoved  a  great  measure  of 
prosperity.  In  this  the  church  shared.  This 
materialized  in  the  present  church  building, 
which  was  erected  in  1896.  This  is  one  of 
the  finest  and  most  commodious  churches  in 
the  country.  It  has  a  seating  capacity  of 
about  four  hundred.  It  is  provided  with 
Sunday  school  rooms,  cloak  room,  vestibule 
and  gallery.  There  is  also  a  very  comfortable 
house  near  by.  Since  December  1,  1904, 
Reverend  J.  L.  Herming  has  been  the  pastor 
in  charge;  Reverend  T.  R.  Johnson  being 
pastor  emeritus. 

The  first  Methodist  preaching  was  by 
itenirant  missionaries — James  Smith,  Jordan 
and  McMurtrie,  1836-40 — at  the  residence  of 
Charles  Eberhart.  A  class  was  regularly 
organized  in  June,  1843,  with  H.  H.  Parks 
as  leader.  In  1854  they  erected  a  commo- 
dious house  of  worship  by  the  roadside,  one 
and  three-fourth  miles  east  of  the  village  of 
Edgington,  and  named  it  Zion.  It  is  still 
occupied  and  kept  in  good  repair. 

The  Baptist  Church  was  organized  in  1846, 
and  a  house  of  worship  built  about  one- 
eighth  of  a  mile  east  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  It  was  sold  to  a  farmer  some 
years  ago  and  a  new  house  built  at  Taylor 
Ridge.     The  meeting  at  which  the  organiza- 


tion was  effected  was  held  in  a  barn  of  George 
D.  Parmenter,  in  the  village  of  Edgington, 
August  10,  1846,  and  the  Rerevend  Mr. 
Braljrooks  preached  the  sermon.  Reverend 
Clark,  of  Mercer  County,  was  the  first  regular 
minister,  and  in  the  capacity  of  pastor  served 
the  congregation  until  1848. 

The  Catholic  Church.  Through  the  fifties 
and  sixties  a  priest  from  a  distant  parish, 
Rock  Island  or  elsewhere,  visited  the  families 
occasionally  and  held  services  in  the  homes. 
Then  a  frame  house  was  built  for  worship  by 
the  roadside,  opposite  and  a  little  north  of 
the  Presbyterian  church,  and  services  are 
still  held  there  once  a  month,  and  the  ordi- 
nances administered,  and  pastoral  work  done 
by  a  non-resident  priest. 

FRATERNAL  ORGANIZATIONS. 


THE  FRATERNAL  TRIBUNES. 

The  home  offices  of  The  Fraternal  Trilnmes, 
a  fraternal  insurance  society  having  a  national 
reputation,  are  located  in  Rock  Island,  and 
the  society  occupies  the  entire  second  story 
of  the  Carse  Building.  This  is  a  Rock  Island 
institution  of  growing  imjiortance,  having 
been  organized  in  1897,  in  which  year  a 
charter  was  received  from  the  State  of  Illinois' 
and  its  lodges  now  number  up  into  the  hund- 
reds and  are  located  in  the  thriving  cities  and 
towns  of  this  and  other  states.  The  growth 
of  The  Fraternal  Tribunes  on  January  1, 
1908,  was  in  excess  of  11,000  members,  and 
the  society  has  paid  in  death  and  disability 
benefits  over  $425,000.  In  its  scope  the 
society  is  purely  a  fraternal  beneficiary  order, 
having  a  representative  form  of  government 
anil  conducting  its  business  uptni  the  lodge 
l>lan,  and  it  admits  men  and  women  for 
insurance  benefits  in  the  sum  of  .$250,  .1500, 
$1,000  or  $2,000,  each  individual  age  at  entry 
determining  the  cost  to  the  insured.  The 
present  supreme  officers  are  as  follows: 
Honorable  T.  J.  Medill.  joast  su])reme  tribune 
Rock  Island,  111.;  K.   M.   Whithani,  supreme 


HISTORIC     ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


203 


tribune,  Aledo,  Illinois;  Honorable  W.  C. 
Galloway,  vice-supreme  tribune,  Aledo,  Illi- 
nois; Robert  Rexdale,  supreme  secretary. 
Rock  Island,  Illinois;  Harold  A.  Weld,  su- 
preme treasurer,  Rock  Island,  Illinois;  Hon- 
orable James  McCartney,  supreme  counsellor, 
Chicago,  Illinois;  Doctor  A.  L.  Craig,  supreme 
medical  examiner,  Chicago,  Illinois;  Gilbert 
Miller,  supreme  orator,  Canton,  Illinois;  L. 
M.  Cam]:)bell,  supreme  sergeant-at-arms, 
Peoria,  Illinois;  Sadie  B.  Miller,  supreme 
guard,  Chicago,  Illinois;  E.  L.  Wolff,  supreme 
sentinel,  Aledo,  Illinois. 

BENEVOLENT  AND  PROTECTIVE 
ORDER  OF  ELKS. 

The  Rock  Island  Lodge,  No.  980,  of  the 
brotherhood  of  Elks  was  organized  June  26, 
1905,  with  a  membensjiip  of  fifty-five;  at  the 
present  time  (September,  1908)  it  numbers 
three  hundred  and  tw^enty-five.  Their  first 
quarters  were  over  the  Illinois  Theatre. 
January  31,  1908,  they  moved  to  new  quarters 
in  the  new  Elks  Building  on  Eighteenth  Street 
near  the  river  front,  where  they  occupy  two 
stories,  and  have  a  lodge  room,  club  room, 
and  accompaniments,  as  fine  as  any  in  the 
State.  Dejmrting  from  their  old  home,  four 
hundred  Elks  formed  in  line  and  marched  to 
their  new  home  with  the  band  playing  "  Auld 
Lang  Syne."  The  fundamental  principles  of 
the  order  are  charity  and  benevolence.  Their 
salutation  cry  is  "Hello  Bill." 

ARSENAL  COUNCIL,  NO.  171. 

Arsenal  Council  of  this  city  was  organized 
in  August,  1885,  and  its  first  officers  were: 
President,  H.  D.  Mack;  vice-president,  C.  E. 
Hawley,  speaker,  Robert  Bennett;  ex-presi- 
dent, S.  W.  Raines,,  secretary,  W.  J.  Kahikc; 
financial  secretary,  M.  A.  Patterson;  sergeant, 
financial  secretary,  M.  A.  Patterson;  treasurer, 
J.  H.  Cleland;  medical  examiner,  Doctor  G. 
L.  Eyster;  chaplain,  A.  W.  Tanner;  usher, 
M.  Kuehlnian;  sergeant  W.  P.  ("ochran; 
trustees,    E.    11.    T'mwman,    Harry    Clcxehnid 


and  (ieorge  Phillips.  Many  of  the  first 
charter  members  and  officers  are  still  members 
at  present,  some  have  died  and  a  few  have 
drojjjjed  out.  The  National  Union  teaches 
patriotism  and  tries  to  lift  its  members  up  to 
a  higher  sphere  of  life,  and  is  one  of  the  best 
fraternal  organizations  in  existance  today. 
It  is  an  assessment  fraternal  organization, 
having  a  death  benefit,  and  also  gives  insur- 
ance on  the  step  rate  plan,  and  sti-aight  life. 
Headquarters  are  in  Toledo,  Ohio. 

THE  TURN  VEREIN. 

The  Rock  Island  Turn  Verein,  or-  the 
Turner  Society,  as  it  is  commonly  styled,  is 
one  of  the  best  known  and  most  substantial 
organizations  in  the  city.  Its  origin  dates 
back  to  April  Hi,  1S.")7,  wlien  it  was  known 
as  the  Turn  Gemeinde.  It  was  incorporated 
in  1869.  During  the  time  that  has  inter- 
vened there  has  been  but  one  real  crisis  in  its 
affairs.  That  was  happily  tided  over  and 
since  that  time  its  growth  has  been  steady 
and  suliicient. 

John  Imber,  a  shoemaker,  u]ion  coming  to 
this  city  during  the  fifties,  began  agitating  the 
question  of  such  an  organization  among  the 
German  residents.  He  aroused  about  twenty- 
five  of  his  fellow  countrymen  and  the  society 
was  formed.  Julius  Mosenfelder,  the  grocer, 
was  the  first  jjresident,  John  Wright,  who  was 
once  employed  in  the  mechanical  department 
of  The  Argvs,  was  the  first  secretary,  and 
Mr.  Imber  the  first  turnwort,  or  leader  of  the 
classes  in  physical  culture. 

At  first  the  society  had  no  building  in  which 
to  meet,  but  the  lot  at  the  northeast  corner 
of  Twenty-first  Street  and  Sixth  Avenue  was 
bought  and  fenced  in  and  the  exercises  were 
held  in  the  open  air  during  the  first  season. 
Rooms  on  the  second  floor  of  a  building  on 
Market  Scpiare,  back  of  the  Bengston  Block, 
were  then  leased  for  a  c;iuple  of  years.  Here 
the  first  dramatic  undertakings  were  i)ut  on 
in  the  Winter  of  18.')S-.59.  The  next  meeting 
phice   was   in    :i    biiildini^    which   occupied    thg 


204 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


site  of  the  new  Hotel  Harms.  After  a  few 
years  another  change  was  made  to  the 
Empire  Hall,  as  it  was  then  known,  located 
over  1506  Second  Avenne. 

The  lot  now  owned  by  the  society,  and 
occnpied  by  its  present  qnarters  on  the  south 
side  of  Third  Avenue  west  of  Sixteenth  Street, 
was  acquired  in  ISGG.  The  wooden  building, 
known  as  Turner  Hall,  had  been  in  use  as  the 
church  of  the  Episcopal  congregation  of  the 
city,  being  abandoned  upon  the  erection  of 
the  church  now  occupied.  The  brick  gym- 
nasium in  the  rear  .of  the  hall  was  put  up 
about  fifteen  years  ago  at  a  cost  of  $2,000, 
and  the  brick  structure  which  now  constitutes 
the  main  building  was  put  up  nine  years  ago 
at  a  cost  of  $14,000.  The  property  of  the 
societ}'  is  now  valued  at  $35,000. 

It  was  in  1S59  that  the  membership  was 
reduced,  through  a  schism,  to  nine,  but  it  has 
grown  since  till  at  the  present  time  it  numbers 
1,000.  There  is  also  a  Ladies'  Turner 
Society,  with  thirty-five  members,  that  is 
maintained  as  an  auxiliary  to  the  main  society. 

The  quarters  are  provided,  in  addition  to 
the  hall  and  a  well  equipped  gymnasium,  with 
nicely  furnished  club  rooms,  including  a 
library  of  seven  hundred  volumes  of  works 
in  German  and  English. 

FRATERNAL  ORDER  OF  EAGLES. 

One  of  our  most  interesting  societies  is  that 
of  the  Eagles.  The  Far  West  has  the  dis- 
tinction of  the  origin  of  The  Fraternal  Order 
of  Eagles.  Its  principles  of  liberty,  truth, 
justice  and  equality,  appeal  to  the  most 
conservative  people  of  the  country.  The 
benefits  to  the  member  are:  a  physician  to 
himself  and  family  free  of  charge,  one  dollar 
a  day  sick  benefit  for  sixteen  weeks,  and  one 
hundred  dollars  in  case  of  death. 

Rock-  Island  Aeria,  No.  956,  Fraternal 
Order  of  Eagles,  was  instituted  January  15, 
1905,  at  the  Rock  Island  Turner  Hall.  Its 
charter  list  was  composed  of  one  hundred 
and  thirtv-one  members.     Oloflf  Banker  was 


its  first  president;  A.  D.  Huesing,  vice-pres- 
ident; J.  F.  Dindinger,  secretary  and,  E.  V. 
Ramser,  treasurer.  It  is  financially  strong, 
although  having  expended  a  large  sum  for 
benefits  and  other  purposes. 

Its  present  membership  (September,  190S) 
is  four  hundred  and  forty-six. 

This  association  last  Spring  purchased  the 
Murrin  homestead  on  the  south-west  corner 
of  Fourth  Avenue  and  Twenty-first  Street;  a 
splendid  location  for  the  home,  where  they 
contemplate  building;  including  lodge  room, 
club  room,  reading  rooms,  and  the  necessary 
accessories. 

THE  MODERN  WOODMEN  OF  AMERICA. 

One  of  the  most  important  Rock  Island 
institutions  is  the  head  office  building  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  In  the  Rock 
Island  building,  erected  and  furnished  at  an 
expense  of  more  than  $425,000  are  constantly 
employed  an  average  force  of  two  hundred 
people,  with  a  monthly  pay  roll  of  over 
$15,000.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  aside  from 
the  value  as  an  advertisement  to  the  city 
and  county  the  society  is  a  most  valued 
financial  in.stitution,  bringing  to  the  locality 
a  most  desirable  class  of  citizens  who  are 
connected  with  it. 

The  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  is  a 
fraternal  beneficiary  society,  incorporated 
under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  May 
5,  1884.  It  began  business,  however,  and 
started  as  a  fraternal  beneficiary  society  w'ith 
the  organization  of  its  first  camp  Januai-y  5, 
1SS3,  at  the  town  of  Lyons,  Clinton  County, 
Iowa.  Its  first  camp  was  composed  of 
twenty-one  charter  members  and  was  insti- 
tuted by  Mr.  Joseph  Cullen  Root.  It  is  bj' 
far  the  largest  fraternal  beneficiary  society 
in  America,  having  on  July  1,  1907.  a  mem- 
bership in  good  standing  of  851,441  bene- 
ficial members  and  39,796  social  members,  or 
a  grand  total  membership  of  891,237.  On 
this  date  it  had  11,797  local  camps  of  lodges 
distributed  in  the  following  states: 


> 

X 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


205 


Arizona,  California,  Colorado,  Connecticut, 
Delaware,  District  of  Columbia,  Idaho,  Illi- 
nois, Indiana,  Indian  Territory,  Iowa,  Kansas, 
Kentucky,  Maine,  Maryland,  Michigan,  Min- 
nesota, Missouri,  Montana,  Nebraska,  Nevada, 
New  Jersey,  New  York,  North  Dakota,  Ohio, 
Oklahoma,  Oregon,  Pennsylvania,  Rhode 
Island,  South  Dakota,  Tennessee,  Texas, 
Utah,  Vermont,  Virginia,  Washington,  West 
Virginia,  Wisconsin,  Wyoming. 

The  society's  principal  purpose  is  to  pro- 
vide substantial  death  benefits  for  the  widows, 
orphans  and  other  dependents  of  deceased 
members,  and  for  this  purpose  it  issues  to 
accepted  members  policies  or  certificates  of 
insurance,  and  incidentally  affords  valuable 
fraternal  privileges  and  advantages  to  all  its 
members  while  living.  It  has  unusually 
strong  and  attractive  fraternal  features.  Its 
ritualism  is  beautiful,  entertaining,  instruc- 
tive and  helpful.  Its  local  camps  or  lodges 
care  for  their  sick  and  do  all  in  their  power  to 
relieve  members  in  distress.  Many  local 
camps  pay  sick  benefits  and  most  local  camps 
have  committees  to  care  for  the  sick  and  dis- 
tressed, and  in  countless  ways  co-operate  in 
the  promotion  of  the  interests  of  their  mem- 
bers, and  in  carrying  out  in  fullest  measure 
the  sublime  doctrines  and  teachings  of  co- 
operation and  felkn\'ship.  Its  plan  of  co- 
operation is  of  the  simplest  form,  and  yet  in 
its  vast  business  it  has  a  system  of  methods 
in  its  various  departments  which  is  unsur- 
passed in  the  great  commercial  organiza- 
tions of  the  country. 

The  management  of  this  society  is  pro- 
gressive, economic  and  business  like.  It  lias 
a  rejjresentativo  form  of  government  in  which 
the  voice  of  the  individual  member  reaches 
the  administration  of  the  society's  affairs 
through  a  delegate  .system,  including  tri- 
ennial meetings  of  delegates  from  local  camps 
to  county  conventions,  and  delegates  from 
these  county  conventions  in  turn  to  state 
conventions,  and  delegates  from  these  state 


conventions  to  the  National  convention,  or 
Head  Camp,  which  is  the  legislative  and 
controlling  bodv  of  the  organization.  At  its 
triennial  head  camps  laws  and  rules  are 
adopted  and  prescribed  for  the  management, 
control  and  regulation  of  the  society,  as  well 
as  defining  the  privileges  and  powers,  rights 
£ind  duties  of  its  members  and  officers.  At 
its  triennial  head  camps  the  various  officers 
of  the  society  are  elected. 

The  plan  of  collecting  and  disbursing  mor- 
tality benefits  prescribed  in  its  contracts  is 
of  the  simplest  form,  furnishing  protection  or 
insurance  at  actual  cost;  the  membership 
being  called  upon  to  pay  such  assessments 
from  month  to  month  to  the  Mortality  or 
benefit  fund,  as  its  board  of  directors  shall 
from  time  to  time  find  necessary  and  desirable 
to  meet  the  claims  against  such  fund,  occa- 
sioned by  the  current  or  monthly  deaths 
among  its  membership,  thus  requiring  from 
its  members  the  payment  of  only  that  amo\mt 
which  is  necessary  to  meet  its  death 
aims. 

The  expenses  of  conducting  the  business  of 
the  society  aside  from  the  payment  of  death 
claims  are  met  from  the  general  hind,  which 
is  separate  and  distinct  at  all  times  from  the 
benefit  or  mortality  fund,  and  which  funrl  is 
made  up  of  contributions  for  expense  pur- 
poses from  its  membership  in  the  nature  of  a 
per  capita  tax,  which  is  fixed  and  levied  by 
the  head  camp  of  the  society.  Since  1890 
this  contribution  has  been  one  dollar  per 
member  per  year,  out  of  which  has  been  paid 
all  the  expense  of  conducting  the  vast  business 
of  this  society. 

The  result  of  this  simple  [ihui  of  "co-oper- 
ation and  protection "  has  been  the  most 
phenomenal  in  development  of  any  like  con- 
cern in  American  history.  The  following 
statement  taken  from  the  records  of  the 
society  shows  the  number  of  benefit  certifi- 
cates issued  yearly  since  organization  uj)  to 
and  including  the  year  1906: 


206 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


1883 562 

18S4 7SS 

1885 3,694 

1886 4,706 

1887 S.13!) 

1888 11,943 

1889 19,9,50 

1890 12,3.54 

1891 14.384 

1892 2.5,139 

1893 24.38.5 

1894 38,.563 


189.5 5.5,423 

1896 6.5,000 

1897 68,829 

1S98 92,911 

1.S99 135,644 

UIOO 142,864 

1901 133,415 

1902 94,06S 

1903 63,1.5.S 

1904 S1.71S 

1905 103,2.54 

1906 132,729 


From  January  1,  to  July  1,  1907,  there 
liave  been  written  81,268  certificates,  making 
a  grand  total  of  certificates  written  in  tliis 
society  from  its  organization  down  to  July 
1,  1907,  1,414,852. 

The  society  has  had  a  most  successful 
career  financially,  as  well  as  in  its  growth  and 
influence  as  a  fraternal  society.  Its  plan  of 
payment  of  death  losses  has  always  provided 
ample  means  for  the  prompt  settlement  of  all 
death  claims,  and  since  its  organization  it  has 
paid  out  in  death  losses  the  magnificent  sum 
of  more  than  .1.59.000,000. 

The  first  member  to  die  in  this  society  was 
Mr.  Ab.  Mayer,  of  Davenport,  Iowa,  on  Julv 
14,  1884. 

The  average  age  of  the  meniliership  of  the 
society  is  ,38.2,3  years. 

The  death  rate  for  the  last  ten  years  per 
one  thousand  members  is  as  follows:  1897, 
4.35;  1898,  4.32;  1899,  4.91;  1900,  4.G4;  1901, 
4.84;  1902,  4.S4;  1903,  5.03;  1904,  5.65;  1905, 
5.43;  1906,  5.48. 

It  accepts  to  member.ship  in  this  society 
male  white  persons  Ijetween  the  ages  of 
eighteen  and  forty-five,  except  that  if  the 
applicant  be  over  forty-one  years  of  age  he 
cannot  carry  benefits  to  exceed  $2,000.  All 
applicants  for  membership  are  required  to 
pay  a  membership  fee  of  five  dollars,  and  the 
cost  of  medical  examination,  varying  from 
$1.25  to  $2.25. 

Its  field  work  is  under  the  management  of 
the  head  consul  of  the  society,  who  appoints 
a  state  deputy  head  consul  for  each  state, 
who  in  turn  appoints  district  deputy  head 
consuls  for  certain  territory  or  districts  in  a 
state,    who    give    personal    attention    to    the 


details    of    securing    nicmliers    for    the    local 
lodges  in  the  various  localities. 

The  financial  nuinagement  of  the  society 
is  under  the  control  of  a  board  of  directors, 
consisting  of  five  members,  wliile  the  head 
clerk  is  the  recording  and  accounting  officer. 
The  liead  banker  has  the  custody  of  the 
funds  and  no  money  can  be  paid  out  by  him, 
except  upon  orders  signed  by  the  head  consul^ 
the  head  clerk  and  at  least  three  members  of 
the  board  of  directors. 

In  the  adoption  of  social  members  only  no 
medical  examination  fee  is  recjuired.  Pay- 
ment by  members  to  the  mortuary  fund  is 
according  to  rates  established  by  the  head 
camp  and  are  graded  according  to  the  age 
at  the  time  of  joining  the  society.  The  rates 
do  not  increase  with  advancing  age,  and 
during  recent  years  it  has  not  been  necessary 
for  the  board  of  directors  to  levy  an  asses.s- 
ment  each  month  in  order  to  meet  the  current 
death  losses. 

Certificates  are  issued  in  this  society  in  the 
amounts  of  ,$500;  $1,000;  $1,500;  .$2,000;  and 
$3,000,  as  the  applicant  may  desire. 

The  officers  of  local  camps  are  consul  (pre- 
siding officer),  jjast  consul,  clerk  (recording 
officer),  banker,  adviser,  escort,  watchman, 
sentry,  board  of  three  managers,  and  exam- 
ining physicians. 

Great  care  is  taken  in  determining  tha 
physical  soundness  of  applicants  for  mem- 
bership in  this  society.  Each  applicant  is 
examined  as  to  his  physical  condition  by  the 
local  camp  physician,  after  which  the  appli- 
cation is  forwarded  to  a  state  physician  who 
reviews  the  examination  of  the  local  exam- 
iner, and  such  state  phj^sician,  after  passing 
upon  the  applicant  by  either  approving  or 
rejecting  him,  forwards  the  application,  to- 
gether with  the  record  of  such  approval  or 
rejection  to  the  board  of  supreme  medical 
directors,  which  board  is  composed  of  three 
eminent  physicians,  selected  and  appointed 
bjf  the  executive  council  of  the  society.  This 
supreme    Medical    board    again    reviews    the 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


207 


application  so  far  as  it  relates  to  the  medical 
examination  and  opinion  of  both  the  local 
examiner  and  the  State  examiner,  and  action 
of  the  supreme  medical  board,  either  in 
approving  or  rejecting  the  application,  is 
final,  except  in  emergency  cases  only,  when 
the  executive  council,  for  special  cause,  may 
ask  a  reconsideration  and  examination  of  the 
applicant  by  the  supreme  medical  board. 

The  head  camp  of  the  society  is  held  at 
whatever  place  in  the  jurisdiction  the  pre- 
ceding head  camp  selects. 

At  the  time  of  the  organization  of  Pioneer 
Camp,  No.  1,  on  Januar}^  5,  1S83,  the  first 
provisional  head  camp  was  organized,  and 
the  following  officers  elected: 

Head  consul,  J.  C.  Root,  Lyons,  Iowa;  head 
banker,  Louis  G.  Blaine,  Lj^ons,  Iowa;  head 
clerk,  Albert  Hilton,  Lyons,  Iowa. 

The  first  regular  head  camp,  however,  was 
held  in  June,  1883,  at  Fulton,  Illinois.  At 
this  head  camp  five  local  camps  were  repre- 
sented by  fifteen  delegates,  and  the  first  fun- 
damental laws  were  adopted.  The  head 
camp  officers  elected  at  this  meeting  were  as 
follows: 

Head  consul,  ,T.  C.  Root,  Lyons,  Iowa;  head 
adviser,  E.  D.  Lelaiid,  Lenark,  Illinois;  head 
clerk,  Albert  Hilton,  Lyons,  Iowa;  head 
banker,  A.  M.  Green,  Mt.  Carroll,  Illinois; 
head  escort,  G.  R.  Jackson,  Tampico,  Illinois; 
head  watchman,  Harrison  Frazier,  Lyons, 
Iowa;  head  sentry,  G.  Guernsey,  Erie,  Illinois; 
liead  managers,  C.  C.  Farmer,  Mt.  Carroll, 
Illinois;  S.  H.  Zimmerman,  Polo,  Illinois;  J. 
J.  Ward,  Sterling,  Illinois. 

The  seventh  head  camp  met  in  Springfield, 
Illinois,  on  the  morning  of  November  11, 
1890.  There  were  nine  hundred  and  sixty- 
one  delegates  present,  including  the  hearl 
officers,  and  standing  committees,  represent- 
ing 42,300  members  and  1,491  camps. 

Prior  to  this  head  cam]3  meeting,  serious 
differences  of  opinion  existed  among  the  then 
head  officers  as  to  methods  of  conducting  the 
business  of  the  societv.     At  this  meeting  the 


entire  fundamental  laws  of  the  societv  were 
re-written  and  the  society  itself  practically 
reorganized  on  new  and  different  lines  and 
plans  of  operation;  none  of  the  former  head 
officers  were  re-elected,  but  new  officers  were 
selected  from  the  head  camp  delegates  to 
conduct  the  business  of  the  society,  upon  the 
new  plan  and  under  the  laws  promulgated 
and  adopted  at  this  meeting.  In  this  head 
camp  laws  were  adopted  providing  for  the 
holding  of  state  head  camps,  and  more  com- 
plete and  satisfactory  form  of  representative 
government.  The  officers  elected  at  this  head 
camp  were  as  follows: 

Head  consul,  William  A.  Northcott,  Green- 
ville, Illinois;  head  adviser,  H.  C.  Hedges, 
Lansing,  Michigan;  head  clerk,  Charles  Wesley 
Hawes,  Rock  Island,  Illinois;  head  banker, 
David  C.  Zink,  Grand  Island,  Nebraska;  head 
physician,  Doctor  Frank  Swallow,  Valley 
Falls,  Kansas;  head  Chaplain,  Reverend  F. 
F.  Farmiloe,  Genoa,  Illinois;  head  escort,  W. 
H.  Dawson,  Slay  ton,  Minnesota;  head  sentry, 
L.  E.  Mentch,  Carey,  Illinois;  head  watch- 
man, L.  H.  Hasse,  Elgin,  Illinois;  board  of 
directors,  M.  W.  Matthews,  L^bana,  Illinois; 
A.  R.  Talbot,  Lincoln,  Nebraska;  J.  W.  White, 
Tampico,  Illinois;  C.  T.  Heydecker,  Wauke- 
gan,  Illinois;  J.  G.  Johnson,  Peabody,  Kansas. 

The  eighth  head  camp  was  held  in  Omaha, 
Nebraska,  in  February,  1892.  There  were 
present  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  head 
officers,  members  of  standing  committees, 
and  delegates,  representing  1,782  camps,  with 
a  membership  of  68,667.  At  this  head  camp 
the  Royal  Neighbors  of  America  was,  by 
resolution,  accepted  as  the  ladies'  auxiliary 
of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 

In  the  interim  between  the  meeting  of  the 
head  camp  at  Springfield,  Illinois,  and  the 
head  camp  at  Omaha,  Nebraska,  Honorable 
M.  W.  Mathews,  chairman  of  the  board  of 
directors,  died,  and  General  Jasper  N.  Reece, 
of  Springfield,  Illinois,  was  appointed  to  fill 
the  vacancy  caused  b\^  the  death  of  Senator 
Mathews. 


208 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


The  ninth  head  camp  met  in  convention  in 
Madison,  Wisconsin,  in  June,  1895,  with  two 
hundred  and  seventy-three  delegates,  head 
officers  and  committeemen,  representing  2,840 
camps  and  125,667  members.  At  this  head 
camp  meeting  the  liasis  of  rei)resentation  on 
account  of  the  rajiid  growtli  of  tlie  society 
was  changed  to  one  delegate  for  each  1 .000 
members,  and  one  delegate  at  large  from  each 
state.  Among  the  great  questions  considered 
at  this  meeting  was  that  of  the  change  of 
rates  of  the  society;  and  the  establishment  or 
recognition  of  the  forester  teams  in  camp  work. 

The  tenth  head  camp  met  in  Dubuque. 
Iowa,  in  June,  1897,  with  two  hundred  and 
forty-two  delegates,  head  officers  and  com- 
mitteemen present,  representing  208,292  mem- 
bers and  4,436  camps.  At  this  head  camj) 
meeting  the  laws  were  changed  so  as  to  pro- 
vide for  twelve  head  physicians,  instead  of 
five  as  formerly. 

At  this  head  camp  there  was  created  the 
executive  council  of  the  society,  composed  of 
the  head  consul,  the  head  clerk,  and  board 
of  directors,  to  which  body  the  head  consul 
and  other  officers  of  the  society  might  at 
any  time  appeal  for  counsel  and  advice  in 
any  matter  pertaining  to  the  administration 
of  the  affairs  of  his  department. 

The  eleventh  head  camp  met  in  Kansas 
City,  Missouri,  in  June,  1899,  with  three 
hundred  and  eighty-three  delegates,  head 
officers  and  members  of  standing  committees 
present,  representing  5,863  camps  and  339,364 
members.  At  this  meeting  the  board  of  head 
physicians  was  increased  from  twelve  to 
nineteen,  and  the  board  of  auditors  was 
increased  from  three  to  five. 

At  the  July,  1899,  meeting  of  the  executive 
council,  following  the  Kansas  City  head 
camp,  J.  W.  White  resigned  as  director  and 
was  appointed  general  attorney.  At  the 
same  meeting  the  executive  council  appointed 
E.  E.  Murphy,  of  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  as 
director  to  fill  the  vacancj'  caused  by  the 
resignation  of  Mr.  White. 


The  twelfth  head  camp  met  in  St.  Paul, 
Minnesota,  on  June  11,  1901,  with  six  hundred 
and  twenty-nine  delegates,  head  officers  and 
members  of  standing  committees  in  attend- 
ance, representing  8,980  camps  and  568,181 
members.  At  this  head  camp  meeting  the 
number  of  head  phj'sicians  was  increased  to 
provide  one  head  physician  for  each  state. 
The  basis  of  representation  in  this  growing 
society  was  again  modified  and  fixed  at  one 
delegate  for  each  1,500  members  or  major 
fraction  thereof,  in  good  standing,  in  camps 
of  each  state,  on  January  1,  preceding  head 
camp.  At  this  head  camp  the  question  of 
rates  was  again  considered,  and  a  committee 
was  ajjpointed  to  employ  actuaries  and 
assistance  to  consider  carefully  the  question 
in  all  of  its  phases  and  the  condition  of  the 
societ}^,  and  make  its  report  to  the  executive 
council  which  in  turn  should  publish  it  to 
the  jurisdiction.  At  this  meeting  Honorable 
William  A.  Northcott,  who  had  served  so 
long  and  faithfully  as  head  consul  of  the 
society,  announced  to  the  head  camp  and  the 
jurisdiction,  that  because  of  the  condition  of 
his  health  it  would  be  impossible  for  him  to 
accept  another  term  of  office  from  the  society, 
and  he  would  not,  therefore,  be  a  candidate 
to  succeed  himself  at  the  end  of  the  term 
which  he  was  elected  to  serve. 

In  the  interim  between  the  twelfth  head 
camp  and  the  thirteenth  head  camp  occurred 
the  great  discussion  throughout  the  jurisdic- 
tion among  the  officers  and  members  of  local 
and  subordinate  camps  the  question  of  re- 
adjustment of  rates,  based  upon  the  report 
of  the  committee  appointed  at  the  St.  Paul 
head  camp,  so  that  the  thirteenth  head  camp, 
which  convened  at  Indianapolis,  Indiana, 
on  Juue  16,  1903,  might  be  considered  the 
most  critical  and  important  head  camp  thus 
far  in  the  history  of  the  societ}-.  At  this 
head  camp  five  hundred  and  thirt3'-seven 
delegates,  head  officers  and  members  of 
standing  committees  were  present,  represent- 
ing   10,589    camps    with    a    membership    of 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     CO  U  \  T  Y 


209 


682,639.  Tlie  most  important  matter  liefore 
this  head  camp  was  the  diiscussion  and  action 
ii])on  tlie  report  of  the  St.  Paid  head  cam]-) 
committee  on  revision  of  rates.  After  several 
daj^s  deliberate  consideration  and  earnest  and 
oft-times  bitter  debate  the  head  camp 
adopted  a  new  table  of  rates  for  the  society, 
which  ha.s  been  the  basis  of  mortuary  contri- 
bntion  to  the  society's  benefit  fund  by  its 
mend)ers  since,  and  is  as  follows: 


Age  at  Nearest  B'dy 

S500 

SI  000 

81.500 

S2000 

S3000 

IS  to  25  vears  inc 

S  .25 

•S  .50 

$  .75 

Sl.OO 

SI. 50 

26  to  27  vears  inc 

.30 

..55 

.85 

1.10 

1.65 

2S  to  29  vears  inc... 

.30 

.60 

.90 

1.20 

1.80 

.SO  to  .31  vears  inc 

.35 

.65 

1.00 

1.30 

1.95 

32  to.33  vears  inc.. 

.35 

.70 

1.05 

1.40 

2.10 

34  to  3.5  voars  inc 

.40 

.75 

1.15 

1.50 

2.25 

36  to  37  vears  inc 

.40 

.80 

1.20 

1.60 

2.40 

3S  to39  vears  inc... 

.45 

.85 

1.30 

1.70 

2.55 

40  to  41  vears  inc 

.45 

.90 

1.35 

1.80 

2.70 

42  to  43  vears  inc 

.50 

.95 

1.45 

1.90 

44  to  45  years  inc 

.50 

1.00 

1.50 

2.00 



-\t  tids  head  camp  Honorable  William  A. 
Northcott,  head  consul,  in  carrying  out  his 
announced  purpose  and  plan  at  the  previous 
head  camji,  declined  to  be  a  candidate  for 
re-election,  and  Adolplius  H.  Talbot,  of 
Lincoln,  Nebraska,  was  elected  head  consvd 
to  succeed  lum. 

-At  this  head  camp  the  office  of  past  head 
consul  was  created,  and  former  head  consul 
AMlliam  A.  Northcott  \\as  made  past  consul, 
and  member  of  the  head  camp  of  this  society 
for  life,  out  of  recognition  for  the  distinguislied 
services  he  had  rendered  the  society. 

The  fourteenth  head  camp  met  at  Mil- 
waukee, A^  isconsin,  June  20,  1905,  -nith  four 
hundred  and  seventy-si.K  delegates,  repre- 
senting 10,736  camps  and  693.425  members. 
At  this  meeting  of  the  head  camp  the  law 
was  changed  .so  that  the  head  camp  met 
triennially  instead  of  biennially,  and  special 
rates  were  provided  for  hazardous  occupa- 
tions. The  following  officers  were  elected  at 
this  head  camp  n-.eeting,  who  are  its  present 
head  officers: 


Head  consul,  Adolphus  R.  Talbot,  Lincoln, 
Nebraska;  past  head  consid,  William  A. 
Northcott,  Springfield,  Illinois;  head  clerk, 
Charles  W.  Hawes,  Rock  Island,  Illinois; 
head  adviser,  Dan  B.  Home,  Davenport, 
Iowa;  head  banker,  C.  H.  McNider,  Mason 
City,  Iowa;  head  escort,  C.  D.  Elliott,  Seattle, 
Washington;  head  sentry,  W.  E.  Beachley, 
Hagerstown,  Maryland;  head  watchman, 
George  I-.  Bowman,  Kingfisher,  Oklahoma; 
head  chaplain.  Reverend  Henry  N.  Dunning, 
Albany,  New  York.  Board  of  directors — 
R.  R.  Smith.  Brookfield,  Mi.ssouri;  R.  E. 
Alurphy,  Leaven wortli,  Kansas;  George  W. 
Reilly,  Danville,  Illinois;  A.  N.  Bort,  Beloit, 
Wisconsin;  C.  ,1.  Byrns,  Ishpeming,  Michigan. 
Supreme  medical  board — Doctor  E.  L.  Kerns, 
chairman.  Rock  Island,  Illinois;  Doctor  F.  A. 
Smith,  Rock  Island,  Illinois;  Doctor  B.  E. 
Jones,  Rock  Island,  Illinois.  A]ipointed — 
F.  O.  Van  Galder,  editor.  Rock  Island,  Illi- 
nois; B.  D.  Smith,  general  attorne}^  Mankato, 
Minnesota;  Truman  Plantz,  general  attorney, 
Warsaw,  Illinois. 

The    next    triennial    head    camp    of    this 
society   will  meet  in  June,    1908    at   Peoria 
Illinois. 

The  head  camp  meeting  in  Omaha,  in  1892, 
directed  the  bead  officers  to  move  the  head 
office  from  F;dton  to  Rock  Island.  For 
nearly  fi-ve  years  every  effort  on  the  part  of 
the  head  officers  to  comply  with  the  direc- 
tions of  the  head  camp  in  such  removal  was 
thwarted  b}-  the  activity  of  the  citizens  of 
Fulton  by  injunction  proceedings  and  re- 
straining orders  of  the  various  courts  against 
such  removal.  In  the  fullness  of  time,  how- 
ever, hearings  were  had  upon  all  such  pro- 
ceedings and  the  Coiu't's  final  decision 
authorized  the  head  officers  to  carry  out  the 
expressed  wish  and  will  of  the  head  camp  in 
removing  such  head  office  to  Rock  Island. 
The  removal  occurred  in  September,  1897, 
and  the  new  and  commodious  head  office 
building  was  completed  and  occupied  by  the 
society   some   two   years   later,   since   which 


210 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


time  this  great  society  has  been  a  jiart  of  the 
life  and  business  activity'  of  Rock  Island 
County. 

The  bead  office  of  this  societj^  at  Rock 
Island,  lUinois,  has  one  of  the  most  com- 
modious and  appropriate  fire-proof  buUdings 
of  modern  times.  It  has  been  constructed 
at  an  expense  of  more  tlian  .S350,000,  is 
thoroughlj'  equipped  with  steel  furniture  and 
file  boxes,  and  is  one  of  the  safest  and  strong- 
est buildings  that  can  possibly  be  constructed 
of  stone,  brick  and  steel  beams.  It  is  beauti- 
fully frescoed,  supplied  with  all  modern  con- 
veniences and  equipment,  and  the  apart- 
ments are  so  adjusted  with  reference  to  each 
other  as  to  best  facilitate  the  great  work  of 
this  society.  In  this  building  are  the  offices 
of  the  head  officers,  as  well  as  the  offices  of 
the  general  attorneys,  with  their  complete 
law  librarj-,  and  the  offices  of  the  editor  and 
supreme  medical  board.  The  arrangement 
of  the  rooms  and  offices  in  this  commodious 
four-story  building  is  so  complete  as  to  light, 
ventilation  and  other  essentials,  as  to  make 
it  everything  that  can  be  desired  in  tlie  way 
of  a  complete  modern  office  building.  Here 
are  employed  approximateh-  two  hundred 
and  fifty  clerks,  stenographers  and  heads  of 
departments,  in  connection  with  the  business 
of  this  society. 

No  one  can  measure  the  great  power  and 
influence  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  among  the 
people  of  this  countrj'.  Its  influence  and 
effect  upon  the  growth  and  development  of 
Rock  Island  Coimty,  and  its  helpfulness  to 
the  business  enterprises  thereof  is  of  such 
lasting  benefit  that  the  establishment  of  its 
permanent  home  in  Rock  I.slnnd  is  a  continu- 
ing pleasure  and  satisfactifm  to  tlie 
people. 

ROYAL  XEIGHRORS  OF  AMERICA. 

The  Royal  Neighbors  of  America,  as  a 
fraternal  beneficiary  society,  was  twelve  vears 
old  in  March,  1907,  charter  having  been 
granted  March  21,  1895. 


The  first  camp  in  the  society — or  rather 
the  bod}'^  from  which  the  first  camp  of  the 
society  sprung — was  organized  in  December, 
1888,  at  Council  BlufTs,  Iowa,  as  a  "ladies 
auxiliary"  to  Hazel  Camp,  No.  171,  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  The  stated  purpose 
of  this  auxiliary  was  "to  entertain  and  help 
increase  tlie  membership  and  encourage  the 
building  up  of  the  society  of  the  ilodern 
Woodmen  of  America."  The  originators 
were  the  wives  of  the  neighbors  of  Hazel 
camp.  The}-  met  once  a  month,  giving 
socials  and  entertainments,  and  these  meet- 
ings continued  until  October,  1899,  when  the 
ladies  determined  to  form  a  secret  fraternal 
societ}^  to  be  officered  exclusively  by 
ladies. 

Thereupon,  committees  were  appointed  and 
a  ritual  and  constitution  were  prepared. 
These  were  submitted  and  appro'ved  at  a 
meeting  held  January  2,  1890.  Articles  of 
incorporation  were  next  drawn,  and  on  April 
25,  1890,  the  Ro3-al  Neighbors  of  America 
(this  being  the  name  selected  for  the  new 
society)  was  incorporated  under  the  laws  of 
the  State  of  Iowa.  The  society's  underlying 
principles  were  named  as  faith,  modesty, 
courage,  unselfishness  and  endurance,  and 
their  motto  ex  fde  fortis,  which  means  "firm 
by  faith." 

The  incorporators  of  the  Royal  Neighbors 
of  America,  who  were  also  designated  in  the 
articles  of  incoriioration  as  the  first  sunrcnie 
officers,"  were: 

Miss  Lillian  Hiiff,  Mrs.  M.  L.  Kirkland, 
Mrs.  M.  B.  Hayden,  Mrs.  S.  Hennessey,  Mrs. 
E.  F.  Belknap,  Mrs.  J.  A.  Swanson  and  Mrs. 
M.  M.  Filbert. 

Tlie  first  supreme  camp  meeting  of  the 
Royal  Neighbors  of  America  was  held  at 
Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  on  June  26,  1S90,  more 
for  the  purpose  of  completing  the  organization 
of  the  supreme  camp,  for  there  were  as  yet  no 
local  camps. 

On  July  3,  1890,  this  superme  camp  met 
again    and    reorganized    into    the    first    local 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


21] 


Ciiiup,    which    was  fiiven   the   name   of    IJlly 
Camp,  No.  1,  of  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa. 

At  a  special  meeting  of  the  supreme  camp, 
held  April  7,  1891,  a  resolution  was  unani- 
mously adopted  j^roviding  for  the  admission 
of  men  as  members  of  the  Royal  Neighbors 
of  America.  After  this  was  done  the  society 
began  to  show  signs  of  life,  and  when  tlie 
first  regular  supreme  camp  meeting  was 
called  to  order  in  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  on  the 
first  Wednesday  of  January,  1896,  six  camps 
were  represented,  with  an  aggregate  member- 
ship of  three  hundred.  The  first  regular 
supreme  officers  were  elected  at  this  session. 

The  second  annual  meeting  of  the  supreme 
camp  was  lield  at  Omaha,  Nel)raska,  January 
4  and  5,  1893,  when  there  were  eighteen 
camps,  with  eight  hundred  and  fifty  members 
represented.  At  this  meeting  it  was  decidetl 
to  make  the  society  more  than  a  social  and 
fraternal  auxiliary  of  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  by  establishing  a  benefit  or  insurance 
department,  and  committees  were  appointed 
to  report  at  the  next  supreme  session. 

At  the  fourth  sujireme  camp  meeting,  held 
in  Peoria,  Illinois,  January-  3,  4  and  5,  1894, 
there  were  forty-five  local  camjis,  with  1,567 
members,  reported  in  good  standing.  After 
hearing  the  report  of  the  committee  on  benefit 
plan,  appointed  at  the  Omaha  meeting,  the 
supreme  camp  decided  that  in  order  to  com- 
plete this  department  it  woidd  be  necessary 
for  the  society  to  reincorporate  in  Illinois. 
To  do  this  the  society  was  compelled  to 
change  the  head  office  of  the  societ\-  from 
Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  to  some  city  in  Illinois, 
and  upon  ballot,  the  city  of  Peoria  was  chosen. 

The  matter  of  putting  into  operation  the 
insurance  feature  was  left  with  the  lioard  of 
supreme  managers.  The  board  appointed  a 
beneficiary  committee  consisting  of  Major  C. 
W.  Hawes,  head  clerk,  and  directors  J.  G. 
Johnson  and  J.  W.  White  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  Society,  and  under  the  super- 
vision of  these  gentlemen,  the  Royal  Neigh- 
bors of   America   reincorporated   and   estab- 


lished its  benefit  department  substantially  as 
it  is  today,  the  new  charter  being  issued  by 
the  Illinois  insurance  department  on  March 
21,  1895. 

The  Royal  Neighbors  rank  high  in  com- 
jiarison  with  the  largest  fraternal  beneficiary 
societies  in  tlie  United  States,  and  has 
greatest  prominence  over  all  insurance  socie- 
ties officered  by  women. 

The  society  has  more  than  5,000  local 
camps  in  the  thirty-four  states  comprising 
its  jurisdiction. 

The  Royal  Neighbors  of  America  has  paid 
out  in  benefits,  since  the  date  of  its  organiza- 
tion, §4,283,527.94  to  the  beneficiaries  of  its 
deceased  members. 

Death  rate  per  1,000  members  in  1907  was 
5.7,  and  the  cost  per  $1,000,  at  age  thirty- 
five,  was  $4.95. 

The  average  age  of  the  lieneficiarj'  member- 
shij)  in  1907  was  thirty-seven  years.  During 
the  }-ear  1907  there  were  seven  hundred  and 
t went3^-eight  deaths,  and  the  amount  of 
$730,800.44  was  ])aid  out  in  l.)enefits. 

It  was  necessary  to  collect  only  nine  assess- 
ments during  1907. 

This  society  admits  to  membership  bene- 
ficiary and  social  members  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America  and  anv  white  woman 
of  good  character,  whether  related  to  a 
Modern  Woodman  or  not. 

Only  women  can  hold  elective  offices,  either 
in  the  supreme  or  local  camps,  with  the 
exception  in  local  camps  that  men  may  hold 
the  position  of  manager  or  physician. 

The  supreme  officers  of  the  society  are 
elected  biennially  bj^  a  majority  vote  of  the 
delegates  in  session,  one  delegate  representing 
a  membenship  of  1,000.  The  last  session  was 
held  in  Chicago  in  May,  1908. 

The  number  of  certificates  issued  thus  far 
this  year  exceeds  all  former  records,  and  as 
our  suspensions  are  so  few  the  additions  are 
almost  a  clear  gain. 

The  supreme  camp  held  at  Chicago  in  May, 
1908,  made  man\-  changes  in  its  laws,  one  of 


212 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


the  most  important  being  the  consolidation 
of  tlie  social  and  beneficiary  departments  and 
rlianuiiiK  the  location  of  the  supreme  office 
from  Peoria  to  Rock  Island,  Illinois.  The 
beneficiary  department  was  formerly  in  the 
same  building  with  the  Modern  Woodmen 
head  office,  but  more  room  necessitated  a 
change,  and  now  the  effects  of  the  two  offices 
heretofore  located  at  Peoria  and  Rock  Island 
are  now  installed  in  offices  occupying  the 
entire  sixth  floor  of  the  Safet}-  Building. 

At  the  supreme  camp  an  appropriation  was 
made  to  the  amount  of  $75,000,  for  the 
purpose  of  erecting  a  supreme  office  building, 
which  is  likely  to  be  started  within  the  next 
two  or  three  years. 

This  society  is  now  the  largest  of  all 
women's  fraternal  beneficiary  societies;  it  is 
officered  entirely  by  women,  except  that  two 
men  are  members  of  the  beneficiary  com- 
mittee. Its  presid&nt  is  Mrs.  Lina  M.  Collins, 
of  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  and  its  secretary 
Miss  Myrtle  E.  Dade,  of  Rock  Island,  Illinois. 

SECRET  SOCIETIES. 


MASONIC  HISTORY  OF  ROCK  ISLAND 
COUNTY,    ANCIENT    FREE    AND 
ACCEPTED  MASONS. 

Tlie  first  organization  of  Masonic  lodges  in 
this  vicinity  was  a  dispensation  granted  by 
the  grand  master  of  the  grand  lodge  of  the 
State  of  Illinois,  in  1847,  to  Cambridge  lodge 
at  Cambridge,  Illinois.  The  nearest  lodges 
being  St.  Johns,  No.  13,  at  Peru,  LaSalle 
Comity;  Henderson,  No.  26,  Knox  Coimty; 
and  Monmoutii,  No.  37,  Warren  County. 
A  charter  was  granted  October  4,  1847,  to 
Cambridge  Lodge  as  No.  49,  meetings  to  be 
held  at  (Cambridge  and  Rock  Island  alter- 
nately. January  26,  1S4S,  in  compliance  with 
the  unanimous  request  of  Cambridge  Lodge, 
a  dispensation  was  granted  to  meet  regularly 
at  Rock  Island.  The  distance  between  Cam- 
bridge and  Rock  Island — thirty  miles,  and 
by  team — was  quite  arduous  and  tiresome. 


Steps  were  taken  May  18,  1848,  to  form  a 
new  lodge  at  Rock  Island,  for  Rock  Island 
County.  When  the  name  was  considered, 
there  was  a  diversity  of  opinion.  Among 
the  names  proposed  were  Mississippi,  Rock 
Island,  Barrett,  Buford,  Illinois  and  Larely; 
none  commanding  a  majority,  Doctor  James 
W.  Brackett  proposed  the  name  of  Trio,  in 
honor  of  Rock  Island,  Moline  and  Camden 
Mills — now  Milan — and  the  name  of  Trio 
was  adopted.  June  1,  1848,  a  dispensation 
was  granted  to  Trio  lodge,  Rock  Island, 
Illinois,  and  October  3,  1848,  was  chartered 
as  Trio  Lodge,  No.  57. 

May  3,  1855,  Fort  Armstrong  Lodge,  No. 
186,  was  organized  by  members  from  Trio 
Lodge,  but  March  12,  1863,  surrendered  its 
charter  and  consolidated  with  Trio  Lodge. 
In  June  and  July,  1870,  twenty  brethern 
withdrew  from  Trio  Lodge  to  organize  Rock 
Island  Lodge,  No.  658.  Trio  Lodge  at  its 
organization  had  seventeen  members;  now  it 
has  a  membership  of  two  hundred  and  fifty- 
four. 

ROCK   I.SL.\ND    LODGE,    NO.    658,    A.    F.    &    A.    M. 

This  lodge  was  organized  and  a  dispen- 
sation was  issued  June  29,  1870,  and  was 
chartered  October  6,  1870,  the  first  officers 
were : 

Morris  Rosenfield,  worshipful  master; 
Charles  A.  Benser,  senior  warden;  Milton  G. 
Mills,  junior  warden;  H.  H.'Mayo,  treasurer; 
George  P.  Fr3-singer,  secretary;  J.  W.  Whit- 
marsh,  senior  deacon;  Ben  C.  Frysinger,  junior 
deacon;  J.  S.  Drake,  senior  steward;  James  F. 
Copp,  junior  steward;  Thomas  Thornton, 
tyler. 

The  lodge  had  twenty-six  charter  members, 
eleven  of  which  are  still  alive.  The  lodge 
now  has  two  hundred  and  sixteen  active 
members  and  two  honorary  membei'S. 

n.VRRETT  CHAPTER,  NO.   18,  R.  A.  M. 

Barrett  Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  was 
chartered  September  30,  1853.     October  28 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


213 


1904,  the  name  of  tlie  cliapter  was  changed 
to  Rock  Island  Cha]")ter.  The  chapter  meets 
in  Masonic  Temple  the  first  Tuesday  of  each 
month.  The  membership  now  (1908)  is  two 
hundred  and  fifty. 

EVERTS    COMMANDERY,    NO.     18,     KNIGHTS 
TEMPLAR,  ROCK  ISLAND,  ILLINOIS. 

First  met  under  dispensation  January  10, 
ISGG,  a  petition  having  previously  been  pre- 
sented to  the  grand  commander  of  the  grand 
commander}^  of  the  State  of  Illinois  by  Virgil 
M.  Blanding,  Palestine  Commandery,  No.  14, 
Pennsylvania;  John  Lin  Ramsey,  Ottawa 
Commandery,  No.  10,  Illinois;  William  B. 
Crenelle,  Blaney  Commandery,  No.  5,  Illi- 
nois; O.  S.  McNeil,  I>aFayette  Commandery, 
No.  16,  Indiana;  C.  Stewart  Ells,  DeMolay 
Commandeiy,  No.  16,  Indiana;  W  .E.  Bow- 
man, Ottawa  Commandery,  No.  10,  Illinois; 
I.  B.  N.  Bross,  Ottawa  Commandery,  No.  10, 
Illinois;  D.  S.  Rawson,  Ottawa  Commandery, 
No.  10,  Illinois;  D.  W.  Lininger,  Ottawa 
Commandery,  No.  10,  Illinois;  and  recom- 
mended by  Peoria  Commandeiy,  No.  3, 
Peoria,  Illinois. 

The  following  officers  were  appointed  by 
the  grand  commander  of  the  grand  com- 
mandery of  the  State  of  Illinois:  Yirgil 
Marion  Blanding,  eminent  commander;  John 
Linn  Ramsey,  generalissimo;  William  B. 
Crenelle,  captain  general;  the  other  officers 
being  appointed  by  the  eminent  commander. 
October  23,  1866,  the  commandery  was  con- 
stituted and  granted  its  charter.  Its  name 
was  changed  October  23,  1901,  its  thirty- 
fifth  anniversary,  to  Rock  Island  Command- 
ery, No.  18,  and  at  present  has  a  membership 
of  two  hiuidred  and  eighty-five. 

HOCK    ISLA.XD    CIIAI'TER,    NO.     269,     ORDER    OF 
EASTERN  ST.AR. 

Rock  Island  Chapter,  Order  of  Eastern 
Star,  was  instituted  at  Masonic  Temple, 
A|)ril  13,  1894.  Mrs.  Eva  M.  Conover,  the 
organizer,  was  chosen  wrothy  matron;  G.  F. 


Kramer,  worthy  patron;  and  Mrs.  Maria  B. 
Kinyon,  associate  matron. 

The  first  corps  of  officers  were:  Secretary, 
Lillie  K.  Williams;  treasurer,  Meta  DeSoland; 
conductress,  Zetta  Oilman;  associate  con- 
ductress, Anna  Harrington;  Adah,  Vashti 
Bollman;  Ruth,  Myra  Arnold;  Esther,  Clara 
Woltmann;  Martha,  Ada  Huntoon;  Electa 
Kate  A.  Tuller;  chaplain,  Sarah  Campbell; 
warder,  Mary  Rhodenbaugh;  organist,  Eliza- 
beth Volk;  sentinel,  L.  W.  Mitchell. 

In  August  of  the  same  year  the  secretary 
remo\-ed  from  the  city,  her  ]ilace  being  filled 
by  Vashti  Bollman.  In  October  the  charter 
was  granted;  the  chapter  nunUjered  two 
hundred  and  si.\tj--nine. 

The  first  cor]_)s  of  officers  elected  after  the 
chapter  was  chartered  was: 

Worthy  matron,  Eva  M.  Conover;  w(n'thy 
patron,  G.  F.  Kramer;  associate  matron, 
Maria  B.  Kinyon;  secretary,  Vashti  Bollman; 
treasurer,  Martha  Hyde;  conductress,  Myra 
Arnold;  associate  conductress,  Henrietta 
Kramer;  Adah,  Mary  Pratt;  Ruth,  Zetta  Gil- 
man;  Esther,  Jennie  Johnston;  Martha,  Ada 
Huntoon;  Electa,  Kate  Tuller;  marshal,  Sarah 
Green;  chaplain,  Addie  Elliott;  warder,  Mary 
Rhodenbaugh;  organist,  Elizabeth  Volk;  sen- 
tinel, N.  J.  Sandstrom. 

EUREKA  LODGE,   NO.   69,   A.    F.    &   A.    M.,    MILAN, 
ILLINOIS. 

Charter  was  issued  to  Eureka  Lodge,  No. 
69,  on  petition  of  brethren,  on  the  fourth 
day  of  October,  1849,  as  follows: 

John  Gilmore,  William  Feris,  J.  M.  Plumb, 
F.  B.  Gilmore,  Louis  Kinyon,  James  Dickson, 
William  Kelly,  James  M.  Gilmore  and  N.  D. 
Bradley. 

After  the  lodge  had  done  business  for  eight 
or  ten  years  a  state  of  lethergy  appeared  and 
the  charter  was  suspended  and  returned  to 
the  grand  lodge.  Finally  the  members  of 
Eureka  Lodge  reorganized  for  work,  con- 
sisting of  brethern  William  Feris,  Riley 
Hayford,  D.  C.   Round}',  John   l'>.   Davidson, 


214 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


William  Wallace.  N.  1).  Bradley,  Frank  H. 
Harris,  George  JM.  Dickson.  .James  Dickson. 
Alexander  Owens,  William  Dickson  and  Jolm 
Dickson;  and  the  first  comnuinication  was 
held  on  the  fourth  day  of  October,  1S66, 
when  Eureka  Lodge  started  anew. 

The  next  tronhlo  confronting  Eureka  was 
fire.  The  next  year,  1867.  fire  consumed  the 
most  of  the  business  part  of  the  village  of 
Milan — then  Camden  Mills — ,  and  Eureka 
Lodge  paraphernalia  was  all  consumed;  the 
charter,  however,  was  saved. 

CORDOVA    LODGIO,    NO.    .54.3,    A.    F.    &    A.    M.,    COR- 
DOVA,  ILLINOIS. 

A  dispensation  was  granted  .January  29. 
1S67,  and  a  charter  October  1,  1S67.  The 
charter  members  were  D.  H.  Mattice,  John 
K.  Glasscock,  Orville  N.  Whitford,  Thomas 
Karr,  J.  L.  Perkins,  George  Bryan,  George 
Ege,  J.eonard  Pyle,  Jesse  S.  Dailey,  R.  F. 
Simpson,  D.  Zimmerman.  A.  R.  Sill,  R.  K. 
McCormack,  T.  F.  Abbott,  J.  E.  Abbott,  D. 
Nicewanger  and  Abraham  Bolinger. 

The  jiresent  membcrshi]>  is  twenty-nine.    . 

SILVIS    LODGE,    NO.    S9S,    A.    F.    &    A.    AL .    SILVIS, 
ILLINOIS. 

Silvis  Lodge  was  granted  a  (lisjicnsatiou 
May  18,  1907,  and  their  charter  November 
1,  1908,  at  which  time  they  had  a  large  class 
in  the  Master  Mason's  degree,  working  from 
nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  ten  o'clock 
at  night. 

The  ladies  of  the  J5aptist  Church  served 
the  three  meals,  in  a  good  home  made  way; 
substantial,  bountifvd  and  varied,  with  fried 
chicken  each  time.  In  the  lodge  work  Rock 
Island  and  Moline  brethern  assisted.  They 
had  twenty-seven  charter  members.  Their 
present  membership  is  thirty-one. 

DORIC  LODCK,    NO.    .319.    A.    F.    .<■•    A.    M.,    MIlLINi:. 
ILLINOIS. 

Doric  Lodge,  No.  .319,  A.  V.  .<:  A.  M..  was 
organized   at  Moline,    Illinois.   May    11,   1N59, 


Dillon.  Horatio  G.  Nourse,  Luke  E.  Hemen- 
way.  DeWitt  C.  Marshall,  Robert  H.  Graham, 
J5eiijamiii  H.  Towndrovv,  William  G.  Roswell, 
l.iy  the  following  charter  members:  John  I'. 
Amos  (iould  and  Charles  A.  Brenan. 

A  charier  was  granted  October  5,  1S.59. 

The  membership  at  present  is  two  hundred 
and  fifty-four. 

ANDALUSIA  LODGE,  NO.  516,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  ANPA- 
LUSIA,  ILLINOIS. 

Date  of  dispensation.  August  24,  1866;  date 
of  charter,  October  1.  1S67.  Charter  mem- 
bers: B.  F.  Eby,  F.  M.  IJcmey,  S.  B.  Buffum, 
I.  T.  Walker,  John  Buffum,  A.  B.  Roberts, 
F.  A.  Cobb,  J.  W.  Ballard,  Rinnah  Wells, 
(i.  T.  Connor,  M.   V.  Spencer,  James  Cozad. 

The  present  membership  is  thirty-seven. 

The  first  worshipful  master  under  dispen- 
sation was  B.  F.  Eby;  senior  warden.  J.  W. 
Ballard;  and  junior  warden,  F.  A.  Colib. 
Stated  communications  are  held  Tuesday  on 
or  before  full  moon. 

VALLEY  LODGE,  NO.  547,  A.  F.  &  A.  M..  COAL 
VALLEY,  ILLINOIS. 

Can  not  gi%e  the  date  of  their  dispensa- 
tion, as  some  of  their  records  were  destroyed 
by  fire.  The  date  of  the  charter  is  October 
1,  1867.  The  charter  members  were:  James 
R.  Rosenberry.  William  Wayne,  William 
Meanor,  B.  R.  Blackfan,  Robert  Lee,  Fred- 
erick Wcyei-hacuser,  L.  H.  Trego,  S.  Black- 
fan.  The  number  of  members  at  present  is 
sixty-six.  Stated  communications  Friday  on 
or  Ijcforo  full  moon. 

PIIlLll     LODGE,     NO.     436.     A.     F.     ,i;-     A.     M..     I'ORT 
BYRON.  ILLINOIS. 

Charter  was  issued  October  4,  1865.  The 
charter  niPinbcrs  were:  E.  M.  Hickox,  Sam- 
iH'l  i;.  Allen.  I).  G.  Com.stock,  W.  J.  Shep- 
pard,  Heiu-y  Saddoris,  T.  D.  Temple,  James 
B.  Temple.  H.  B.  Young,  George  P.  Gates, 
[I.  \Y.  Guest.  K.  II.  Johnston.  Wilson  Flem- 
ing. 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


215 


Henry  Saddoris  is  still  a  member— -eighty- 
nine  years  old.  He  was  made  a  Master 
Mason,  in  1S39,  in  Ohio.  Have  seventy-nine 
members  at  present. 

INDEPENDENT  ORDER  OF  ODD 
FELLOWS. 

The  national  order  was  first  instituted  in 
J>altimore,  Maryland,  in  1819,  by  five  people; 
a  blacksmith  by  the  name  of  Wilej'  being  the 
head  organizer.  The  first  local  lodge  insti- 
tuted and  chartered  was  Rock  Island  Lodge, 
No.  18,  in  1850;  some  of  the  older  members 
being  Washington  L.  Sweeney,  Charles  B, 
Kno.x,  William  Bell,  W.  T.  Norris,  Henry 
Bnrgower,  Ernest  Krell,  Charles  Engel,  Cyrus 
Churchill,  Jacob  Hnber,  John  B.  Ilawley  and 
W.  T.  Magill. 

Ileal  Lodge,  No.  608,  was  chartered  in 
1876;  the  older  members  being  Jonas  Bear, 
Reul)en  Bollman,  Frank  Bahnsen,  Benjaniin 
Hartz,  Herbert  Scott,  John  South  and  Charles 
Hodgson.  The  Odd  Fellowship  Association 
have  a  strong  bond  of  help  or  assistance, 
which  they  contribute  to  the  dead  or  sick. 
Rock  Island  Lodge,  No.  18,  giving  a  burial 
fmid  of  eighty-five  dollars,  and  a  weekly  sick 
benefit  fund  of  four  dollars.  Ucal  Lodge, 
No.  60S,  giving  a  burial  fund  of  two  hundred 
and  ten  dollars,  and  a  weekly  sick  benefit 
fund  of  three  dollars. 

The  membership  of  the  two  lodges  at  the 
present  time  is  four  hundred  and  six. 

REHKKAir    LODGE,    NO.    73,    LADIEs'   AUXILIARY. 

The  founder  of  this  auxiliary  to  Odd  Fel- 
lowship, was  Schuyler  Colfax,  who  later  was 
vice-president  of  the  L^nited  States.  It  was 
organized  in  1850,  fifty-eight  years  ago. 

ROYAL  ARCANUM. 

Rock  Island  Council,  No.  1952,  Royal 
Arcanum,  was  organized  September  3,  1902, 
in  Math's  Hall,  with  twenty-eight  cliarter 
members.  First  officers  elected  were:  Re- 
gent,   Will    A.    Robb;    vice-regent,    William 


Ranson;  orator,  Frank  H.  First;  past  regent, 
H.  H.  Robb;  secretary,  S.  E.  Mattison,  junior; 
collector,  Joseph  F.  Schneider;  treasurer,  A. 
S.  Rasmussen;  chaplain.  Reverend  Thomas 
J.  Shuey;  guide,  Albert  Myers;  warden,  Ben- 
jamin E.  Robb;  sentry,  William  M.  Johnson; 
trustees,  Phil  S.  Wilcher,  William  Emig, 
Charles  Oswald;  representative  grand  council, 
H.  H.  Robb;  alternate,  Will  A.  Robb. 

Meetings  are  held  in  Math's  Hall,  the  second 
and    fourth    Friday    nights    of    each    month. 

The  ])resent  membersliip  is  eiglity-two. 

PATRIOTIC  SOCIETIES. 


THE   HODMAN    RIFLES. 

Was  mustered  into  the  State  service,  by 
Colonel  David  O.  Reid,  adjutant-general 
commanding,  September  5,  1877.  numbering 
about  seventy-five  men.  The  first  officers 
elected  were'  William  P.  Hutler,  caiJtain; 
Charles  W.  Hawes,  first  lieutenant;  John  M. 
Reticker,  second  lieutenant. 

Shortly  after  the  organization  of  the 
company  it  was  assigned  to  the  Fourteenth 
Battalion  of  Infantry,  Illinois  National  Guard, 
and  designated  as  Company  D.  First  Lieu- 
tenant Charles  W.  Hawes  was  elected  captain, 
vice-captain  William  P.  Butler  promoted  to 
lieutenant-colonel  commanding  the  Four- 
teenth Battalion,  with  headquarters  at  Rock 
Island. 

The  company  was  one  of  the  finest  in  the 
State,  having  distinguished  itself  for  precision 
in  military  tactics  and  for  soldierly  conduct 
generally.  The  Rifle  team  made  the  best 
record  of  any  team  in  the  Second  Brigade  and 
won  the  prize  for  markmanship  offered  by 
the  Second  Brigade,  in  1880,  and  also  prizes 
in  contests  in  other  States. 

In  1879,  a  corporation  was  forme. I  by 
members  of  the  company,  and  purchased  a 
lot  and  erected  thereon  a  three-story  brick 
Armory  building,  sixty  by  one  hunilred  and 
fifty  feet,  at  an  expense  of  $15,000.  It  is 
said  to  be  the  finest  Armory  ever  built  and 


216 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


owned  by  a  sing;le  military  company  up  to 
that  date;  it  is  located  at  the  corner  of  Third 
Avenue  and  Sixteenth  Street,  and  is  still 
occujiied  by  the  company  and  the  Rock 
Island  Division  of  Xaval  Reserves. 

The  Armory  Building  is  now  o\\  ned  by  the 
City  of  Rock  Island,  the  buildins;  has  been 
eidarged  and  part  is  used  for  council  c'lambcrs, 
city  offices  and  police  station. 

Company  D  was  assigned  to  the  Sixtli 
Regiment  of  Infantry  in  1SS2,  and  designated 
as  Company  A  in  190S.  The  company  served 
in  the  Si)anish  American  \\'ar,  in  General 
Miles  expedition  to  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico, 
giving  excellent  service. 

THIRD     niilCADE,     ILLINOIS     NATIONAL     GUAIJD, 
MOLINE,  ILLINOIS. 

Tlie  Brigade  officers  are  as  follows.  Briga- 
dier-General, Edward  Kittilsen,  commanding; 
Major  Elmer  E.  Morgan,  adjutant-general. 

SIXTH    INFANTRY,    ILLINOIS    NATIONAL    GIARD, 
ROCK  ISLAND,  ILLINOIS. 

Colonel  "Will  T.  Channon.  commanding; 
Captain  John  J.  Cairns,  regimental  adjutant. 

Company  A,  Rock  Island — Captain,  Ed- 
ward Dunavin;  first  lieutenant,  AA'alter  E. 
Hart.;  second  lieutenant,  Bernard  A.   Koch. 

Company  F,  Moline — Captain,  Marvin  H. 
Lj'^on,  commanding;  first  lieutenant,  Charles 
Laurin;  second  lieutenant,  Roland  E.  Willis. 

Rock  Island  Division,  Naval  Reserves — 
Lieutenant,  Samuel  R.  Davis,  commanding; 
lieutenant  junior  grade,  Maurice  DeKay; 

Moline  Division,  Naval  Reserves — Lieuten- 
ant, George  T.  Kemmerling,  commanding; 
lieutenant,  jimior  grade,  George  Gibbs. 

Helen  Gould  Auxiliary,  No.  7,  United 
Spanish  War  Veterans. 

GRAND  ARMY  OF  THE  REPUBLIC. 

In  compiling  the  history  of  Rock  Island 
County,  it  would  not  be  complete  without 
making  mention  of  the  Grand  Army  Posts, 
and  their  auxiliaries.     Shortly  after  the  colse 


of  the  Civil  ^^'ar,  the  thought  came  in  the 
minds  of  the  soldiers  that  were  separating  to 
do  something  that  would  keep  them  near 
togetlier,  and  the  Grand  Arm}'  of  the  Republic 
was  instituted. 

Doctor  B.  F.  Stephenson,  of  Springfield, 
Illinois,  was  the  founder.  The  first  Post  was 
organized  at  Decatur,  Illinois,  April  6,  1866. 
Honorable  M.  F.  Kanan  was  its  first  com- 
mander. 

Wednesday  evening,  June  6,  1866,  a  meet- 
ing was  held  in  the  County  Clerk's  office  of 
the  late  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  United 
States  volunteers.  Major  S.  C.  Plummer 
read  the  constitution  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic;  and  it  was  decided  to  organize 
a  post. 

Captain  J.  A.  Jordan,  Major  S.  C.  Plummer. 
Lieutenant-Colonel  E.  M.  lieardsley,  Major 
James  M.  Beardsley,  and  Captain  James  F. 
Copp  were  elected  delegates  to  the  first 
Soldiers  and  Sailors  convention  held  in  Illi- 
nois, and  which  convened  in  Springfield  June 
12.  1866.  That  evening  they  elected  the 
following  officers:  ilajor,  Samuel  C.  Plum- 
mer, district  commander;  Captain  Joh::  Peetz, 
adjutant-general;  W.  C.  Blackburn,  quarter- 
master; Captain  David  Hillior.  post-com- 
mander; Captain  Lester  D.  Phelps,  adjutant; 
James    L.    Hodges,    quartermaster-sergeant. 

June  24,  1866,  the  conu-ades  received  their 
charter,  being  designated  as  Post  No.  24.  At 
the  first  organization  of  the  various  Posts,  no 
names  were  given;  only  numbers.  After- 
wards names  were  given  in  connection  with 
number  of  the  different  Posts:  the  names 
being  in  honor-ible  recognition  of  some 
prominent  and  favorite  soldier. 

Following  this  meeting  a  great  many  of  the 
old  soldiers  joined  the  Post,  and  arranged 
by-laws  and  constitution.  All  went  well  for 
a  3'ear  when  the  general  interest  lagged  and 
they  finally  threw  up  t-ieir  c]iarter  and  was 
not  reorganized  until  May  30,  1883,  when  the 
following  officers  were  elected:  Major  H.  C. 
Connellv,     commander;     Louis     M.     Buford 


//  rS'T  O'RI  C     ROCK     I  SL  A  N  D     CO  U  N  T  Y 


217 


senior  vice-commander;  E.  H.  Bowman, 
jnnior  vice-commander;  John  il.  Reitcker, 
quartermaster;  J.  JI.  Montgomery,  officer  of 
the  day ;  Major  Samuel  C.  Plummer,  surgeon  ; 
L.  V.  Eckhart,  officer  of  the  guards;  A.  H. 
Hampton,  chaphiin;  Comrade  Harr}-  Abel  was 
appointed  adjutant;  J.  M.  Beardsley,  second 
quartermaster-sergeant;  Levi  Harson,  ser- 
geant-major; and  the  following  name  adop- 
ted: "Major  General  John  Buford  Post, 
No.  243." 

The  olijects  of  the  Grand  .^rm}-  has  lieen 
changed  from  time  to  time  at  their  annual 
meetings  for  the  greatest  number  interested. 
man_v  of  the  legislative  acts  have  been  brought 
about  by  tlie  Grand  Army,  and  much  good 
accomplished  liy  them,  for  the  great  princi]iles 
involved. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  Posts  of  the 
County,  and  year  of  organization: 

Major  General  John  Buford  Post,  No.  243, 
Hock  Island,  1S74;  Graham  Post,  No.  312, 
Moline,  1S6S;  William  McDaniel  Post,  No. 
.595,  Hampton,  1S6S;  Alford  Bing  Post,  No. 
492,  Andalusia,  1SS6;  William  L.  Walker 
Post,  No.  385,  Coal  Valley,  1SS6;  J.  W.  Muse 
Post,  No.  369,  Milan,  18S6;  Reynolds,  No.. 
559,  Reynolds,  1886. 

Eligibility  to  membersliip,  includes  soldiers 
and  sailors  of  the  United  States  ai-my,  navy 
or  marine  corps,  who  served  between  April 
12,  1861,  and  April  9,  1865,  in  the  war  for  the 
svippression  of  the  rebellion ;  those  having 
been  honorably  discharged  therefrom  after 
such  service;  and  of  such  State  regiments  as 
were  called  into  active  service,  and  subject  to 
the  orders  of  the  United  States  general  officers 
between  the  dates  mentioned;  shall  be  eligible 
to  membership  in  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic.  No  person  shall  be  eligible  to 
membership  who  has  at  anj-  time  borne  arms 
against  the  United  States.  No  officer  or 
comrade  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Repidjlic 
shall  in  any  manner  use  the  organization  for 
partisan  purposes,  and  no  discussion  of  parti- 
san questions  shall  be  permitted  at  any  of  its 


meetings,  nor  shall  any  nominations  for 
]x)litical  office  be  made. 

The  objects  to  be  accomplished  by  this 
organization  are:  To  preserve  and  strengthen 
tliose  kind  and  fraternal  feelings  which  bind 
together  soldiers,  sailors  and  marines,  who 
united  to  su])press  the  late  rebellion,  and  to 
perpetuate  the  memory  and  history  of  the 
Dead;  to  assist  such  former  comrades  in  arms 
as  need  help  and  protection,  and  to  extend 
needftd  aid  to  the  widows  and  orphans  of 
those  who  have  fallen;  to  maintain  true 
idleciance  to  the  United  States  of  America, 
l)ased  upon  a  paramount  respect  for  and 
fidelity  to  its  constitution  and  laws,  ti  di.s- 
c(Huitenance  whatever  tends  to  weaken  loy- 
alty, incite  insurrection,  treason  or  rebellion; 
or  in  any  manner  im))airs  the  efficiency  or 
permancy  of  our  free  institiitions;  and  to 
encourage  the  spread  of  universal  liherty, 
equal  rights  and  justice  to  all  men. 

The  Major  General  Jojm  Buford  Post,  No. 
243,  was  highly  complimented  by  one  of  its 
members — Ed\^in  H.  Buck,  in  1906 — being 
elected  Department  commander  of  the  State 
of  Illinois,  and  with  the  boys  was  dubbed 
"Private  Buck." 

THE  PRESS  OF  ROCK  ISLAND 
COUNTY. 


To  Henry  C.  McGrew,  a  native  of  Ireland, 
who  came  to  this  country  in  1818  with  his 
father,  belongs  the  credit  of  issuing  the  first 
newspaper  published  in  Rock  Island  County. 
He  came  to  Rock  Island  in  1839,  and  about 
the  middle  of  August  of  that  year  started 
the  Rock  Islantl  Banner  and  Stephenson 
Gazette,  which  suspended  publication  in  the. 
Fall  of  1841,  when  the  press  and  type  were 
moved  to  Geneseo.  The  paper  was  neutral 
in  politics  until  1840,  when,  during  the 
jjresidential  campaign  of  that  year,  it  advo- 
cated the  principles  of  the  Democratic 
party. 


218 


HISTORIC    ROCK     1 S L AND    COU N T Y 


THE  UrPER  MISSISSIPPIAN. 

After  the  Banner  began  its  support  of  the 
Democratic  party,  the  Whigs  felt  the  need  of 
a  paper  during  the  political  excitement  of 
184(i,  and  accordingly  in  the  early  part  of 
October  of  that  year  the  Upper  Mississipia7i 
was  started;  its  editors  and  proprietors  at 
first  not  being  announced,  but  all  communi- 
cations were  to  be  addressed  to  Daniel  Crist. 

The  paper  had  an  eventful  career  and  its 
editorial  columns  were  principally  filled  with 
personal  quarrels.  At  times  the  paper  failed 
to  be  published  on  account  of  lack  of  funds 
with  which  to  purchase  paper,  and  at  one 
time  it  was  suggested  to  buy  muslin  and  print 
on  that;  the  subscribers  to  wash  and  return 
it  in  time  for  the  next  issue;  but  the  project 
was  never  carried  out.  On  September  24, 
1842,  the  press  and  type  were  replevined  in 
the  name  of  John  G.  Powers,  and  the  paper 
was  printed  for  that  week  in  the  Gazette 
office  at  Davenport.  In  November,  1S42,  a 
new  press  and  type  were  purchased. 

Among  the  people  prominently  connected 
with  the  Upper  Alississipian  during  its  career 
were:  Daniel  Crist;  Doctor  Silas  Reed,  who 
furnished  the  editorial;  and  Thomas  Gregg. 
Harmon  G.  Reynolds  purchased  the  paper 
from  Crist  in  November,  1844,  and  changed 
the  name  to  the  Upper  Mississipia^i  and 
Rock  Island  Republican.  It  expired  early  in 
1847. 

THE  NORTHWESTERN  ADVERTISER. 

In  1845,  the  Whigs  were  again  without  a 
paper,  and  in  November  of  that  year,  a 
prospectus  was  issued  for  a  new  paper  to  be 
known  as  the  Northwestern  Advertiser,  edited 
and  published  by  Doctor  Horatio  P.  Gatchell, 
who  came  from  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  as  a  Chris- 
tian (Campbellite)  preacher,  and  Miles  W. 
Conway.  The  press  was  purchased  at  Du- 
buque, Iowa. 

On  the  12th  of  November  Mr.  Conway  died, 
and  this  so  discouraged  Doctor  Gratchell  that 


he  sold  the  paper  to  General  William  Vanderer 
in  May,  1846.  Mr.  Vanderer  jjublished  the 
paper  for  about  a  year  when  he  sold  it  to 
Messrs.  Sanders  and  Davis,  of  the  Davenport 
Gazette,  who  published  it  a  few  months  and 
then  sold  it  to  F.  P.  Bennett,  he  changing  the 
name  to  the  Rock  Island  Advertiser. 

Mr.  Bennett  continued  the  publication  of 
the  paper  alone  until  1856,  when  A.  J. 
Brackett  became  an  associate,  the  partnership 
lasting  about  a  year,   Mr.   Brackett  retiring. 

In  September,  1853,  Mr.  Bennett,  the  sole 
proprietor  since  Colonel  Brackett's  retire- 
ment, sold  to  Thomas  R.  Raymond  and 
Oliver  T.  Wharton,  who  remained  together 
until  September  13,  1854,  when  Mr.  Wharton 
assumed  control  and  Mr.  Raymond  estab- 
lished a  job  office. 

The  Tri-Wcekly  Advertiser  was  started  in 
December,  1853,  and  in  1855  Mr.  Wharton 
started  the  Daily  Advertiser,  which  was  rim 
until  the  Spring  of  1858. 

In  1856  Mr.  Wharton  formed  a  partnership 
with  G.  S.  Hyatt,  which  did  not  last  long. 
In  August,  1 856,  Mr.  AVharton .  sold  the 
Advertiser  to  T.  R.  Raymond,  and  in  Decem- 
ber Doctor  A.  S.  Paddock  became  interested 
with  Mr.  Raymond  in  its  puljlication,  which 
lasted  about  a  3^ear.  The  jjajier  died  in  the 
Spring  of  1858. 

THE  LIBERTY  BANNER. 

A  small,  uiiiiretentious  sheet,  advocating 
the  abolition  of  slaverj^ — The  Liberty  Banner 
— made  its  first  appearance  in  the  Spring  of 
1S46;  a  most  unfavorable  time,  and  advocat- 
ing a  principle  which  both  the  great  parties, 
the  Democrats  and  the  Whigs,  were  violently 
opposing.  Its  editor  was  C.  B.  Waite.  The 
paper  was  printed  in  the  office  of  the  Upper 
Mississipian.  It  was  published  oidy  a  few 
months. 

THE  ARGUS. 

The  first  issue  of  tlie  pajier  which  after- 
ward became  The  Aryas  was  jirinted  in  a  rear 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


219 


room  on  the  second  floor  of  what  was  then 
the  Whittaker  and  Everts  buikling,  located 
just  east  of  the  present  Argus  building, 
October  IS,  1851.  Although  it  was  issued 
as  the  liock  Island  Republican,  it  was  Demo- 
cratic in  politics  then,  as  now.  The  adoption 
of  the  present  nauie  was  brought  about  in 
1855  by  the  formation  of  an  opposing  political 
party,  which  took  the  one  the  paper  bore. 
At  the  time  it  was  established,  as  in  the  case 
with  the  publication  for  the  most  part  since, 
the  Republican  was  the  only  Democratic 
paper  within  a  radius  of  one  hundred  miles. 
Its  jniblication  was  begun  by  Fred  S.  Nichols 
and  John  W.  Dunham.  The  outfit  they  used 
was  a  second  hand  one,  purchased  in  St. 
Louis.  Both  partners  had  consideraljle  ex- 
perience in  newspaper  work  previous  to  their 
coming  here,  and  their  acquaintance  was 
formed  while  working  together  on  the  St. 
Louis  IntcUigcnccr.  Nichols  was  a  Northern 
man  and  Dunham  a  Southerner.  Tlie  latter 
.soon  became  tired  of  the  undertaking  and 
after  six  weeks  he  sold  out  to  his  partner. 
Nichols  continued  alone  until  No\-eml)er, 
1852,  when  he  sold  a  half  interest  to  J.  B. 
Danforth,  junior,  whose  connection  with  the 
paper  continued  to  a  more  or  less  extent  till 
1 869. 

Having  acquired  the  interest  of  Nichols, 
in  the  Spring  of  1853,  Mr.  Danforth  continued 
as  sole  proprietor  three  years,  when  a  share 
was  purchased  by  Robert  V.  Shurley.  The 
Buford  Block,  at  the  northeast  corner  of 
Second  Avenue  and  Seventeenth  Street,  the 
first  four-story  liuilding  in  the  City,  was 
completed  in  1854,  ami  the  Republican  took 
up  quarters  there  which  it  retained  seventeen 
years.  July  13th  of  that  year  the  first  daily 
was  issued.  At  that  time  there  was  no  other 
daily  nearer  than  Duljuque. 

September  16,  1857,  Pershing  and  Connelly 
(the  latter  Major  H.  C.  Connelly),  tlicn  pub- 
lishers of  the  Rock  Islander,  bought  the 
interest  not  owned  hy  Mr.  Shurley,  and  the 
title  of  the  ])a])er  was  changed   to  the  Rock 


Islander  and  Argus.  A  week  after  this 
transaction,  Mr.  Shurley  sold  out  to  Milton 
Jones,  who  remained  on  the  paper  until  1881. 
September  16,  1859,  J.  B.  Danforth  again 
secured  an  interest,  buying  out  Purshing  and 
Connelly,  and  the  paper  once  more  became 
The  Argus.  In  the  meantime,  July  18,  1859, 
the  daily  was  suspended  and  a  tri- weekly 
liegun.  This  was  continued  until  September 
1,  1861,  when  the  daily  was  resumed. 

In  1869  Roliert  F.  McNeal  bought  out  Mr. 
Danforth;  but  January  1,  1S7U,  he,  in  turn, 
]iarted  with  his  interests  to  J.  S.  Drake. 
Tliree  years  later  The  Argus  Company  was 
formed  and  incorporated  with  a  capital 
stock  of  .1!;32,000.  In  1871  the  Buford  heirs 
erected  the  Argus  Block  next  the  alley  on  the 
east  side  of  East  Seventeenth  Street,  and  the 
pa])er  went  into  its  first  exclusive  quarters. 
Ten  years  later  Richardson  and  Powers  ac- 
quired the  controlling  interest  in  the  company. 
For  a  brief  year  they  waged  a  struggle  against 
adversit_y.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  in  1881, 
financial  reverses  necessitated  a  suspension 
of  the  paper.  J.  W.  Potter,  pulilisher  of  the 
Freeport  Bulletin,  came  upon  the  scene  and 
l)()ught  tlie  news])aper,  semling  his  son,  the 
late  J.  W.  Potter,  junior,  here  to  manage  it. 
(See  biograjihy  of  J.  W.  Potter,  as  per  index). 
The  first  issue  under  the  new  management 
appeared  August  2,  1882.  In  May,  1885,  the 
elder  Mr.  Potter  died,  and  the  son  became 
sole  owner.  When  Mr.  Potter  took  charge 
of  The  Argus  there  was  little  but  the  name 
left.  For  a  time  the  paper  was  issued  in 
abbreviated  form.  As  it  made  a  ]ilace  for 
itself  in  the  community  it  was  enlarged  till 
it  l)ecame  an  eight  and  even  a  nine-coliinm 
folio.  The  size  was  reduced  to  the  standard 
seven  column  quarto  upon  the  installati(jn  of 
a  Cox  perfecting  press  in  1894.  Since  that 
time  the  regular  issue  has  been  of  six  and 
eight  pages,  but  special  editions  of  twelve, 
sixteen  and  even  more  pages  have  been  issued 
from  time  to  time. 


220 


HISTORIC    ROC  K    ISLAND    COUNTY 


In  188S  the  old  quarters  on  East  Seven- 
teenth Street  were  outgrown.  During  that 
season  the  building  now  occupied  was  pur- 
chased by  Mr.  Potter  and  became  the  paper's 
home. 

The  first  Daily  Argus,  which  was  issued 
July  13,  1854,  was  an  evening  paper.  De- 
cember 17,  1855,  it  was  clianged  to  a  morning 
paper  and  published  as  such  till  November 
IS,  1861,  when  evening  publication  was  again 
resumed,  and  has  been  continued  up  to  the 
present.  A  weekly  has  been  jjublished  con- 
tinuousl}'  since  the  founding  of  the  paper  in 
1851. 

During  the  j'ears  since  The  Argux  was 
revived  by  ilr.  Potter,  it  has  earned  rank 
among  the  first  ])apers  of  its  class  in  the 
state,  and  has  maintained  that  position. 
Besides  being  tlie  oldest  paper  in  the  County, 
it  has  been  published  under  its  present  name 
longer  tlian  any  other  paper  in  the  three 
cities.  It  was  tlie  first  paper  in  the  three 
cities  to  use  a  steam  power  press,  the  first  to 
substitute  therefor  an  electric  motor,  and  the 
first  to  abandon  the  old  cylinder  jaress  for  one 
of  the  perfecting  varietv. 

Upon  the  death  of  J.  W.  Potter,  January 
11,  1898,  the  management  of  Thr  Argus 
became  known  as  the  J.  W.  Potter  Publishing 
Company,  by  which  the  paper  is  now  issued. 
The  officers  are.  President,  Mrs.  J.  W. 
Potter;  vice-president,  H.  P.  Simpson;  secre- 
tary, and  treasurer  James  J.  LaVelle.  Mi'. 
Simpson  is  editor  and  Mr.  LaVelle  manager 
of  the  paper. 

THE  NEWS. 

On  the  10th  of  March,  1855,  James  Bowie 
issued  a  daily  paper  in  Rock  Island  called 
The  News.  It  was  printed  in  Raymond's 
office  in  Gothic  Block,  and  was  of  transient 
duration.  It  expired  after  an  existence  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  daj-s.  Bowie 
came  here  from  Baltimore,  and  after  leaving 
here  edited  a  paper  at  Geneseo,  Henry 
County.     In  September,  1858,  he  returned  to 


Moline,  and  in  connection  with  Frank  Linne- 
han  started  the  Citizen,  which  soon  failed, 
and  in  1860  he  was  again  at  Geneseo,  in  con- 
nectiim  with  another  .short  lived  paper  in 
that  ]>lace,  where  he  died  in  1860. 

THE  COMMERCIAL. 

On  the  7th  of  July,  1858,  C.  W.  Kirkland 
commenced  tlie  publication  of  a  morning 
daily  paper,  and  also  a  weekly,  called  the 
Commercial.  In  its  first  issue  he  said :  ' '  The 
Commercial  will  be  the  firm,  zealous  and  con- 
sistent supporter  of  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  partj'."  The  printing  was  done 
at  Rajrmond's  office  in  the  Gothic  Block. 
It  was  discontinued  on  the  3rd  of  February, 
1850,  for  the  want  of  patronage. 

THE  ROCK  ISLAND  REGISTER. 

T.  J.  Pickett  launched  a  Republican  paper 
— the  Rock  Island  Register — February  9, 
1859,  and  published  from  the  start  a  weekly 
and  tri-weekly,  with  Campbell  W.  Waite  as 
associate  editor,  who  continued  his  connec- 
tion with  the  paper  for  about  five  months. 
June  6,  1860,  C.  W.  Kirkland  became  a 
partner,  the  firm  name  being  Pickett  and 
Waite.  editors  and  proprietors.  January  9, 
1861,  Mr.  Pickett  having  been  elected  to  the 
Legislature,  j\Ir.  M.  S.  Barnes  took  charge  of 
the  editorial  department,  which  he  retained 
until  the  return  of  Mr.  Pickett  in  August  of 
that  3'ear. 

The  tri-weekly  ceased  publication  some 
time  in  the  Summer  of  1861,  and  the  weekly 
some  time  in  1862. 

ROCK  ISLAND  UNION. 

A\liile  the  Union  was  first  issued  in  Rock 
Island,  November  5,  1862,  the  origin  of  the 
paper  is  to  be  sought  in  Moline,  the  daily  and 
weekl}'  Union  representing  a  union  of  two 
Moline  papers,  and  the  transfer  of  the  office 
of  publication  to  Rock  Island,  the  coimty 
seat,  and  the  political  and  commercial  centre 
of    the    count)'.     In    August,    1857,    Ames 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


221 


Smith,  who  came  west  from  Lambertville, 
New  Jersey,  started  the  Moline  Workman,  a 
weekly  which  strongly  espoused  the  anti- 
slavery  cause.  In  February,  1857,  he  sold 
the  plant  to  Robert  H.  Graham  and  Alfred 
AA'ebster,  who  chan{j:ed  the  name  to  the 
Independent,  under  wliich  name  it  was  con- 
tinued by  various  owners.  The  ownership  of 
the  plant,  after  several  changes,  in  1862, 
finall}'  reverted  to  Mr.  Graham  and  his 
brother-in-law,  Mr.  I.  A.  Kiick.  The  latter 
remained  in  charge  when  Jlr.  Graham  entered 
the  military  service  at  the  outbreak  of  the 
Civil  War,  in  which  he  rose  to  the  rank  of 
Colonel.  His  death  followed  soon  after  his 
resignation,  in  the  Fall  of  1862. 

In  November,  1862,  Mr.  Kuck  discontinued 
the  publication  of  the  Moline  Indejicndcnt, 
and  moved  the  plant  into  tlie  old  l\Iitchell 
and  Lynde  Block,  in  Rock  Island,  wlience,  on 
the  fifth  of  the  month,  the  first  number  of 
the  Weekly  Union  was  published,  as  an  organ 
of  the  Republicans  of  the  county.  Mr. 
Graham  died  November  11,  and  the  publica- 
tion of  the  daily,  which  had  already  been 
launched  in  the  expectation  that  he  would  be 
able  to  return  to  take  part  in  tlie  enterjirise, 
was  at  once  stopped.  Mr.  Kuck  continued 
the  publication  of  the  Weekly  Union  imtil 
May,  1863,  when  he  sold  the  property  to 
Cokmel  M.  S.  Barnes,  who  at  once  resun:ed 
the  puljlication  of  tlie  Daily  Union  as  an 
evening  jiaper  in  addition  to  the  weekly. 
The  ]jublication  of  the  daily  as  an  evening 
paper  was  continued  until  December,  1866, 
when  Colonel  Barnes,  who  had  resumed 
]X)ssession  after  three  months  control  bj' 
Major  William  CafTerj^  sold  the  ijrojjerty  to 
Captain  L.  M.  Haverstick,  who  came  here 
from  Maryland.  When  Captain  Haverstick 
took  possession  the  daily  was  changed  to  a 
morning  pajjer.  He  subsequently  bouglit 
the  Moline  Republican,  and.  added  its  job 
plant  as  a  department  of  the  T'nion  iirintiug 
l)u.siue.ss.  Captain  Haverstick  was  the  editor 
of  the  Union  until  1874,  but  in  the  meantime 


lie  had  several  partners  in  the  business.  On 
July  1,  1867,  M.  D.  Merrill  bought  a  two- 
fifths  interest.  At  the  end  of  two  years  he 
sold  it  back  to  Mr.  Haverstick.  The  latter 
then  sold  a  half  interest  to  Mr.  Richard 
Crampton,  and  the  result  was  the  removal 
of  the  office  of  publication  to  the  block  in 
which  Mr.  Crampton  carried  on  his  book 
store  and  blank  book  manufactory.  This 
combination  continued  until  the  Summer  of 
1872,  when  Captain  Haverstick  repurchased 
Mr.  Crampton's  interest  and  built  tlie  block 
on  Eighteenth  Street  from  which  the  Union, 
daily  and  weeklj',  has  since  been  issued.  In 
the  Spring  of  187."?,  Mr.  O.  A.  Barnhart  pur- 
chased a  half  interest  in  the  paper,  which  he 
held  for  one  year. 

In  March,  1874,  the  Union  Printing  Com- 
pany was  organized,  to  take  over  the  prop- 
erty. The  first  stock  holders  and  officers 
were:  L.  M.  Haverstick,  president;  A.  E. 
Wells,  vice-president;  Walter  Johnson,  secre- 
tary and  treasurer.  In  September  of  that 
\-ear  Captain  Haverstick  sold  his  stock  to 
Captain  H.  C.  Cleaveland  and  J.  J.  Parks, 
when  Mr.  Johnson  became  president  and 
editor,  and  Mr.  Cleaveland  business  manager. 

During  the  succeeding  two  years,  the 
ownership  of  the  stock  held  by  ;\Iessrs. 
Cleaveland  and  Parks  clianged  hands  several 
times,  Captain  Ha^■erstick  returning  to  his 
ol<l  [ilace  for  a  time.  In  1876,  however,  he 
sold  his  quarter  interest  to  William  Henry 
Burdett,  and  Mr.  Parks  sold  his  quarter 
interest  to  George  McKay  Luken,  who 
became  superintendent  of  the  job  room. 
After  this  period  tlie  ownership  of  the  paper 
l^ecame  staple  and  confined  to  fewer  hands. 
Mr.  Lidven  after  a  few  years,  s(jld  his  interest 
to  Messrs.  Johnson  and  Burdett,  and  a  small 
block  of  the  stock  went  to  Cieorge  Morgan, 
but  the  latter  remained  with  the  paper  but  a 
short  time.  In  1SS8,  Mr.  Burdett,  on  account 
of  sickness  which  caused  his  death  December 
1,  1889,  sold  his  interest  to  Mr.  H.  C.  Ash- 
baugh.     The    latter,     in     1891,     sold     it    to 


•222 


HISTORIC    ROC  K    ISLAND     COUNTY 


Mr.  Jdhiisdn.  w  lid  t  liiis  hecamo  the  sole  owner 
well  as  the  editor.  After  his  death  the  as 
property  descended  to  his  widow  and  daught- 
ers, who  ha\-e  retained  the  ownership  of  the 
paper.  .1.  K.  Brandenburg,  whom  Mr.  John- 
son, during  the  period  of  invalidism  preceding 
his  death,  placed  in  charge  of  the  editorial 
deixirtment,  continuing  in  that  capacity,  with 
Tj.  Ben  DriffiU  as  business  manager,  and  F. 
W.  Rinck  as  advertising  manager. 

The  Daily  Union  has  returned  to  the  field 
which  it  originally  occupied  as  an  evening 
paper,  and  the  change  has  materially  in- 
creased the  prosperity  which  the  paper  has 
enjoyed  for  a  quarter  of  a  century. 

THE  AMERICAN  LAW  REPORTER. 

A  neat,  little  quarto-weekly  paper  which 
made  its  appearance  in  the  Fall  of  1872,  was 
The  American  Law  Reporter,  with  I^.  G. 
Johnson  as  editor.  As  the  name  implie.s  it 
was  devoted  to  the  interests  of  the  legal  pro- 
fession of  Illinois  and  Iowa.  The  first  edition 
was  printed  in  Davenport,  then  it  was  moved 
into  the  Union  Block,  Rock  Island.  The 
paper  was  published  for  eighteen  weeks,  when 
it  ceased  for  want  of  patronage. 

THE  LIBERTY  LEAGUE. 

Another  pa|)er,  which  had  a  short  life,  and 
whose  publishers  were  unannounced,  made 
its  appearance  April  3,  LS73,  its  name  being 
The  Liberty  Lecif/iiv.  The  paper  was  started 
as  an  organ  for  the  liquor  dealers  of  Rock 
Island  and  the  adjoining  cities.  It  lived 
three  weeks,  when,  as  generally  supposed, 
the  material  was  stole  during  the  night  time, 
shi];)])ed  to  Burlington,  Iowa,  and  sold. 

MOLINE   DAILY  DISPATCH. 

Established  July  31,  1878,  by  Oliver  and 
Louise  White,  who  came  to  Moline  from 
Toulon,  Stark  County,  where  they  had  con- 
ducted the  Mollie  Stark.  They  started  the 
Dispateh  as  a  four-colunui  folio.  A  little 
later  is  was  consolidate  with  the  Review,  and 


thus  originated  the  name  of  the  Review- 
hispiitch,  now  the  weekly  edition  of  the  Daily 
Dispateh.  Samson  Kennedy  was  one  of  the 
successors  of  the  Whites,  and  with  him  was 
Captain  I^.  M.  Haverstick.  These  proj^rietors 
conducted  the  Dispatch  till  in  the  early 
eighties  they  were  succeeded  by  the  Dean 
Brothers — Fred  O.  Dean  and  Jay  H.  Dean. 
When  these  latter  had  failed  to  make  the 
publication  pay,  they  w-ere,  in  July  of  1885, 
succeeded  by  P.  S.  McGlynn  and  John  K. 
Groom.  Mr.  Groom  sold  out  his  interest  in 
1891  to  W.  F.  Eastman.  Since  that  time 
Messrs.  IMcGlynn  and  Eastman  have  been 
editors,  publishers  and  owners  of  the  paper, 
under  the  style  of  the  Moline  Dispatch  Pub- 
lishing Company. 

MOLINE  WEEKLY  REVIEW-DISPATCH. 

From  June  of  1S67,  when  Captain  L.  M. 
Haverstick  bought  the  Moline  Republican  and 
discontinued  it,  to  November  26,  1870,  Moline 
had  no  newspaper.  On  the  date  last  named, 
Messrs.  Lowe  and  Gilson  (Frank  R.  Gilson, 
later  of  the  Clinton,  Iowa,  Herald  and  the 
Benton  Harbor,  Michigan,  Palladium,  dtu'ing 
his  proijrietorship  of  which  latter  paper  he 
died)  started  the  Moline  Review.  They  used 
the  printing  material  of  the  discontinued 
Republican.  February  17,  1871,  Mr.  Lowe 
retired  from  the  firm.  Mr.  Gilson  continued 
publishing  the  paper  till  September  23,  1871, 
when  he  gave  way  to  Kennedy  and  Crichton. 
May  1,  1872,  Mr.  Crichton  retired  and  was 
succeeded  by  B.  F.  Tillinghast,  now  of  the 
Davenjiort  Democrat.  The  firm  was  Kennedy 
and  Tillinghast  till  March  23,  1874,  when  Mr. 
Kennedy  retired.  Tillinghast  conducted  the 
paper  alone  till  Jvdy  1,  1875,  when  he  was 
joined  by  John  H.  Porter.  February  5,  1877, 
Tillinghast  and  Porter  sold  the  paper  to  R.  H. 
Moore,  later  of  the  Ottumwa  Courier.  In 
1878  came  consolidation  w'ith  the  Daily 
Dispatch,  under  the  management  of  Oliver 
White  and  his  wife. 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


223 


PORT  BYRON  GLOBE. 

The  first  issue  of  the  Port  Byron  Globe 
appeared  October  16,  1880,  J.  W.  Simpson 
being  etUtor  antl  proprietor.  It  was  then  an 
cifiht-cohimn  folio  and  was  liberally  patron- 
ized from  the  start.  Mr.  Simpson,  Feliruary 
22,  1885,  sold  out  to  Hess  and  Owen.  This 
firm  continued  for  a  year,  when  Mr.  Hess  sold 
his  interest  to  G.  A.  Metzgar,  and  the  latter 
disposed  of  Iiis  interest  to  Mr.  Owen  after 
only  a  short  connection  with  the  jjaper.  In 
1891  W.  D.  Hall  purchased  an  interest  and 
the  firm  was  then  known  as  Owen  and  Hall. 
Marcli  1,  1898,  Frank  McMeekin  |)urchased 
Mr.  Owen's  interest  and  the  firm  of  Hall  and 
McMeekin  continued  five  years,  when  the 
junior  member  of  the  partnership  retired  from 
the  publication  and  W.  D.  Hall  became  sole 
owner,  and  continues  as  such  at  the  i)resent 
time. 

The  Globe  lias  always  borne  the  reputation 
of  being  one  of  the  best  country  weeklies  of 
the  State.  Its  advertising  space  is  sought 
becau.se  it  is  backed  by  the  entire  farming 
commmiity  and  the  villages  of  the  north  end 
of  the  county,  and  it  is  also  carefully  edited 
and  neatly  printed.  Under  the  management 
of  Mr.  Hall  the  business  of  the  paper  has 
doubled,  and  it  is  at  present  equijijied  with 
power  presses  and  other  machinery  to  meet 
the  increase  in  its  patronage. 

The  paper  has  always  been  independent 
politically,  giving  first  attention  to  the  home 
news,  and  treating  all  fairly  and  honestly, 
regardless  of  color,  sex  or  previous  condition 
of  servitude.  In  short,  the  paper  is  a  family 
paper  and  its  ]:)resent  proprietor  feels  that  his 
efforts  to  make  it  such  are  appreciated,  as 
his  readers  point  to  the  Globe  as  a  model 
country  jiaper. 

MOLINE  :\IA1L. 

.Mthough  the  youngest  of  the  newspapers 
of  Moline,  the  Moline  Eveyiinij  Mail  has,  from 
the  first,  enjoyed  the  confidence  and  favor  (jf 


the  great  mass  of  the  people  comprising 
Moline's  population;  and  with  the  growth  of 
the  city  and  suburbs  the  paper  has  increased 
in  these  attributes. 

Started  a.s  a  Sunday  moi'uing  paper  in 
1893,  the  daily  edition  was  begun  soon  after- 
ward, induced  by  the  growth  in  jiopularity  of 
the  Sunday  edition.  The  first  owner  of  the 
paper  was  the  firm  of  Stanley  and  May — 
Messrs.  T.  I.  Stanley  and  Charles  E.  May — 
and  it  so  continued  until  Mr.  Stanley  sold  his 
interests  to  W.  A.  Jones,  and  the  paper  con- 
tinued under  the  firm  of  Jones  and  May.  In 
1902  Mr.  Jones  sold  his  half  interest  to  J.  H. 
McKeever,  then  city  editor,  and  the  firm 
became  May  and  McKeever.  This  partner- 
shi]3  was  incorporated  in  1903  as  The  Moline 
Mail  Company,  and  the  following  directors 
were  elected  and  serve  at  i)resent:  E.  B. 
McKeever,  J.  H.  McKeever,  C.  E.  May  and 
J.  H.  Holmes;  the  officers  being  as  follows: 
president,  E.  B.  McKeever;  vice-president, 
J.  H.  Holmes;  secretary-treasurer,  J.  H. 
McKeever. 

From  the  first  The  Mail  has  been  inde- 
pendent in  ])olitics,  voicing  the  will  and  the 
vigor  of  pvdjlic  sentiment  as  ex])ressed  by 
the  people. 

Starting  with  a  foot-power  job  press  and  a 
small  type  ecpiipment,  located  in  a  cellar 
basement,  The  Mail  has  grown  until  today 
it  occupies  its  own  building,  a  fine  two-story 
brick  structure  at  1420  Fifth  Avenue,  has  a 
perfecting  press  and  linotype  machines,  a 
large  equipment  in  composing  room,  and  a 
splendid,  loyal  and  enthusiastic  staff  of 
workers  in  all  departments.  E.  P.  Rund- 
quist  is  city  editor  and  J.  A.  Logsdon  is  in 
charge  of  the  circulation.  E.  B.  McKeever 
is  editor,  and  J.  H.  McKeever,  business 
manager.  The  paper  is  now  issued  every 
week  day  evening,  the  Sunday  issue  having 
been  discontinued. 

A  job  printing  department  is  also  o])crated 
in  connection  with  the  newspaper. 


224 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


THE  RFANOLDS  PRESS. 

Jesse  A.  Winger  was  the  founder  of  the 
Press.  He  bought  the  entire  plant,  new 
from  shooting-stick  to  newspaper  press,  in 
Chicago,  and  issued  Number  one  of  Volume 
one  in  Aledo,  the  seat  of  Mercer  County,  on 
October  19,  1894,  In  that  city  it  was  pub- 
lished for  more  than  a  year  as  a  red  hot 
Democratic  weekh\ 

But  the  income  wasn't  quite  large  enough 
to  paj^  the  expenses,  and  so  ilr.  Winger 
sought  a  new  field.  He  found  it  at  Reynolds, 
the  metropolis  of  the  lower  end  of  Rock 
Island  County,  and  one  of  the  finest  little 
villages  in  the  State,  located,  b}-  the  way, 
about  half  way  between  Aledo  and  Rock 
Island,  and  surrounded  in  everj'  direction  by 
a  particularly  rich  agricultural  region.  The 
Aledo  Press  thus  became  the  Reynolds  Press, 
without  missing  an  issue,  in  Januarj',  1S96, 
at  the  same  time  changing  its  politics  to 
independent. 

In  Februar}',  1897,  the  plant  and  subscrip- 
tion list  were  sold  to  Guy  Y.  Pettit,  who  at 
that  time  was  principal  of  the  Brimfield, 
Peoria  County,  schools.  Mr.  Pettit  had  been 
in  public  school  work  for  twelve  years,  five 
of  them  having  been  spent  at  the  head  of  the 
Hampton  and  Reynolds  schools,  respectively. 
Without  a  single  daj''s  experience  in  a  print 
shop,  the  new  owner  assumed  personal  charge 
of  his  venture  July  1,  1897,  and  has  been  with 
the  paper  ever  since. 

In  common  with  most  country  weeklies, 
the  Press  was  a  ' '  patent  inside  ''  paper  up  to 
May  1,  1904.  Since  that  time  it  has  been  an 
"all  home  print,"  published  in  six-column 
quarto  style,  with  occasionalh-  two  to  four 
additional  pages  to  accommodate  special 
spurts  of  advertising.  The  old  hand  press, 
on  which  tlse  paper  was  printed  for  six  j-ears, 
disappeared  in  1900  to  make  room  for  a  big 
drum  cylinder,  that  runs  at  the  rate  of  1,200 
an  hour.  The  Press,  which,  bj-  the  way,  has 
never  missed  an  issue  since  its  birth  twelve 


years  ago,  attempts  to  make  a  specialtj'-  of 
local  news,  neighboring  correspondence  and 
live  advertisements.  Its  principal  claim  for 
distinction  lies  in  the  fact  that,  considering 
the  size  of  the  village,  it  probably  has  a  larger 
circulation  than  anj-  other  paper  in  the  State. 

THE  BEOBACHTER  AM  MISSISSIPIAN. 

The  first  paper  printed  in  the  German 
language  in  Rock  Island  was  The  Beobachter 
am  Mississipian,  making  its  appearance  in 
1857,  the  proprietor  being  Maguns  Mueller, 
and  edited  bj^  Doctor  Ciolina,  a  physician 
who  resided  and  practiced  his  profession  here 
for  some  years.  The  paper  was  not  well 
supported  and  survived  only  about  one  year. 
Its  politics  were  neutral. 

THE   CHRONIK   DES    WESTENS. 

In  December,  1859,  the  material  of  the 
Beobachter  office  was  purchased  by  Adam 
and  George  I.eiberknecht,  who  on  the  first 
of  January,  1860,  started  a  weekly  German 
newspaper,  called  the  Chronik  des  Westens. 
This  paper,  like  its  predecessor,  was  neutral 
in  politics.     It  ceased  to  exist  in  1863. 

THE  NEUE  VOLKS  ZEITUXG. 

On  the  .30th  of  August,  1875,  tlie  first 
number  of  a  liandsome  semi-weekly,  entitled 
Neue  Volks  Zeitung,  was  issued  from  Zeis' 
Building  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Eighteenth 
Street  and  Second  Avenue.  It  was  started 
by  Charles  C.  Winter,  one  of  the  editors  of 
the  Westliche  Post,  of  St.  Louis,  who  had 
come  here  during  the  April  previous  to 
inspect  the  prospects  for  such  an  enterprise. 
The  paper  was  a  success  from  the  start.  In 
politics  it  was  thoroughly  independent,  and 
it  maintained  that  position  admirably  through 
out,  until  its  name  was  changed. 

Mr.  Winter's  paper  flourished  until  ilarch 
1,  1882,  when  he  sold  the  same  to  George  S. 
Lecliner,  who  came  here  from  Johnstown, 
Penn-sylvania,  Mr.  Winter  moving  from  here 
to    Danville,    Illinois,    where    he    published 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


225 


successfully  the  Deutsche  Zeilung  until  five 
j'Cars  ago  wlien  he  died  in  London,  England, 
on  a  journe_v  to  the  fatherland.  Mr.  Lechner 
after  a  few  months  sold  the  Neiie  Volks 
Zcitung  to  F.  Protar,  through  whose  efforts 
the  paper  was  brought  to  a  flourishing  con- 
dition. He  changed  the  name  to  Volks 
Zcitung.  After  a  prosperous  ten  years'  career 
Mr.  Protar,  on  April  1,  1893,  sold  his  journal 
to  the  Rock  Island-Moline  Volks  Zeitung 
Publishing  Company,  consisting  of  prominent 
German  citizens  of  Rock  Island  and  Moline. 
Tlie  paper  was  managed  by  Messrs.  Paul 
Kersch  and  August  Hansgen.  These  men 
were  less  successful  than  their  ]iredecessor, 
and  July  1,  1897,  John  P.  Kieffer.  of  Remsen, 
Iowa,  undertook  the  publication  of  the 
paper,  which  he  continued  for  exactly  two 
years.  Gustav  Donald,  of  Davenport,  bought 
the  Volks  Zeitung  July  1,  1899,  and  pub- 
lished the  same  until  July  1,  19t)l,  when  it 
came  into  the  hands  of  Val.  J.  Peter,  of  Peoria, 
Illinois.  Mr.  Peter  began  his  newspaper 
career  seventeen  3'ears  ago  as  a  compositor 
for  the  Volks  Zeitung.  He  has  always  con- 
sidered this  City  his  home.  He  went  from 
here  to  Peoria,  where  he  was  engaged  until 
his  return  to  this  City  as  cit}'  editor  of  the 
Dail}-  Peoria  Sonne,  one  of  the  largest  and 
most  influential  German  newspajiers  in  the 
west.  During  the  period  of  Mr.  Peter's 
management  of  the  Volks  Zeitung,  which  is 
issued  every  Tuesday  and  Friday,  was  brought 
to  a  degree  of  excellence  beyond  that  of  any 
previous  time  in  its  history.  On  October  3, 
1903,  Mr.  Peter  bought  the  two-story  brick 
building,  at  1906  Third  Avenue,  of  Henry 
Frick.  where  his  thriving  business  is  now 
comfortably  enconsed.  He  also  purchased  a 
Hoe  newspaper  press,  and  on  October  23, 
1903,  the  Volks  Zeitung  was  for  the  first  time 
in  its  existence,  printed  on  its  own  press. 
Mr.  Peter  has  added  a  job  printing  depart- 
ment to  his  newspaper  interests  and  has  now 
a  model  plant.  To  commemorate  the  thir- 
tieth anniversary  of  the   Volks  Zcitung  in  a 


fitting  manner,  Mr.  Peter  issued  on  August 
30,  1905,  an  elaborate  forty-four  page  anni- 
versary edition,  artisticallj'  illustrated  and 
teaming  with  interesting  matter,  containing 
a  complete  history  of  this  locality  in  general' 
and  of  the  Cierman  element  and  its  achieve- 
ments in  particular,  which  is  recognized  as  a 
puljlication  of  historic  merits  and  one  that 
has  won  honors  for  the  enterprising  young 
pubhsher. 

ADDITIONAL  PUBLICATIONS. 

In  addition  to  tlie  Union,  Argus  and  News, 
there  are  published  in  Rock  Island  the  fol- 
lowing: 

By  the  Augustana  Book  Concern:  Augus- 
tana  (weekly),  The  Augustana  Journal  (semi- 
monthly). The  Augustana  Theological  Quart- 
erly, Barnens  Tidning  (semi-montlily),  Kors- 
baneret  (annually).  The  Olive  Leaf  (monthly), 
Praricblomman  (annually),  U  ngdomsvannen 
(monthly.) 

Other  periodicals:  Broadway  Church  Vis- 
itor; Reverend  William  S.  Marquis,  editor. 

The  Canners  and  Packers  Directory  oj  North 
America;  Elliot  D.  Fislier,  publisher. 

The  Fraternal  Tribunes  (monthly);  Robert 
Rexdale,  editor. 

The  Modern  Woodman  (monthly);  official 
paper  of  the  ^Modern  Wooilnien  of  America; 
Frank  0.  VanGalder,  editor. 

Mystic  Light  (monthly) ;  Henry  E.  Burris 
(colored),  publisher. 

Rock  Island  Credit  Rating  Book  and  Daily 
Bulletin;  published  by  Rock  Island  Business 
Men. 

Polk's  Rock  I  stand-. Moline  Directory,  R.  L. 
Polk  and  Company,  publishers. 

Tri-City  Unionist;  published  by  the  L^nioa- 
ist  Publishing  Company. 

The  Villa  Shield;  publislied  by  the  Sisters 
of  the  Visitation. 

The  Davenport  Daily  Times,  of  Davenport, 
conducts  a  news  bureau  in  both  Rock  Island 
and  Moline. 


226 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


FIRST  FERRIES. 

In  looking  o\er  the  records,  we  find  that 
licenses  for  ferries  were  granted  as  follows: 
To  George  Davenjiort  and  Joshua  Vandruff, 
for  a  ferry  across  Rock  River,  March,  1834; 
at  the  same  date  to  George  Davenport  for  a 
ferry  across  the  Slough,  and  to  Rinnah  Wells 
for  a  ferry  across  Rock  River. 

Jonah  H.  Case,  Antoine  LcClaire  and  W. 
F.  Brashar  were  granted  a  license  to  run  a 
ferry  across  the  Mississippi  to  the  Iowa  shore 
in  March,  1835. 

Nathaniel  Belcher  was  granted  a  license  to 
establish  a  ferry  across  the  Mississippi  at 
Port  Byron  in  March,  1837. 

In  October,  1837,  a  ferry  feud  had  arisen. 
John  Wilson,  owner  of  the  main  ferry  between 
Stephenson  and  the  Iowa  shore,  made  an 
application  to  the  County  Commissioners  for 
an  "order  vacating  Henry  Powars'  ferry." 
The  order  was  granted  in  1838  "for  the  in- 
sufficiency of  his  boats,  the  want  of  hands, 
and  for  ferrying  beyond  the  linuts." 

FIRST  HOTELS. 

The  records  also  furnish  the  following, 
respecting  the  first  licenses  for  hotels:  To 
Jonah  H.  Case,  July  1833.  His  tavern  was 
the  first  licensed  within  the  corporate  limits 
of  Rock  Island,  though  travelers  had  been 
kept  at  Barren's  house  in  Farnhamsburg. 

In  June,  1836,  Jonathan  Buffum  was 
licensed  to  keep  a  ta\  orn  in  Stephenson.  At 
the  same  session  of  the  Court  a  tavern  license 
was  also  granted  to  Henry  Powars  and 
Company,  who  built  the  old  Rock  Island 
House,  which  was  opened  July  4,  1837  with 
a  big  ball,  and  torn  down  in  1875,  to  make 
room  for  the  present  commodious  brick 
structure.  The  old  frame  Rock  Island  House, 
having  been  in  existence  as  a  hotel  for  over 
forty  years,  and  with  the  new  one  u])  to  the 
present  time,  the  Rock  Island  Flouse  has 
stood  on  the  old  corner  seventy-two  years. 
The   old    hotel    u\)    |o    1854   for    a    period   of 


years  was  the  old  stage  .station — the  stage 
office  being  in  the  hotel  office,  S.  S.  Stevens 
being  stage  agent.  Stage  barn  accommoda- 
tions were  afforded  in  the  hotel  barn  where 
the  feed  store  is  on  Market  Square.  When 
the  railroad  got  as  far  as  Tiskilwa — then 
Indian  Town — Joe  Barnett  ran  a  hack  from 
there  to  Rock  Island. 

The  old-time  landlords  of  the  Rock  Island 
House  were  Henry  Powars,  B.  F.  Barrett;  in 
1856  AVoodin  ami  Hughitt;  1858-59,  Albert 
Tuxbury. 

In  issuing  the  old  tavern  licenses,  the 
County  Commissioners  fixed  the  prices  for  all 
kinds  of  liquors  sold,  and  the  rates  of  fare 
both  for  "man  and  beast." 

At  the  present  location  of  the  Harper  House 
there  have  been  several  differently  named 
hotels.  Prior  to  and  in  the  early  fifties,  there 
was  the  Hadsell  House,  kept  bj^  James  R. 
Hadsell,  who,  over  the  front  door,  had  on  the 
cap  stone  the  three  links  of  Odd  Fellowship; 
afterwards,  with  imjH'ovements  that  came, 
was  the  Island  City  Hotel,  which  was  built 
in  1854  by  C.  H.  Smith.  Its  dimensions 
being  ninety-six  feet  bj'  one  hundred  and  four 
feet,  four  sto;ies  high,  with  one  hundred 
sleeping  rooms.  Mr.  Smith  being  its  first 
landlord,  with  his  wife,  Mrs.  Nancy  Smith, 
as  housekeeper.  In  1855  Tuxbury  and  Ar- 
nold were  proprietors.  In  1856  B.  O.  Stanley 
was  proprietor.  Mr.  C'  H.  Smith  again  took 
charge  in  1858.  It  was  afterwards  called  the 
Rodman  House,  which  biu'iied  down  in  1870, 
and  the  jiresent  Harper  House  erected  that 
year.  The  old  Island  City  Hall,  in  connec- 
tion Avith  the  hotel,  was  where  all  tlie  dances, 
lectures  and  shows  were  held  Ijefore  Dart's 
Hall  was  built. 

The  American  House,  built  opposite  the 
Court  House  on  Orleans  Street,  in  the  forties, 
Mathias  Stem  being  proprietor.  On  this  site, 
in  1856,  was  built  the  Farnam  House,  a  four- 
story  brick  building,  with  one  hundred 
.sleeping  rooms;  Stem  and  Delano,  proprie- 
tors. 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


227 


The  Graham  House  in  the  forties  was  b'lilt 
on  the  corner  of  IlUnois  and  Washington 
Streets— the  Rock  Island  National  Bank 
corner — where  was  afterwards  built  the  City 
Hotel,  a  three-story  brick  building.  At  one 
time  there  was  a  butcher  shop  there. 

Ohio  House,  corner  of  Madison  and  Rock 
River  Streets;  \.  H.  Garver,  proprietor.  It 
is  still  standing;  used  for  business  and  private 
uses;  a  one-story  'brick  business  block  sur- 
rounding it  west  and  south. 

Mansion  House,  Buffalo  Street,  south  of 
Water  Street.  David  Noonan,  the  first 
proprietor,  followed  by  his  brotlier,  Patrick 
Noonan. 

Union  House,  Madison  Street,  opposite 
Spencer  Square.  Proprietors,  185.5-1858- 
186'. I,  William  B.  0.  Skelton,  John  Sargent, 
T.  S.  Teal.  And  then  we  had  the  old  Sham- 
rock on  Adams  Street,  between  Illinois  and 
Orleans,  kept  by  James  Broderick.  Later  tlie 
Black  Hawk  on  the  levee,  west  of  Madison 
Street,  kept  by  Hugh  Conwell;  but  these  were 
two  large  boarding  houses,  and  in  their  day 
well  known.  In  early  rafting  days,  when  the 
rafts  tied  up  for  the  night,  the  levee  was  a 
rough  spot;  with  cheap  low  shows,  and 
drunken  rafters,  is  was  tough. 

FIRST  MARRIAGES. 

The  first  marriage  solemnized  in  the  County, 
so  far  as  the  records  show,  was  by  John  W. 
Spencer,  one  of  the  County  Commissioners, 
the  parties  being  James  L.  Biu-tis  and  Ange- 
line  Reardsley.  The  license  was  issued  July 
13,  1833,  and  the  marriage  ceremony  imme- 
diately followed.  The  second  license  was 
issued  to  Benjamin  Goble  and  Barbary  Van- 
druff,  August  22,  1833.  The  third  was  issued 
-April  1,  1834,  to  Adrian  H.  Davenport  and 
Harriet  Sibley,  who  were  married  the  same 
day  by  Colonel  Davenport,  County  Com- 
missioner. 

The  first  seven  years  of  the  County's  legal 
existence,  the  issue  of  marriage  licenses  stood 
as   follows:     In    1833,    two;   in    183-1,    three; 


in  1835,  six;  in  1836,  twenty-one;  in  1837, 
eleven;  in  1838,  twenty-three;  in  1839, 
twenty-eight;  in  1840,  thirty-three. 

George  L.  Davenport  was  the  first  white 
child  born  in  this  section  of  the  country.  He 
was 'born  on  the  island  in  1817,  and  was  the 
eldest  son  of  Colonel  George  Da^-enport. 

OLD  SETTLERS  ASSOCIATION  OF  ROCK 
ISLAND  COUNTY. 

Preliminary  proceedings  for  the  organiza- 
tion of  an  Okl  Settlers  Association  were  com- 
menced on  the  11th  day  of  December,  1865, 
liy  notices  published  in  the  Rock  Island 
Argus  and  the  Rock  Island  Union,  calling  a 
meeting  at  Jacob  Norris  and  Company's  book 
store  on  the  evening  of  Wednesday,  December 
13,  1865.  On  that  evening  ten  or  twelve  old 
settlers  assemliled.  Cliarles  H.  Case,  esquire, 
was  appointed  chairman,  and  Major  Frazer 
Wilson,  secretary.  A  committee  on  organi- 
zation was  appointed,  consisting  of  Jacob 
Norris,  Doctor  P.  Gregg,  William  Bell,  Jolm 
H.  Eby  and  Daniel  Beals. 

January  10,  1866,  the  association  was 
formed  and  named  the  Old  Settlers  Associa- 
tion of  Rock  Island  ("ounty.  The  meeting 
was  held  at  the  Coiu-t  House,  and  a  constitu- 
tion and  Ijy-laws  adopted.  An  annual  festi- 
val and  gathering  was  also  ordered  to  be  held, 
and  all  persons  who  were  residents  of  Rock 
Island  County  prior  to  December  31,  1845,  or 
who  married  wives  who  were  in  the  County 
at  tliat  time,  were  eligible  to  membership, 
together  with  their  cliiklren  or  descendants. 
At  this  meeting  thirty-four  members  were 
enrolled.  The  first  annual  festival  was  held 
in  Babcock's  Hall  in  the  '.  'ity  of  Rock  Island, 
on  Thursday,  February  22,  1866.  August  29, 
1890,  the  elegibility  to  membership  was 
advanced  from  1845  to  1850.  August  27, 
1895,  the  association  adopted  a  resolution 
advancing  the  eligilnlity  to  membershij)  from 
1850  to  1855. 

August  30,  1906,  the  constitution  of  the 
association    was    aiupudcil    so    tliat    all    old 


228 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


settlers  prior  to  December  31.  1845,  should 
be  eligible  to  membership  as  ' '  [jioneers,"  and 
to  so  remain.  As  to  the  eligibility  of  an 
"old  settler,"  the  time  was  extended  to  a 
date  prior  to  December  31,  1860,  and  be 
brought  down  one  year  each  year  thereafter. 
All  actual  members  of  the  f)ld  Settlers  Asso- 
ciation prior  to  1846  are  considered  as 
"pioneers,"  and  only  those  are  eligible  to  the 
presidency  of  the  association. 

The  annual  meetings  for  the  election  of 
officers  were  formerly  held  on  the  first  Mon- 
daj^  in  February  of  each  year,  and  a  social 
reunion  and  picnic  on  each  Fourth  of  Jul\-. 
and  an  annual  supper  on  the  22nd  of  Febru- 
ary —  Washington's  Birthday.  But  later 
years  the  business  meetings  and  reunions  are 
held  in  the  Fall  of  the  year,  and  at  Black 
Hawk's  Watch  Tower.  These  occasions  are 
usually  fraught  with  good  cheer  on  the  part 
of  the  old  settlers  who  assemble  to  renew 
their  fellowships  of  "Auld  Lang  Syne,"  and 
recall  recollections  of  forty,  fifty  and  sixty 
j'ears  ago,  when  Indians'  wigwams  were 
more  plentiful  in  this  region  than  the  cabins 
of  white  settler.".  There  are  few  living,  who 
remember  those  earliest  dajs,  as  most  of  the 
"pioneers"  have  passed  away. 

FAMOUS  CRIMES  OF  ROCK  ISLAND 
COUNTY. 

Since  the  mills  of  justice  have  been  estab- 
lished in  this  County  there  have  been  numer- 
ous murders  committed.  For  most  of  tlie 
cases  the  guilty  parties  were  punished,  six 
men  in  all  having  been  hung  for  four  separate 
crimes.  Some  served  terms  in  the  peniten- 
tiary, and  one  clieated  the  gallows  by  com" 
mitting  suicide.  Of  course  there  have  been 
a  number  of  mysterious  nr.rders  for  which 
the  guilt  was  i.ever  placed. 

From  an  historical  standpoint,  the  most 
conspicuous  crime  committed  in  the  County 
was  the  murder  of  Colonel  George  Davenport, 
which  occurred  July  4,  1S4.5,  on  the  Island  of 


Rock  Island;  a  record  of  which  will  be  found 
in  his  biography  in  this  book. 

The  most  revolting  series  of  crimes  com- 
mitted by  one  man  in  the  county's  history  is 
also  the  most  recent,  the  jjublic  being  doubt- 
less still  familiar  with  the  revelations  concern- 
ing his  career  and  his  self  inflicted  expiation 
when  confronted  with  exposure  of  his  bloody 
deeds.  Henry  Bastian,  a  farmer  living  two 
miles  south  of  Milan,  in  March,  1896,  was  sus- 
pected of  having  caused  the  death  of  Fred 
Kuschmann,  a  young  man  who  had  been 
working  for  him  and  v.-ho  was  found  dead 
beside  the  road  on  the  night  of  February  29. 
Seeing  that  he  would  soon  be  arrested  he 
com-' itted  suicide  by  hanging.  Since  that 
time  the  remains  of  two  men.  supposed  to  be 
those  of  John  Lauderbach  and  Fred  Kreinsen, 
who  were  at  one  time  employed  by  Bastian, 
have  been  found  on  the  place.  Five  others 
of  his  hired  men  disappeared  mysteriously 
and  it  is  believed  that  they  were  all  murdered. 
Bastian's  plan  was  to  emploj'  a  man  til!  the 
impaid  wages  due  had  reached  a  cc.nsiderable 
sum,  and  then  murder  them. 

The  first  murder  committed  in  the  county 
was  that  of  Lawyer  Philleo.  of  Port  B3Ton, 
who  was  shot  and  killed  by  John  McKinley 
in  1843.  The  latter  served  a  term  in  prison 
for  the  deed. 

December  17.  18.56,  Samuel  Ingram  shot 
and  killed  his  \\ife,  the  crime  being  com- 
mitted a  short  distance  east  of  Joslin,  in 
Zuma  Township.  The  murderer  was  tried, 
convicted  and  hung  upon  a  scaffold  east  of 
the  Henry  Case  residence  in  South  Rock 
Island. 

David  Stoddard,  in  the  Spring  of  1854, 
killed  liis  wife  with  an  axe.  the  deed  being 
committed  at  the  home  of  the  couple  at  the 
]iresent  sTutheast  corner  of  Fourth  .\venue 
and  Twenty-third  Street.  He  escape:!  from 
the  city  and  remained  at  large  for  some  time. 
Upon  being  arrested  he  was  tried  and  con- 
victed of  t'.ie  crime,  paying  the  full  penalty. 

William    Heilwagon   murdered  the  wife  of 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


229 


his  son  at  her  home  in  Hampton  Township, 
the  crime  being  committed  in  the  Fall  of 
1881.  The  weapon  used  was  a  corn  knife, 
and  the  body  was  hidden  in  a  shock  of  corn. 
He  was  hanged  for  the  crime  in  the  jail  yard 
March  24,  1882. 

Frank  Anderson,  of  Moline,  on  Novemlier 
21,  1897,  made  an  attempt  upon  the  life  of 
Charles  Condo,  a  fellow  workman,  and  was 
sent  to  the  penitentiary  for  five  years. 

W.  J.  Evans,  Paul  Lohrman,  H.  H.  Blohm 
and  W.  R.  Carlson,  all  of  IMoline,  were  held 
for  the  murder  of  Charles  iliniie,  of  that  city, 
September  26,  1901,  but  were  acquitted  the 
following  December. 

On  April  7,  1876,  John  B.  >Stayl)ack  was 
killed  by  being  stabbed  in  the  head  with  a 
knife.  David  J.  VanMeter  was  held  for  the 
murder,  but  was  acquitted  May  13  of  the 
same  year. 

A  case  which  attracted  a  great  deal  of 
attention  was  the  grave  robbery  committed 
at  Rapids  City,  January  19,  1900.  Arthur 
D.  Farber,  Charles  Donahoo  and  Charles 
Jasperson  were  indicted  for  robbing  the  grave 
of  Mrs.  Christine  Maurer,  Farber  pleaded 
guilty  and  turned  state's  evidence,  going  to 
the  penitentiary,  but  was  afterwards  paroled. 
Donahoo  was  acquitted  and  Jasperson  was 
sent  to  the  penitentiary. 

Carl  Wendt,  a  fisherman,  was  found  dead 
in  his  boat  near  Cordova  during  the  Summer 
of  1901.  The  Stiles  brothers,  also  fishermen, 
of  Princeton,  were  held  for  the  murder  but 
were  acquitted. 

Alfelia  Boetjer  was  thrown  into  the  Mis- 
sissippi River  from  the  Rock  Island  bridge  in 
the  Summer  of  1886,  after  being  choked.  Hep 
husband,  James  Boetjer,  was  arrested  and 
indicted  for  the  crime,  but  was  acquitted  at 
the  January  term  of  Court  following. 

In  September,  1867,  David  Edgington  shot 
and  killed  Hiram  Reynolds.  He  was  tried 
and  convicted  the  following  October  and 
received  a  life  sentence. 


September,  1859,  Jesse  W.  Ballard  was 
struck  on  the  head  with  a  club  and  killed. 
Jesse  Farrell  was  convicted  of  tlie  crime  but 
was  never  apprehended. 

Patrick  Ganey,  James  McCormack  and 
Patrick  Grogan  killed  Conrad  Whittick  No- 
vember 14,  1879,  on  the  Ninth  Street  Road, 
outside  the  city  limits,  by  striking  him  with 
a  stone.  Grogan  went  to  prison  for  life, 
Ganey  got  fourteen  years  and  McCormack 
was  acquitted. 

William    Dolan,    Nicolas    Schlitz,    William 

Blair,    John    lyooney,   Lynch,   Timothy 

Butler,  Halsey  Hammond,  John  Galagher, 
John  Campbell,  Oliver  Chandanais  and  James 
Cronan  killed  William  Armstead,  alias  Arm- 
strong, on  board  the  steamer  Dubuque,  with 
sticks  of  wood  and  pieces  of  coal,  July  29, 
1869.  The  accused  took  a  change  oT  venue  to 
Henry  County,   where  they  were  convicted. 

John  Kavanaugh,  Bernard  Heeney,  Charles 
Ross  and  Pat  Heenev  killed  Joseph  Rosen- 
field,  a  policeman,  March  12,  1879,  on  the 
streets  of  Rock  Island.  John  Kavanaugh 
was  sentenced  for  life,  Pat  Heeney  for  four- 
teen 3'ears. 

Other  cases  of  less  sensational  character 
were:  Alexander  .\bbott;  charged  with  the 
murder  of  Patrick  McGurtry,  June  24,  1860. 
The  defendant  was  found  not  guilty  January 
14,  1865.  Jasper  Hampton,  Turner  Hamp- 
ton and  Joseph  Langley  were  indicted  for  the 
murder  of  Charles  S.  Bean  July  9,  1859.  but 
were  found  not  guilty.  Harry  Brookman 
was  indicted  for  the  murder  of  Grant  Buffum 
at  Andalusia  in  May,  1886,  but  was  acquitted. 
Mable  Lagrange  and  Elsa  M.  Boyer  were 
indicted  in  May,  1893,  for  throwing  a  child  in 
the  river,  but  insane,  and  the  case  was  nolle 
prossed  as  to  Elsa  Boyer.  James  Berrj'  and 
Leslie  Barker  were  indicted  in  March,  1880, 
for  killing  Anthony  Evans,  but  were  acquitted. 
Andrew  G.  Johnson  was  indicted  in  September 
1863,  for  the  murder  of  Lorona  Roe;  a  change 
a  venue  was  taken  and  the  caise  tried  in 
Henry  County.     At  the  September  term  of 


230 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


Court,  1S75,  John  Martens  was  tried  for  the 
murder  of  John  Brace;  he  was  found  guiltj- 
and  sentenced  to  ten  years  in  the  penitentiary. 
George  Erbst,  was  indicted  January  7  for 
killing  James  Jackson  on  Market  Square  with 
a  knife;  he  was  found  guilt}'  and  was  sentenced 
to  the  peniteutiar}'  for  seventeen  and  a  half 
years.  Joseph  Mclntyre  was  indicted  Janu- 
arj'  7,  1S71,  for  the  murder  of  Andrew  J. 
Harris,  but  was  acquitted.  George  W.  Janes 
was  found  guilt.y  of  the  murder  of  Robert 
McClusky  in  May,  1867,  and  was  sentenced 
to  -the  penitentiary  for  three  A"ears.  Britta 
Nelson,  of  Rapids  Citj',  was  indicted  May  5, 
1876,  for  the  nuu-der  of  Peter  Nelson,  the 
weapon  used  being  an  axe.  She  was  found 
guilty,  but  insane.  Samuel  Robertson  was 
indicted  Januarj'  22,  1886,  for  the  murder  of 
Hans  Timmerman,  but  was  acquitted  Feb- 
ruar}'  6,  1886.  Benjamin  Thompson,  Adam 
Reiling,  William  Patterson  and  Marj'  Patter- 
son were  indicted  at  the  September  term  of 
Court,  1859,  for  the  murder  of  a  male  child 
by  crushing  its  head;  they  were  acquitted  at 
the  January  term,  1860. 

Jime,  1905,  a  very  sensational  murder 
occiu-red  at  a  cabin  boat  on  Island  B,  when 
either  Josephine  Collet  or  William  Nagel  shot 
Carl  August  Brady,  to  gain  possession  of  his 
little  boat  house,  for  which  they  were  arrested. 
From  the  story  of  the  accused  the  two  sat  on 
the  porch  of  the  house  boat,  and  Brady  enter- 
ing the  cabin  to  get  some  provisions,  one  of 
the  two  shot  him,  while  he  was  leaning  over 
a  stove  in  the  opposite  end  of  the  boat.  In 
a  valise  was  found  a  hammer,  which  Jose- 
phine Collet  said  Nagel  struck  Brady.  The 
bod}'  was  found  in  a  cave  near  by.  He  had 
.some  money  and  other  effects,  which  the}' 
disposed  of,  mostly  in  Muscatine.  Josephine 
Collet  was  released  on  technicalities,  while 
Nagel  was  consigned  to  the  penitentiary  for  life. 

PORT  BYRON  ACADEMY. 

The  Port  Byron  Academy  was  established 
in  Port  Byron  mainly  tlu-ough  the  efforts  of 


Reverend  A.  .\.  Harper.  His  son,  E.  T. 
Harper  was  the  first  principal.  The  school 
was  started  in  1881  in  the  second  story  of  the 
buililing  now  occupied  by  Adrian  and  Witter's 
implement  store,  in  the  Dorrance  Block.  It 
has  a  strong  Alumni,  numbering  among  its 
members  many  prominent  men  and  women. 
Professor  M.  J.  Yolton,  a  graduate  of  the 
institution,  is  its  present  principal. 

The  Port  Byron  Academy  is  located  at 
Port  B}Ton,  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in  Rock 
Island  County,  lies  on  the  sloping  hillside  of 
the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi.  The  situa- 
tion is  healthful  and  the  scenery  of  the  river 
and  bluffs  is  noted  for  its  beauty.  The 
village  has  some  eight  hundred  inhabitants 
and  has  a  high  moral  and  social  tone.  In 
many  respects  it  is  a  New  England  town.  It 
has  a  quiet,  intellectual  atmosphere  well 
suited  to  an  earnest  pursuit  of  studies.  It 
stands  about  thirteen  miles  north  of  Moline, 
and  is  on  the  new  main  line  of  the  Chicago, 
Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul  railroad  to  Kansas 
City.  It  is  also  reached  by  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  and  Quincy  railroad,  and. by  ferry 
to  LeClaire,  with  the  Interurban  line  to 
Davenport  and  Clinton. 

The  purpose  of  the  academy  is  to  supj'ly  a 
high  grade  of  scholastic  education  under  the 
best  of  Christian  influences.  It  attempts  to 
give  the  broadest  and  best  culture  combined 
with  a  practical  education  for  every  day  life. 
It  plans  to  use  the  latest  methods  and  to 
keep  abreast  with  all  the  advances  in  modern 
learning. 

The  academy  is  a  chartered  institution 
under  the  direct  control  of  the  board  of  trus- 
tees. It  has  the  hearty  support  of  the  Rock 
River  and  Davenport,  Iowa,  Association  of 
Congregational  Churches  and  is  under  their 
general  supervision. 

Beloit  College  takes  an  active  part  in  pro- 
moting the  interests  of  the  academy,  in 
securing  and  directing  its  teachers,  in  plan- 
ning its  coiu-ses  of  study. 


> 


PART  TWO 


Biographical  History  of  Rock  Island  County's 
Early  Settlers  and  Leading  • 
Business  Men 


Biographical 


COLONEL  GEORGE  DAVENPORT. 

COLONEL  GL:0RGE  DAVENPORT  was 
the  first  white  man  to  make  a  perma- 
nent settlement  in  what  is  now  Rock 
Island  County,  arriving  here  in  the  spring  of 
1816.  He  was  a  native  of  England,  born  in 
Lincolnshire,  in  1783.  At  the  age  of  seven- 
teen he  enlisted  as  a  sailor  on  a  merchant 
vessel,  and  for  the  next  three  years  he  visited 
France,  Spain  and  Portugal.  In  the  fall  of 
1803  his  vessel  sailed  from  Liverpool  to  St. 
Petersburg,  Russia,  and  shortly  after  its  ar- 
rival there  an  embargo  was  laid  upon  all  Eng- 
lish vessels  in  that  port,  the  vessels  taken 
possession  of  and  their  crews  thrown  into 
prison  by  the  Russian  Government.  In  the 
following  spring  they  were  released  and  re- 
turned home.  The  next  voyage  was  to  New 
York,  in  the  summer  of  1804,  where  they 
arrived  in  safety.  After  discharging  their 
cargo  and  taking  another  on  board  for  Liver- 
pool, as  the  vessel  was  on  the  point  of  sailing, 
one  of  the  sailors  was  knocked  overboard. 
Mr.  Davenport  quickly  jumped  into  a  small 
boat  and  rescued  him.  In  jumping  into  the 
boat  he  fractured  his  leg  very  badly  and, 
there  being  no  surgeon  on  board,  the  captain 
had  him  taken  to  the  city  and  placed  in  a  hos- 
pital, returning  without  him.  After  remain- 
ing in  the  hospital  about  two  months,  he  was 
advised  to  go  into  the  country  to  recruit  his 
health.  Acting  upon  this  advice,  he  went  to 
Rahway,  New  Jersey,  and  subsequently  to 
Carlisle,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  afterward 
enlisted  in  the  regular  army. 

In  the  spring  of  1806  he   went     with    his 
regiment  to  New  Orleans,  and  in  the  fall    re- 


ceived orders  to  march  to  Sabine  River. 
While  there,  he  was  sent  with  dispatches  to 
Fort  Adams,  and  while  on  the  way  his  canoe 
struck  a  snag  and  he  was  upset  in  the  river. 
Clinging  to  some  drift-wood,  he  managed  to 
reach  the  shore,  and  was  then  obliged  to 
strike  across  the  country  to  the  Jlissi-ssippi, 
traveling  over  swamps,  bayous  and  sloughs. 
He  was  several  days  in  reaching  the  fort, 
living  upon  what  berries  and  wild  fruit  he 
could  find.  For  ten  years  he  served  his 
adopted  country  as  a  soldier,  principally 
against  the  Indians.  In  the  second  war  with 
Cireat  Britian  the  most  important  battle  he 
was  engaged  in  was  that  of  Lundy  Lane.  He 
secured  a  British  musket  at  this  battle,  which 
is  still  kept  in  the  family  as  a  relic  of  the  war. 
On  receiving  his  discharge  in  181.5,  he  was 
employed  by  Colonel  William  Morrison,  of 
Kentucky,  government  contractor,  to  supply 
the  troops  with  provisions.  Going  to  St. 
Louis,  he  took  charge  of  several  keelboats, 
loaded  with  provisions.  A  large  drove  of 
cattle  were  also  purchased  and  driven  through 
the  country.  They  started  up  the  river  and 
arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  Des  Moines 
River  late  in  the  fall  and  concluded  to  stop 
there  for  the  winter.  In  the  spring  of  1816, 
in  company  with  Colonel  Lawrence,  in  com- 
mand of  the  Eighth  Regiment  United  States 
Infantry,  they  again  embarked  on  boats  and 
proceeded  up  the  river.  Arriving  at  the 
mouth  of  Rock  River,  they  examined  the 
country  for  a  site  for  a  fort,  resulting  in  the 
selection  of  the  lower  end  of  Rock  Island  as 
the  most  suitable  point.  They  landed  on 
Rock  Island  May  10,  1816,  and  here  Mr. 
Davenport    made   his   home   until   his  death. 


II  I  S  T  ()  h'  I  (•    ROCK    I  S  L  A  XJ)    cor  STY 


Hi.s  rpsidencc,  a  double  log  cjihiii,  was  near 
the  foot  of  the  island,  whore  he  subsc-qtiently 
erected  a  lai'ge  two-story  frani(>  house. 

The  Indians  at  that  time  were  not  veiy 
friendly  to  the  Americans,  but  soon  took  a 
fancy  to  Mr.  Davenport,  giving  him  the  name 
of  Sag-a-nosh,  meaning  "an  Englishman." 
During  the  second  year,  with  what  little 
money  he  had  saved,  he  jnirchased  a  stock  of 
goods  and  began  trading  with  the  Indians. 
As  an  Indian  trader  he  was  remarkably  suc- 
cessful, securing  and  retaining  their  good  will 
and  confidence,  although  for  a  time  he  had 
more  or  less  trouble  with  the  Winnebagoes,  at 
one  time  narrowly  escaping  being  murdered. 

In  1823  the  first  steamboat,  the ' '  Virginia," 
arrived  at  the  island  loaded  with  provisions 
for  Prairie  du  Chien,  and  Mr.  Davenport  was 
called  upon  to  pilot  her  over  the  rapids. 

In  1825  a  postotfice  was  established  upon 
the  island,  with  Mr.  Davenport  as  postmas- 
ter. He  held  the  office  until  its  removal  to  the 
main  land,  on  the  organization  of  the  county. 

In  1827  he  visited  his  native  land,  after  an 
absence  of  twenty-three  years,  returning  in 
1828. 

During  this  year  the  first  settlements  were 
made  in  this  vicinity.  As  they  were  poor  Mr. 
Davenport  furnished  many  of  them  with 
provisions  and  groceries  until  they  could 
raise  a  crop.  When  the  Indians  returned  in 
the  spring  of  1829,  Mr.  Davenport  used  all 
his  influence  to  induce  them  to  remove  to 
the  west  side  of  the  Mississippi,  and  partiaHy 
succeeded.  Wapello  removed  his  village 
to  Muscatine  Slough,  and  Keokuk,  with  part 
of  the  Sacs,  to  the  Iowa  River,  but  Black 
Hawk  and  the  remainder  of  the  Sacs  refused 
to  go,  claiming  that  they  never  had  sold  their 
lands.  During  the  Black  Hawk  War  that 
followed,  Mr.  Davenport  was  appointed  quar- 
ter-master general,  with  the  rank   of   colonel. 

On  the  organization  of  the  county.  Colonel 
Davenport  was  elected  one  of  the  first  county 
commissioners,  and  served  some  two  or  three 
vears. 


In  the  fall  of  18.35,  in  company  with  sev- 
eral others,  he  purchased  a  claim  of  Antoine 
l.e  Cl.'iiri'.  across  llic  river  in  Iowa,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  lay  out  a  town.  This  town  was 
given  the  name  of"  Davenport."  in  his  honor. 

In  the  fall  of  IS.'iT  he  visited  Washington 
City,  in  company  with  a  number  of  chiefs  of 
the  Sac  and  Fox  Nations,  and  aided  the 
Government  in  the  purchase  of  a  large  por- 
tion of  Iowa.  In  1842  Governor  Chambers 
made  another  treaty  with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes. 
He  told  the  chiefs  to  select  any  of  their  white 
friends  they  might  choose  to  assist  them  in 
making  a  treaty.  They  selected  Colonel 
Davenport  as  one  of  four.  By  this  treaty 
the  Indians  sold  all  of  their  lands  within  the 
State  of  Iowa.  Shorth^  after  this,  Colonel 
Davenport  withdrew  from  the  Indian  trade 
and  devoted  the  remainder  of  his  life  to  the 
improvement  of  his  property  in  Davenport 
and  Rock  Island. 

' '  Colonel  Davenport,"  said  a  well  known 
writer,  ' '  was  of  a  very  free  and  generous  dis- 
position, very  jovial  and  very  fond  of  com- 
pany. After  retiring  from  the  Indian  trade, 
he  spent  the  winters  generally  in  St.  Louis  or 
Washington.  Whether  traveling  on  a  steam- 
boat or  stopping  at  a  hotel,  he  would  always 
lune  a  crowd  around  him  listening  to  his 
stories  and  anecdotes.  He  never  sued  any 
one  in  his  life,  and-  could  not  bear  to  see  any 
one  in  distress  without  trying  to  relieve  him. 
Ho  enjoyed  excellent  health  and  spirits,  and 
had  a  prospect  of  living  many  years  to  enjoy 
the  comfort  for  which  he  had  toiled  so  hard, 
but  he  was  struck  down  by  one  of  a  band  of 
robbers,  in  his  own  house,  on  the  fourth  of 
July,  1845.     He  died  aged  sixty-two." 

The  life  of  Colonel  Davenport  was  a  long 
and  active  one.  "Although  of  trans-Atlantic 
extraction,"  says  the  writer  already  quoted 
from,  "he  was  a  true  type  of  the  American, 
possessing  indomitable  resolution,  a  restless 
desire  to  progress,  with  an  invincible  deter- 
mination to  overcome  obstacles  and  achieve 
success.     Much  as  his  courage,  perseverance, 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


enterprise  and  ability  demand  admiration, 
there  is  still  something  more  than  these  com- 
manding our  respect  and  honor — something 
which  is  more  lustrous  than  wealth,  better 
than  position  or  title:  it  is  his  Humanity. 
Had  men  of  his  bias  dealt  with  Black  Hawk 
and  his  'British  Band,'  less  gory  scalp  locks 
would  have  decked  the  belts  of  warring  sav- 
ages, less  blood  would  have  been  shed,  and 
the  entire  fearful  drama  of  devastation, 
slaughter  and  carnage  whicli  was  enacted 
upon  our  frontiers,  would  have  been  wholly 
omitted.  Honor  to  his  ashes!  He  sleeps  in 
a  grave  whose  proud  epitaph  reads:  "Here 
lies  a  friend  to  humanity!'" 


JUDGE  JOHN  W.  SPEINCER. 

JUDGE  JOHN  W.  SPENCER,  deceased, 
one  of  the  pioneers  of  Rock  Island 
County,  was  born  at  Vergennes,  Vermont, 
July  25,  1801.  His  parents,  Calvin  and  Ruth 
(Hopkins)  Spencer,  were  natives  of  the  New 
England  Colonies.  The  father  of  Judge 
Spencer  was  born  in  Bennington,  Vermont, 
and  his  mother  near  Great  Barrington,  Mas- 
sachusetts, and  were  descended  from  the 
Puritan  English.  They  reared  four  sons  and 
a  daughter,  John  W.,  being  the  eldest.  At 
this  writing  the  first  and  second  generations 
here  mentioned  are  long  since  gathered  unto 
their  fathers,  and  only  the  grandchildren  and 
great-great-grandchildren  remain  to  perpetu- 
ate names  made  honorable  in  the  eOirliest 
history  of  our  county.  From  the  two  fami- 
lies united  by  the  marriage  of  Calvin  Spencer 
and  Ruth  Hopkins,  in  the  very  beginning  of 
the  past  century,  many  noble  men  have 
sprung — men  who  have  adorned  alike  the 
pulpit  and  the  state;  and  if  it  were  possible 
in  the  space  at  our  command  to  trace  the 
genealogy  of  the  Spencers  and  the  Hopkinses 
from  the  days  when  some  of  their  ancestors 
were    enforcing   in    a    judicial    capacity,    the 


quaint  old  laws  that  forbade  travel  on  the 
Sabbath  except  in  a  pious  going  to  and  from 
the  Church  of  Ciod, — laws  that  allowed  no 
whistling  or  other  boisterous  condvict  on  that 
sacred  day;  laws,  indeed,  that  forbade  "ye 
good  man  ye  kissing  of  his  wife  on  ye  Sab- 
bath day" — if  it  were  possible,  we  say,  to 
follow  the  history  of  those  families  from  their 
periwigy:ed  "squire-archy "  down  to  the 
death-bed  scene  at  Rock  Island,  February 
20.  1S7S,  from  whence  tlie  spirit  of  John  W. 
Spencer  took  its  flight,  the  roster  would  con- 
tain many  names  that  good  people  have 
revered.  But  the  ]irovince  of  the  present 
biographer  is  limited  to  a  bare  recital  of  the 
more  important  events  occurring  in  the  life 
of  the  gentleman  whose  name  forms  the  cap- 
tion of  this  sketch.  The  lives  of  Spencer, 
Davenpoi't,  Wells,  Case  and  Vandruff  are  all 
indelibly  stamped  upon  the  history  of  a 
great  state.  Unlike  a  majority  of  men  of 
whom  we  write,  they  made  history;  without 
such  men  there  would  have  been  no  history 
to  write.  What  we  know  of  the  hills,  the 
forests  and  the  streams,  unpeopled  by  the 
hardy  pioneer  and  those  who  followed  them, 
would  be  a  chapter  easily  written.  A  famous 
writer  has  said  that  the  history  of  a  coun- 
try is  but  a  story  of  the  lives  of  the  men  who 
make  it.  The  history  of  Rock  Island  County 
from  the  Indian  occupation  down  to  the 
time  when  a  knowledge  of  events  shall  cease 
to  be  perpetuated  in  print  will  reflect  the  life 
of  Spencer, — and  that,  too,  whether  his  biog- 
raphy, as  such,  were  ever  written. 

John  W.  Spencer  spent  his  youth  in  his 
native  state  and  at  the  common  schools  ac- 
quired the  rudiments  of  an  education.  In 
1820,  driving  a  two-horse  team  for  Mr.  Brush, 
he  crossed  the  Alleghany  Mountains,  traversed 
the  broad  states  of  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois, 
and  at  the  end  of  fifty-one  days  from  the  time 
of  his  leaving  home,  landed  in  the  City  of  St. 
Louis.  The  State  of  Missouri  was  just  then 
being  admitted  into  the  Union,  and  as  negro 
slavery  was,  by  the  constitution,  made  legal, 


6 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


Mr.  Spencer  jjreferrod  to  ea.st  his  lot  east  of 
the  "Father  of  the  Waters".  So  in  Decem- 
ber following  his  departure  from  New  Eng- 
land, in  company  witli  an  uncle  who  had  been 
a  resident  of  .Missouri,  he  recrossed  the  Miss- 
issippi and  took  up  a  residence  in  Greene 
County.  Illinois.  Here  he  stopped  for  seven 
years  and  worked  at  farming.  In  the  spring 
of  1826.  in  search  of  a  location  for  a  water 
mill,  he  ascended  the  Illinois  River  as  far  as 
Ottawa.  Failing  to  discover  any  site  to  his 
fancy,  he  retraced  his  steps  and  the  following 
spring  ascended  the  Mississippi  to  the  lead 
mines.  On  this  trip  his  attention  was  at- 
tracted by  the  natural  beauty  of  Rock  Island 
and  the  adjacent  country  on  either  side  of  the 
river,  and  when  in  the  following  year  he 
learned  that  the  Indians  had  abandoned  the 
Rock  River  Territory,  he  decided  to  go  at 
once  to  Rock  Lsland.  He  was  accompanied 
here  bj^  Mr.  Louden  Case,  Sr..  whose  daughter 
he  afterward  married. 

At  that  period  Galena,  one  hundred  miles 
distant,  was  the  nearest  postoffice.  The 
presidential  election  had  just  taken  place, 
but  nothing  was  known  at  Rock  Island  of  the 
result.  For  a  consideration  young  Spencer 
undertook,  on  foot,  to  carry  the  mailbags  to 
and  bring  the  election  returns  from  Galena. 
The  river  was  frozen,  he  donned  his  skates 
and  set  out.  His  route  was  through  the  not 
altogether  friendly  Winnebago  country,  but 
he  encountered  no  difficulty  from  that  source, 
and  on  Christmas  Day,  1827,  he  started  on 
the  return  trip,  landing  three  days  later  at 
Rock  Island;  and  the  people  learned  that 
' '  Old  Hickory "  was  president  elect  of  the 
United  States.  It  must  almost  have  taken 
his  breath  away  when  the  sum  of  five  dollars 
was  placed  in  his  hands  in  payment  for  a 
two  hundred  mile  run  on  foot  through  a  hos- 
tile Indian  countrj'  in  the  dead  of  winter. 

In  the  spring  of  1829  he  brought  his  family 
from  Morgan  County  (whither  they  had  re- 
moved the  year  before  from  Greene)  to  Rock 
Island  and  took  possession  of  a  vacant  Indian 


wigwam.  From  that  day  to  the  hour  of  his 
death,  J.  W.  Spencer  was  a  citizen  of  Rock 
Island.  He  witnessed  the  return  of  Black 
Hawk  from  his  hunting  expedition,  to  find 
his  lodges  occupied  by  the  "pale-faces";  he 
heard  the  angry  and  reasonable  protests  of 
that  great  chief,  against  the  encroachments 
upon  his  natural  rights;  he  heard  his  sorrow- 
ful argument  "Saukie-wigeop-saukie-aukie" 
repeated  many  times  to  no  purpose,  and  saw 
the  great  chief  stride  awaj-  toward  the  set- 
ting sun,  where  he  told  his  people  that  the 
story  of  the  occupancy  of  their  lands  by  the 
white  men  was  too  true.  He  saw  the  chief 
and  his  people  come  again,  and  in  common 
with  other  settlers,  knew  the  purpose  of  their 
coming;  he  knew  the  possibilities  of  their 
discontent,  and  feared  that  the  Indian  was 
bent  upon  revenge.  He  noted  the  first  out- 
break of  their  savage  insubordination;  saw  the 
culmination  of  their  ferocity  as  it  rose  in  lurid 
lights  from  burning  cabins,  and  disturbed  the 
elements  with  the  screams  of  butchered  women 
and  children.  He  saw  the  swift-footed  pioneers 
as  they  pursued  the  savage  destroyers,  and  saw 
the  strong  arm  of  the  Government  as  it  de- 
scended upon  the  wih'  Sac  and  his  warriors  at 
Bad  .\xe, — and  he  saw  peace  reign  supreme  in 
the  valley  of  the  Mississippi. 

In  all  the  struggles  of  the  Rock  Island 
pioneers  Mr.  Spencer  participated.  During 
the  Black  Hawk  War  he  was  one  of  the  or- 
ganizers of  the  "Rock  River  Rangers",  in 
which  company  he  held  the  rank  of  first 
lieutenant.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first 
board  of  Rock  Island  County  Commissioners, 
and  held  the  office  twelve  years.  He  was 
the  first  judge  of  the  Rock  Island  County 
Court,  and  as  such  performed  the  first  mar- 
riage ceremony  in  the  county.  He  was  a 
delegate  to  the  Illinois  State  Constitutional 
Convention  in  1847,  and  in  this  body  he  was  a 
conspicuous  factor.  Though  public-spirited, 
he  had  no  ambition  for  office-holding,  his  only 
experience  in  that  line  being  confined  to  a 
time  when  his  country  actually  needed  and 


.^^f^/^^fX-^^^ 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


demanded  his  services.  In  1841  he,  with 
David  B.  Sears,  Spencer  H.  White,  and 
Ainsworth  and  Lynde.  merchants  at  Rock 
Island,  built  the  first  dam  erected  at  Moline, 
and  develo]:)ed  the  great  water  power  at  that 
place.  At  the  death  of  Captain  J.  Wilson, 
the  father  of  his  second  wife,  in  1852,  he  suc- 
ceeded to  a  controlling  interest  in  the  Rock 
Island  and  Davenport  Ferry,  a  most  valuable 
property,  a  large  revenue  from  which  still 
goes  to  the  family.  Mr.  Spencer  died  as  he 
lived,  a  conscientious  Christian.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
and  brought  his  children  up  to  a  strict  obser- 
vance of  that  faith.  One  of  his  sons,  the 
Rev.  William  Anson  Spencer,  is  presiding 
elder  of  Dixon  District,  Rock  River  Con- 
ference, Illinois. 

The  first  Mrs.  Spencer,  nee  Miss  Louisa 
Case,  died  in  1833,  leaving  one  son,  John  C. 
Spencer,  who  died  January  16,  1871.  In 
1834  Judge  Spencer  married  Miss  Eliza  Wil- 
son, of  New  Haven,  ^'ermont.  She  was  the 
accomplished  daughter  of  Captain  John  Wil- 
son, deceased.  Of  the  six  children,  three  only 
are  living:  Edward  W.,  Julia  S.  (Mrs.  D.  T. 
Robinson)  and  the  Rev.  William  Anson 
Spencer,  of  the  Dixon  District.  John  C.  is 
deceased.  Their  son  Charles  H.  was  acciden- 
tally drowned  when  eighteen  years  of  age  in 
Rock  River,  and  their  youngest  born,  Roswell 
C!.,  dieil  wlien  about  three  vears  of  ase. 


PHILEMON  L.  MITCHELL. 

IN  RECALLING  to  mind  those  men  who  in 
an  early  day  laid  the  foundation  of  Rock 
Island's  present  commercial  and  financial 
stability,  one's  memory  instinctively  turns 
to  an  individual  who,  during  his  lifetime,  was 
instrumental  in  organizing  and  conducting 
one  of  the  largest  banking  houses  in  Rock 
Island  County,  and  who  was  a  tower  of  moral 


and    financial    strength    in   the  community, 
Philemon  L.  Mitchell,  deceased. 

He  was  born  October  16,  1812,  at  Liniington, 
Maine,  and  died  at  his  home  in  Rock  Island 
January  23,  1895.  His  parents  were  Isaac 
and  Martha  (Libby)  Mitchell.  The  father 
was  a  native  of  Maine  and  the  mother  of  Ire- 
land, she  having  come  to  America  with  her 
parents  in  her  early  childhood.  To  this 
couple  seven  children  were  born,  four  sons 
and  three  daughters.  The  parents  spent 
their  lives  in  the  City  of  Limington,  where 
their  family  was  born  and  reared,  the  father 
dying  in  that  city  January  26,  1853,  at  the 
age  of  eightv-two  years.  The  death  of  the 
mother  occurred  in  the  same  city  January  3, 
1877,  she  having  attained  the  extreme  age  of 
ninety-fom-  years. 

Philemon  L.  Mitchell  spent  his  early  boy- 
hood in  Limington.  his  school  days  being 
limited  to  a  short  attendance  in  that  city's 
public  schools.  But  his  education  was  not 
in  any  sense  a  limited  one  on  that  account, 
for  he  was  throughout  his  life  a  student  of 
men  and  books.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  years 
he  found  it  necessary  to  face  the  world  for 
himself  and  earn  his  own  livlihood.  Although 
obliged  so  early  in  life  to  participate  in  its 
grim  struggle,  he  was  imbued  with  determin- 
ation to  succeed  and  was  undaunted  in  his 
efforts  to  that  end.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
five  he  located  in  Georgetown,  Kentucky, 
where  he  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits. 
He  continued  in  the  mercantile  business  until 
1850,  when  he  was  made  cashier  of  the  Farm- 
ers' Bank  of  Kentucky,  a  financial  institution 
familiar  in  those  days  to  every  business  man 
south  of  the  Mason  and  Dixon  Line.  For 
years  a  note  issued  bj'  this  bank  was  equiva- 
lent to  gold  in  any  state  in  the  Union. 

In  1856  Mr.  Mitchell  severed  his  connection 
with  that  bank,  and  in  company  with  P.  L. 
Cable  came  to  Rock  Island.  They  bought 
out  the  banking  firm  of  Cook,  Sargent  &  Par- 
ker, established  1852.  The  partnership  was 
continued  until   1860,  when  Judge  Cornelius 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


Lynde  took  over  .Mr.  Cable's  interest  in  the 
concern,  which  was  continued  under  the 
name  of  .Mitchell  iV:  Lynde  until  1905.  At 
this  date  the  form  of  organization  was  changed 
to  that  of  a  state  bank,  and  the  institution  is 
now  known  a.s  the  State  Bank. 

In  1S5S  Mr.  Mitchell  and  his  partner  pur- 
chased the  building  and  other  assets  of  the 
old  Rock  Island  Rank  and  closed  up  its  af- 
fairs, thus  succeeding  in  eliminating  almost 
entirely  any  competition  in  the  field  of  bank- 
ing in  this  vicinity  for  a  number  of  j-ears.  At 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  Mr.  Mitchell 
was  the  most  widely  kno\An  and  successful 
ba-nker  in  this  section  of  Illinois,  and  in  addi- 
tion to  his  acknowledged  financial  strength 
and  business  ability  he  bore  a  deserved  repu- 
tation for  scrupulous  integrity  and  probity  in 
everj-  commercial  transaction.  These  facts 
led  to  his  appointment  by  the  famous  New- 
York  banking  institution  of  Jay,  Cook  Oe 
Companj',  America's  financial  Gibraltar  at 
that  time,  as  their  correspondent  for  Rock 
Island  County.  Acting  as  the  agent  of  this 
firm,  he  placed  over  §1,000,000  worth  of 
United  States  Government  Bonds  in  this 
county.  In  considering  the  magnitude  of 
this  transaction  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that 
the  sum  of  §1,000,000  bore  the  same  relation 
to  the  financial  world  of  that  day  that  S2o,- 
000,000  or  even  850,000,000  would  to  the 
financial  world  of  todaj'. 

In  1862  the  First  National  Bank  of  Rock 
Island,  charter  No.  108,  was  organized  bj- 
Mr.  .Mitchell,  and  he  was  elected  its  presi- 
dent. He  was  also  president  of  the  Rock 
Island  Plow  Company  and  secretary  of  the 
Chippiannock  Cemetery  Association,  as  well 
as  a  large  stock  holder  and  director  in  the 
Jloline  and  Rock  Island  Street  Railway 
Company,  the  Rock  Island  Glass  Works,  and 
the  Rock  Island  Stove  Company. 

On  October  11,  1837,  at  Exeter,  New 
Hampshire,  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
Jlitchell  and  Miss  Catherine  Hall,  a  young 
lady  of  that  city.     There  were  born  to  them 


five  children,  four  daughters  and  a  son: 
Aun'w  -M.,  widow  of  Wm.  C.  Wadsworth; 
.Mary  H.,  widow  of  Henry  Wadsworth;  Phil, 
president  of  the  State  Bank  of  Rock  Island, 
whose  biographical  sketch  appears  elsewhere 
in  this  work;  Laura  M.,  deceased,  who  was 
the  wife  of  Charles  Shaler,  United  States  Ar- 
my, and  Kate  M.,  wife  of  Henry  S.  Fraser,  of 
Indianapolis,  Indiana.  The  death  of  Airs. 
Mitchell   occurred  October  4,   1868. 

ilr.  Mitchell  throughout  his  life  was  a  con- 
sistent and  devoted  member  of  the  Christian 
Church,  and  to  his  memory  has  been  erected 
the  new  Memorial  Christian  Church  by  his 
daughter,  Mrs.  Mary  H.  Wadsworth.  He 
was  a  man  extremely  liberal  but  wholly  unos- 
tentatious in  his  giving.  His  was  a  true  and 
simple  Christian  character.  As  he  walked 
through  the  world  he  helped  his  fellow  man 
in  the  best  and  wisest  manner,  not  by  mak- 
ing him  a  dependent,  but  by  aiding  him  to 
attain  a  position  of  independence,  by  friendly 
counsel  or  sound  business  advice,  and  where 
pecuniary  assistance  was  necessary  it  was 
cheerfully  and  freely  given,  and  from  his  lips 
no  one  ever  learned  of  the  generous  act. 

Such  was  the  life  of  P.  L.  Mitchell.  To 
attempt  to  delineate  in  eulogistic  words  his 
fine  life  and  character  would  be  futile.  He 
was  a  man  of  quiet,  natural  dignity.  Su- 
cessful  himself,  he  delighted  in  the  success  of 
others.  In  the  happy  phraseology  of  a  great 
writer  he  was  "one  of  God's  own  gentlemen." 

<S  m  ^ 

JOHN  EDGINGTON. 

THE  name  of  Edgington  is  a  well  known 
one  throughout  Rock  Island  County- 
It  is  the  name  of  one  of  the  countj-'s 
earliest  pioneer  families.  It  is  also  the  name 
of  one  of  the  county's  most  prosperous  little 
villages,  named  in  honor  of  one  of  the  founders 
of  that  family,  John  Edgington,  the  subject 
of  our  sketch,  a  man  who  in  his  long  lifetime 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


spent  in  this  county,  lived  to  see  it  grow 
from  a  waste  of  prairie  and  wilderness  into  a 
wonderfully  fertile  farming  community,  dotted 
here  and  there  with  busy  little  villages  and 
cities  devoted  to  manufacture  and  commercial 
enterprise. 

John  Edgington  was  born  July  4,  1809,  at 
Steubenville,  Ohio,  and  died  in  March,  1896, 
at  the  home  of  his  son,  James  Edgington,  at 
Reynolds,  in  this  county. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  Steubenville,  Ohio,  his  birthplace, 
and  in  his  young  manhood  followed  the  occu- 
pation of  trading  and  merchandising  in 
Steubenville,  Ohio.  In  July,  1S34,  he  made 
a  trip  on  horse-back  from  Steubenville  to 
Rock  Island  seeking  farm  land,  and  stopping 
at  a  point  in  this  county  decided  to  perma- 
nently settle  here.  He  took  up  a  farm  in 
what  afterwards  became  Edgington  Precinct, 
this  being  named  after  him.  This  precinct 
was  afterwards  divided  into  Edgington  and 
Buffalo  Prairie  Townships,  Mr.  Edgington 's 
farm  being  located  in  the  latter  township. 

On  Februarj'  17,  1834,  previous  to  settling 
in  Rock  Island  County,  Mr.  Edgington  was 
married  to  Miss  Susan  Crabbs,  a  young  lady 
of  Steubenville,  and  to  the  wilds  of  what  was 
then  an  unsettled  frontier,  he  brought  his 
young  wife.  Nine  children  were  born  of  this 
union,  their  eldest  child,  James,  being  the 
first  white  child  born  in  Rock  Island  County 
south  of  Rock  River.  Their  other  children 
were  Sarah;  William,  a  son  who  died  in  infan- 
cy; Jane,  now  Mrs.  Rufus  Walker;  Casandra, 
Margaret,  wife  of  C.  E.  Dodge;  Drusilla, 
wife  of  S.  H.  Parvin,  and  Harriet,  wife  of 
Fred  Titterington.  All  of  the  children  are 
now  deceased  with  the  exception  of  .Mrs. 
Walker  and  Mrs.  Dodge.  To  her  children 
Mrs.  Edgington  often  recounted  her  experi- 
ences when  she  came  to  Rock  Island  County 
a  bride.  For  the  first  six  months  after  com- 
ing here,  she  never  saw  another  white  woman, 
and  .she  was  in  constant  fear  of  the  Indians 
who  then  roamed  over  the   country.     They 


took  a  great  fancy  to  her  first  born  son,  James, 
the  first  white  baby  they  had  ever  seen,  and 
the  young  mother  received  frequent  and  ur- 
gent offers  to  trade  a  papoose  for  the  white 
baby.  This  added  to  her  fears,  for  she  was 
in  constant  terror  lest  the  Indians  great 
desire  to  possess  her  offspring  might  lead 
them  to  make  a  forcible  e.xchange  at  some 
time  when  her  husband  was  absent.  Mrs. 
Edgington  died  at  the  home  of  Mr.  Rufus 
Walker,  in  Reynolds,  in  October,  1886. 

But  to  return  to  our  account  of  Mr.  Edg- 
ington. He  cleared  and  cultivated  his  farm 
in  Buffalo  Prairie,  where  he  made  his  home 
until  1894,  when  he  sold  his  farm  and  moved 
to  Reynolds  to  make  his  home  with  his  son, 
James,  where,  as  has  been  stated,  he  lived 
until  his  death  two  years  later.  He  lived 
the  busy  life  of  a  farmer,  but  found  time  to 
take  an  interest  and  an  active  part  in  all  that 
pertained  to  the  advancement  of  the  county. 
He  was  justice  of  the  peace  and  school  direct- 
or for  more  than  thirty  years.  He  served  as 
supervisor  from  his  township  for  several 
terms,  and  served  as  a  juror  at  the  first  term 
of  court  ever  held  in  this  county.  He  was  a 
hospitable  and  genial  man,  and  there  was 
always  a  place  at  his  table  and  hearth  fire  for 
the  stranger  and  wayfaring  man  of  those 
times,  who  was  seeking  a  home. 

In  religious  faith  Mr.  Edgington  was  a 
Presbyterian,  and  he  helped  to  build  the  first 
church  of  that  denomination  that  was  built 
below  Rock  River  in  this  county.  He  also 
helped  hew  the  logs  and  erect  the  first  school 
house  built  in  the  lower  end  of  the  county. 
It  was  located  about  an  eighth  of  a  mile  east 
of  his  residence.  The  school  was  supported 
for  several  years  by  private  subscription  and 
if  there  was  any  deficit  in  the  amount  neces- 
sary to  carry  on  the  work  of  education,  Mr. 
Edgington  was  always  prompt  in  making  up 
the    balance   himself. 

In  politics  Mr.  Edgington  was  always  a 
staunch  Democrat,  and  with  this  party  he 
was  a  firm  adherent  until  the  silver  question 


10 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    CO  U  N  T  Y 


became  their  paramount  issue.  Then,  not 
agreeing  with  the  majority  of  his  party  upon 
this  question,  he  cast  his  vote  for  William 
McKinlej-,  but  it  cost  him  a  hard  struggle  to 
do  so. 

During  his  lifetime  he  accumulated  a  con- 
siderable competence,  and  the  farm  that  he 
owned  became  enhanced  in  value  as  the  years 
went  by  until  it,  in  itself,  became  worth  a  ver}^ 
considerable  fortune.  He  was  a  man  of 
great  public  spu-it.  a  man  beloved  and  es- 
teemed by  those  who  knew  him,  and  his  long 
and  busy  life  was  crowned  with  success. 


HON.  T  J.  MEDILL. 

RANKING  among  Rock  Island'.s  prominent 
men,  wlio  have  been  honored  politically 
and  who  have  achieved  a  high  standing  in 
the  realm  of  business,  stands  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  Thomas  J.    Medill. 

He  was  born  in  Milan,  Illinois,  March  16, 
1859.  His  parents  were  Thomas  J.  and  Eliza 
A.  (Dickson)  Medill.  The  father,  when  a  young 
man,  emigrated  from  the  north  of  Ireland  to 
America,  and  here  he  married  Miss  Eliza  A. 
Dickson,  the  daughter  of  William  Dickson, 
and  a  native  of  Erie  Countj',  Pennsjdvania. 
William  Dickson,  of  whom  a  more  extended 
biography  a])pears  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
laid  out  the  town  of  Camden  Mills,  the  name  of 
which  was  afterward  changed  to  Milan,  in 
1S43.  Mr.  Medill's  parents  enjoyed  a  long 
and  happ3'  life  together  and  were  greatly 
beloved  and  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  them. 
The  death  of  the  mother  occurred  February 
5,  1898.  The  father  survived  his  wife  scarcely 
a  year,  passing  awaj'  Januarj'  9,  1899. 

Our  subject  spent  his  boyhood  and  early 
manhood  in  the  Village  of  Milan  and  on  a 
farm  in  Bowling  Township,  and  after  com- 
pleting the  curriculum  prescribed  by  the 
village  school  of  that  period  he  entered  upon 
an  apprenticeship  to  the  pape!'  maker's  trade. 


At  that  time  there  were  three  paper  mills  in 
active  operation  in  the  vicinity  of  Milan,  and 
the  manufacture  of  that  commodity  was  one 
of  the  main  supports  of  that  village.  After 
mastering  his  trade  Mr.  Medill  continued  in 
that  line  of  occupation  for  seven  years,  when 
he  was  offered  a  position  in  a  promoting 
company  which  made  a  business  of  installing 
the  Holly  system  of  water  works  machinery, 
and  which  was  then  operating  in  the  south- 
west. Later  he  returned  to  this  county  and 
settled  in  Rock  Island,  opening  a  real  estate 
office.  In  this  business  he  was  a  pronounced 
success,  his  acumen  and  sound  judgment 
rendering  him  particularly  competent  to  pass 
upon  realty  values.  Consequently,  in  1887 
he  was  asked  to  take  a  leading  part  in  the 
formation  and  organization  of  the  Black  Hawk 
Homestead  Building,  Loan  and  Savings  As- 
sociation, of  which  Mr.  Medill  became  sec- 
retary, the  active  management  of  the  asso- 
ciation being  entrusted  to  him.  The  success 
of  the  venture  is  due  largely  to  his  progressive, 
yet  judicious  management,  and  today  the 
association  is  one  of  the  foremost  in  that 
line  operating  in  Rock  Island.  Mr.  Medill 
still  continues  as  its  secretary  and  has  the 
guidance  of  its  affairs. 

In  1893  Mr.  Medill  was  candidate  for  mayor 
of  Rock  Island  upon  the  Democratic  ticket, 
the  party  of  his  choice  and  of  his  father 
before  him,  and  to  which  he  has  alwaj's  given 
his  allegiance.  He  was  elected,  and  upon  the 
expiration  of  his  term  he  again  turned  his 
whole  attention  to  the  duties  involved  in  the 
management  of  the  Building  and  Loan  Asso- 
ciation. In  1897  he  was  again  a  candidate, 
and  was  again  elected.  During  Mr.  Altgeld's 
administration  as  governor  of  Illinois,  Mr. 
Medill  was  appointed  bj'  that  executive  as 
president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the 
Illinois  Western  Hospital  for  the  Insane, 
located  at  Watertown.  At  that  time  the 
immense  institution  had  not  been  built,  but 
as  is  customarj-  the  board  of  trustees  was 
appointed   before  the   actual  erection  of  the 


THOMAS  J.  MEDILL, 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


11 


institution,  and  it  became  a  part  of  their 
duties  to  select  a  site  and  in  a  measure  super- 
intend the  erection  of  the  buildings.  Largely 
through  Mr.  Medill's  efforts  the  present  site 
within  this  county  was  selected,  and  this 
spacious  retreat  for  the  reception  and  cure  of 
the  mentally  afflicted  was  commenced  during 
his  incumbency.  In  1896  he  was  proffered 
by  his  party  the  nomination  for  secretary  of 
state  for  Illinois,  but  declined  the  honor.  Mr. 
Medill  is  an  active  partisan  in  behalf  of  the 
Democratic  party,  but  is  as  scrupulously 
fair  and  honorable  in  political  matters  as  he 
is  in  business  transactions.  He  has  frequently 
been  a  delegate  to  his  part}''s  city,  county, 
district  and  state  conventions. 

Mr.  Medill  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Rock  Island  Club,  an  institution  formed  for 
the  promotion  of  the  industrial,  commercial 
and  general  welfare  and  advancement  of 
Rock  Island,  and  which  also  has  many 
delightful  social  features.  Three  times  Mr. 
Medill  has  been  chosen  as  president  of  the 
Rock  Island  Club,  and  he  is  now  a  member 
of  the  board  of  directors. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Medill  is  connected  with 
the  Masonic  Order,  of  which  he  has  been 
elected  to  the  office  of  Worshipful  Master; 
the  National  Union;  the  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America;  the  Knights  of  the  Globe;  the 
Fraternal  Tribunes  and  the  Elks.  Mr.  Medill 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  fraternal 
society  known  as  the  Fraternal  Tribunes, 
which,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  first  formed 
in  that  city.  Mr.  Medill  was  one  of  its  chief 
promoters. 

In  19U3  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
Medill  and  Miss  Lucy  Kinner,  daughter  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  Kinner,  of  Rock  Island. 
Of  their  union  one  child  has  been  born,  a 
daughter,  Frances  V.  Medill.  At  the  time  of 
the  writing  of  this  sketch,  Mr.  Medill  had 
recently  purchased  one  of  the  handsomest  of 
the  smaller  residences  in  Rock  Island.  It  is 
located  on  the  corner  of  Sixth  Avenue  and 
Nineteenth   Street,    and    until    the   time    Mr. 


Medill  purchased  it,  was  owned  and  occupied 
by  Hon.  Elmore  W.  Hurst. 

As  one  of  the  most  important  works  under- 
taken by  the  City  of  Rock  Island  during  Mr. 
Medill's  administration  as  mayor  may  be 
mentioned  the  construction  of  the  great  sys- 
tem of  reservoirs  by  which  the  city  is  supplied 
with  water,  and  which  by  its  triple  method 
of  aeration,  filtration  and  sedimentation  is 
designed  to  remove  the  impurities  naturally 
existing  in  the  water  as  it  is  taken  into  the 
reservoir  directly  from  the  river. 

In  conclusion  it  may  be  said  of  Mr.  .Medill 
that  as  a  man  he  is  honorable,  u]3right  and 
conscientious;  as  a  citizen  untiring  in  his  ef- 
forts for  the  advancement  of  Rock  Island,  and 
in  business  he  possesses  acumen,  keen  insight 
and  great  general  ability.  These  have  been 
the  characteristics  and  guiding  principles  of 
his  life,  and  to  them  is  due  the  fact  that  he  is 
one  of  Rock  Island's  most  respected  and 
highly  esteemed  citizens. 


COLONEL  STANHOPE  E.  BLUNT. 

THE  history  of  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment Arsenal  located  upon  Rock  Island 
is  exhaustively  narrated  from  its  incep- 
tion in  another  portion  of  this  work.  Con- 
sequently it  is  not  the  intention  of  the  writer 
of  this  sketch  to  touch  upon  any  phase  of 
that  history  except  the  period  covered  by  the 
regime  of  the  present  Commandant  of  Rock 
Island  Arsenal,  Colonel  Stanhope  E.  Blunt,  a 
man  whose  executive  ability  has  been  demon- 
strated of  a  high  order. 

Stanhope  E.  Blunt  was  born  in  Boston, 
Massachusetts,  September  28,  1850.  His 
father  was  Colonel  Charles  E.  Blunt,  Corps 
of  Engineers,  United  States  Army,  who 
graduated  from  the  Military  Academy  at 
West  Point  in  1846.  His  mother  before  her 
marriage  was  Miss  Penelope  Bethune  English. 
Both    his   father    and    mother    were    born   in 


12 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAXD    COUNTY 


Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire.  Colonel  Blunt's 
forebears  were  among  the  earliest  colonists 
in  America.  His  paternal  ancestors  rank 
among  the  original  settlers  of  Massachusetts, 
who,  as  history  records,  arrived  there  from 
England  about  1634. 

As  a  boy  Colonel  Blunt  attended  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  city,  Boston,  and  later 
the  high  school  at  Oswego,  New  York,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1868,  and  thus  he  was 
well  qualified  for  entrance  to  AVest  Point. 
Upon  the  completion  of  the  prescribed  course 
of  four  years  at  the  militarj^  academy,  he 
graduated  from  that  institution  in  1872  with 
the  rank  of  second  lieutenant,  and  with  the 
honor  of  being  third  in  his  class. 

Upon  his  graduation  he  was  at  once  as- 
signed to  duty  in  the  Thirteenth  Infantry, 
and  in  the  course  of  a  short  time  was  promoted 
to  a  first  lieutenanc3^  He  served  with  his 
regiment  in  the  states  of  Utah,  Wj^oming 
Colorado  and  New  Mexico  from  June  14, 
1872,  until  November  1,  1874,  when  he  was 
transferred  to  the  Ordnance  Department. 
From  the  date  of  his  assignment  to  ordnance 
service  until  1885,  Colonel  Blunt  was  sta- 
tioned at  various  posts  in  numerous  capaci- 
ties. He  was  for  a  time  instructor  in  mathe- 
matics, and  also  in  ordnance  and  gunnery  at 
West  Point.  Hewas  afterward  stationed  for 
different  periods  at  Frankfort,  Springfield  and 
Watervliet  Arsenals;  served  as  chief  ordnance 
officer  and  inspector  of  rifle  practice  at  head- 
quarters' department  in  Dakota,  and  as  in- 
spector of  small  arms  practice  for  the  army. 

On  November  1,  1885.  Colonel  Blunt  was 
a.ssigned  as  aide-de-camp  to  General  Sheri- 
dan, and  served  in  this  capacity  until  the 
death  of  that  warrior-hero,  which  occurred 
August  5,  1888.  In  -March,  1897,  he  was 
detailed  commandant  of  Rock  Island  Arsen- 
al, where  he  has  since  remained.  At  the 
time  Colonel  Blunt  began  his  tenure  as  com- 
mandant, the  Arsenal  was  little  more  than  a 
magnificent     possibility.     It     had     potential 


greatness  but  that  greatness  was  undeveloped. 
To  the  new  commandant  was  given  the  power 
to  transform  the  possibilitv  into  a  reality. 
How  well  he  has  accomplished  that  task  can 
be  best  appreciated  by  those  who  have  seen 
it  grow  in  importance  from  a  small  manu- 
facturing plant  employing  a  few  hundred  men 
to  a  mammoth  plant  employing  thousands; 
who  have  seen  the  discontinuance  of  the  an- 
tiquated application  of  direct  water  power 
and  the  installation  of  huge  dj-namos,  driven 
by  huge  turbines ;  who  witnessed  the  straining 
of  every  facility  and  the  astounding  output 
during  the  Spanish-American  War,  and  lasth'^ 
the  acquisition  of  the  Arsenal's  latest  industry, 
the  small  arms'  plant,  whose  location  at  this 
point  was  due  largeh-  to  the  efforts  and  ad- 
vice of  the  commandant.  These  achieve- 
ments clearly  show  that  the  man  was  not 
merely  content  to  sit  quietly  by  and  allow 
events  to  pursue  their  course  without  lifting 
a  hand  to  shape  those  events.  He  is  pre- 
eminently a  man  of  action.  Let  credit  be 
given  where  credit  is  due  and  praise  where 
praise  is  meet.  To  Colonel  Stanhope  E. 
Blunt  is  certainly  due  great  credit  and  un- 
stinted praise,  for  certain  it  is  that  he  is  the 
active  and  important  factor  in  the  Arsenal's 
development.  That  he  has  had  able  assis- 
tants is  true,  but  upon  his  shoulders  rested 
the  weight  of  responsibility  as  commandant, 
and  his  ability  was  so  thoroughly  recognized 
that  his  suggestions  in  regard  to  improve- 
ments for  the  Arsenal  were  given  a  readj"^ 
hearing  by  his  superior  officers. 

November  IS,  1873,  Colonel  Blunt  was 
wedded  to  Miss  Fanny  Smyth,  of  Oswego, 
New  York,  the  city  of  her  birth,  her  parents 
being  Charles  and  Catherine  (Colt)  Smyth. 
Both  were  of  English  descent;  the  father 
tracing  his  ancestry  from  the  early  settlers 
in  Alban}',  New  York,  and  the  mother  tracing 
her  progenitors  to  the  first  pioneers  in  Con- 
necticut. To  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Blunt  three 
daughters  have  been  born,  the  Misses  Kath- 


GULUXEL  STANHurK  K.    BLUNT 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


13 


erine,  Evelyn  Bethune  (named  after  her  ma- 
ternal grandmother's  French  ancestors,)  and 
Frances  Smyth  Blunt.  These  young  ladies 
have  received  a  most  careful  and  comprehen- 
sive education,  and  take  an  active  part  in  the 
social  life  of  the  Tri-Cities. 

But  it  is  not  alone  for  his  pronounced  exe- 
utive  ability  at  the  Rock  Island  Arsenal  that 
Colonel  Blunt  has  won  prominence.  As  an 
authority  on  military  tactics,  and  as  a  writer 
upon  technical  subjects  pertaining  to  martial 
affairs  he  has  long  since  been  accorded  com- 
mendation and  recognition.  His  books, 
"Rifle  and  Carbine  Firing,"  and  "Firing 
Regulations  for  Small  Arms"  have  reached 
the  almost  incredible  number  of  sixteen  edi- 
tions. 

Colonel  Blunt  is  a  member  of  several  patri- 
otic and  military  societies,  among  which  may 
be  mentioned  the  Society  of  Colonial  Wars, 
Sons  of  the  Revolution,  Society  of  War  of 
1812,  Society  of  Foreign  Wars,  Society  of 
American  Wars,  Naval  Order  of  the  United 
States,   and   the   Loyal   Legion. 

How  sincerely  Colonel  Blunt's  efforts  to- 
ward the  upbuilding  of  the  Arsenal,  not  only 
by  the  people  of  the  Tri-Cities,  but  by  the 
authorities  at  Washington  as  well,  is  demon- 
strated by  the  high  tribute  paid  him  by  Sena- 
tor Allison,  when  he  declared  that  "Rock 
Island  Arsenal,  during  the  few  months  of  the 
late  Spanish  War,  more  than  returned  in 
advantage  to  the  country  the  great  cost  of 
its  construction;  and  unquestionably,  in  a 
war  of  any  magnitude  and  duration,  this 
cost  would  again  be  repaid  many  fold." 

Such  is  the  career  of  Colonel  Stanhope  E. 
Blunt.  Added  comment  or  fulsome  eulogy 
would  be  futile  and  would  only  detract  from 
the  impression  created  by  the  simple,  digni- 
fied life  of  the  man  himself.  A  man  of  few 
words  and  many  deeds,  courteous  in  his 
bearing  toward  all,  is  Colonel  Blunt;  in  fine  a 
thorough  gentleman;  a  vigorous  executive 
and   a  typical   soldier. 


MORRIS  ROSENFIELD. 

ONE  of  Rock  Island's  most  prominent 
and  respected  citizens  during  his  life- 
time spent  in  that  city,  and  whose  mem- 
ory is  cherished  and  revered  by  all  who  knew 
him,  was  Morris  Rosenfield,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch. 

He  was  born  in  Wurttemberg,  Germany, 
December  18,  1841,  and  died  January  28, 
1899,  at  Tuebingen,  Germany,  where  he  had 
gone  in  hopes  that  he  might  regain  his  shat- 
tered health. 

The  Rosenfield  family  was  one  of  the  most 
respected  in  the  little  city  of  om-  subject's 
birth,  his  father  being  one  of  the  most  enter- 
prising and  properous  citizens  of  Wurttem- 
berg. As  an  instance  of  the  indomitable 
spirit  that  animated  the  elder  Rosenfield,  it 
may  be  related  that  after  he  was  well  past 
three  score  years  he  came  to  America  on  a 
visit  to  his  son,  Morris,  and  other  relatives 
located  here,  a  very  considerable  undertaking 
for  a  gentleman  of  his  years  in  a  day  when  the 
lu.xuries  of  traveling  were  very  far  below 
what  they  are  today,  and  when  any  lengthy 
joiu'ney  was  inevitably  accompanied  by  delay, 
fatigue  and  danger.  To  the  firm  and  unfal- 
tering character  of  this  patriarch  the  success 
of  the  future  generations  of  Rosenficlds  can  be 
traced. 

Morris  Rosenfield  received  his  education 
at  the  high  school  in  Megentheim,  Germany. 
After  completing  his  studies  in  that  institu- 
tion he  decided  to  emigrate  to  America.  He 
came  to  this  country  in  1859  when  he  was 
eighteen  j'ears  of  age.  His  uncles,  J.  and  M. 
Rosenfield,  were  already  engaged  in  the 
wholesale  leather  lousiness  in  Rock  Island, 
and  in  that  business  their  nephew  found  em- 
ployment, later  becoming  one  of  the  partners. 
He  sold  out  his  interest  in  the  leather  busine.ss, 
however,  in  1868,  and  one  year  later  he  be- 
came identified  with  parties  who  were  oper- 
ating   a   factory    in    Moline,    devoted    to    the 


14 


//  /  N  7'  ()  in  (■    ROC  K     I  N  L  A  .V  /;    C  0  U  X  T  Y 


manufacturo  of  farm  wagons.  This  niaim- 
factory  with  whicli  Mr.  Rosen  field  was  oon- 
nectrd  drciilcii  to  incor])oratc  in  1S72,  and 
at  that  time  ho  ijet-amc  the  first  president 
of  what  has  been  known  ever  since  as  The 
Moline  Wagon  Com|)any,  a  position  lie  held 
tmtil  tlie  time  of  his  death.  He  was  practical- 
l}'  the  founiler  of  the  company,  and  W'as 
always  the  life  and  inspiration  of  the  concern, 
molding  and  guiding  it  through  its  constant 
and  stead}-  growth  and  by  liis  business  ability 
and  foresight  developing  it  into  one  of  that 
city's  largest  and  most  important  industries, 
and  b}'  its  progress  and  prosperity  demon- 
strating that  its  founder  and  developer  pos- 
sessed talent  as  an  organizer. 

On  the  10th  of  November,  1874,  Mr.  Rosen- 
field  was  joined  in  marriage  to  Miss  Julia  E. 
Ottenheimer,  and  to  this  couple  three  children 
were  born:  Irene,  wife  of  Samuel  Strauss,  and 
now  residing  in  New  York  City;  Walter  A., 
the  present  head  of  the  Moline  Wagon  Com- 
pany, and  the  sketch  of  whose  life  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  book,  and  Charles.  ]\Ir- 
Rosenfield  was  a  man  devoted  to  his  home,  his 
wife  and  his  children,  and  his  family  circle 
was  indeed  a  happy  one.  When  in  the 
clutches  of  the  disease  that  finally  caused  his 
death  his  family  bent  every  thought  and 
every  effort  toward  giving  him  the  most  ten- 
der   and    ministering    care. 

In  politics  Mr.  Rosenfield  was  a  stauncli 
and  loyal  Republican,  and  occupied  a  prom- 
inent place  in  the  coimcils  of  his  party.  He 
served  as  delegate  and  as  alternate  to  several 
National  Conventions  of  the  Republican 
party,  and  freely  gave  his  labor,  his  influence 
and  his  money  to  promote  the  success  of  the 
party  of  his  choice. 

Mr.  Rosenfield  was  a  man  of  high  character 
and  of  broad  and  comprehensive  view.  He 
was  thoroughly  cosmopolitan  in  his  tastes 
and  ideas.  Of  a  kindly  and  genial  disposi- 
tion he  was  always  ready  to  help  those  less 
fortunate  than  himself,  and  to  help  them  in 
such  a  wav  that  thev  would  be  enabled  there- 


by to  help  themselves.  He  had  very  many 
warm,  personal  friends,  and  by  his  death 
Rock  Island  lost  one  of  her  best  and  most 
progressive  citizens.  A  man  of  kindly 
thought  and  generous  deed  he  is  remembered 
by  those  who  knew  him  with  sentiments  of 
most  sincere  regard. 


WALTER  A.  ROSENFIELD. 

VWTALTER  A.  ROSENFIELD.  the  eldest 

\\/    son  of  ilorris  and  Julia  E.  Rosenfield, 

was    born    in    Rock    Island.  June  13. 

1877.     The  sketch  of  his  father  and  of  the 

history  of  the  Rosenfield  family  precedes  this. 

After  completing  the  Rock  Island  public 
schools.  Mr.  Rosenfield  entered  St.  John's 
Military  School  at  Manlius,  New  York,  and 
graduated   from   that   school. 

In  1898  the  lingering  and  hopeless  illness 
of  his  father.  Morris  Rosenfield.  having  made 
it  impossible  for  him  to  longer  assume  the 
duties  devolving  upon  the  president  of  an 
industry  like  the  Moline  Wagon  Company, 
his  son,  our  subject,  was  elected  to  that 
office,  which  position  he  still  holds.  Called 
to  assume  the  guiding  power  of  a  great  and 
growing  industry  when  he  had  barely  attained 
his  majority,  and  at  an  age  when  most  yoimg 
men  of  his  station  are  still  pursuing  their 
collegiate  course,  Mr.  Rosenfield  has  displayed 
splendid  ability  in  handling  the  large  affairs 
that  constantly  demanded  his  attention. 
Under  his  management  the  plant  has  been 
enlarged  and  the  output  increased.  Several 
new  buildings  have  been  added  until  the 
capacity  of  the  factory  is  almost  doubled. 

Like  his  father,  Walter  A.  Rosenfield.  is  a 
Republican,  and  although  never  seeking  any 
political  office  for  himself  he  takes  an  active 
interest  in  the  trend  of  political  affiairs. 
He  makes  his  home  at  the  family  residence 
at  the  head  of  Eighteenth  Street  in  Rock 
Island,    a    handsome    brick    and    sandstone 


^ 


>^^y^ 


X^(:rpU^J^yy^ 


//  /  N  T  ()  R  1  C    R  ()  ('  K    I  S  L  A  N  D    C  0  U  .V  T  Y 


15 


edifice,  and  the  handsomest  home  in  the  eity. 
Mr.  Rosenfield  is  a  young  man  to  whom 
large  opportunities  have  been  given  to  dem- 
onstrate what  manner  of  man  he  is,  and  he 
has  proved  himself  to  be  thoroughly  capable. 
He  has  managed  the  affairs  of  the  large  indus- 
try, of  which  he  is  at  the  head,  wisely  and 
well. 


MAX  DANIEL  ROSENFIELD. 

M.VX  I).  ROSENFIELD  is  a  familiar 
name  in  business  circles  throughout 
Rock  Island.  Moline  and  Davenport  as 
well.  He  was  born  in  Muhringen,  Wurttem- 
berg,  Germany,  April  4,  1867,  his  parents 
being  Daniel  and  Marie  Rosenfield.  He  at- 
tended the  public  schools  of  his  native  town, 
He  came  to  America  at  an  early  age,  and 
later  located  in  Chicago,  where  he  resided 
from  1SS3  to  1901,  when  he  removed  to  Mo- 
line. 

A  branch  of  the  Chicago  Brewing  Company 
had  been  established  in  Rock  Island  in  1894, 
Sam  Pells  being  the  first  manager.  In  1889 
this  Brewing  Company  became  a  part  of  the 
great  United  Breweries  Company  of  Chicago, 
and  on  February  13,  1901,  Mr.  Rosenfield 
assumed  the  management  of  the  Rock  Island 
branch,  succeeding  Mr.  Pells.  This  position 
Mr.  Rosenfield  still  holds,  and  during  his 
management  he  has  greatly  increased  the 
patronage  of  the  Rock  Island  branch  until  it 
has  reached  a  stage  where  there  is  now  talk 
of  putting  up  a  fully  equipped  brewing  plant 
in  Rock  Island  as  another  link  in  the  chain 
of  breweries  which  this  company  controls. 

October  4,  1893,  Mr.  Rosenfield  was  joined 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Rebecca  Hi'rsch,  the 
daughter  of  Simon  Hirsch,  one  of  Rock  Island 
Covmty's  early  settlers.  After  a  number  of 
years  of  happy  married  life  Mrs.  Rosenfield 
died,  Mr.  Rosenfield  later  married  her  sister. 
Miss  Tillie  Hirsch. 


Mr.  Rosenfield's  political  affiliation  is  with 
the  Republican  Party.  He  is  a  Thirty-second 
Degree  Mason,  Past  Chancellor  of  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  and  is  a  charter  member  of  the 
Moline   Lodge   of   Elks. 

In  religion  he  is  an  adherent  of  the  Jewish 
faith,  and  is  a  trustee  of  Temple  Emanuel, 
the  house  of  worship  of  the  Jewish  congrega- 
tion (Reformed)  at  Davenport,  Iowa. 

He  is  a  man  of  great  executive  ability  as 
has  been  demonstrated  by  his  able  manage- 
ment of  the  branch  of  which  he  has  control. 
In  his  business  dealings  he  is  upright  and 
conscientious,  and  in  his  social  relations 
pleasant  and  affable,  easily  making  and 
keeping  friends. 


EDWARD  HOLMES  GUYER. 

ONE  of  the  comparatively  few  whose 
genius  for  large  undertaking  and  achiev- 
ment  determines  the  destinies  of  the 
localities  in  which  they  live,  is  the  subject  of 
this  sketch — Edward  Holmes  Guyer.  of  Rock 
Island.  He  is  a  native  of  the  city,  having 
been  born  there  October  30,  1853. 

His  parents  were  Judge  Samuel  S.  Guyer 
and  Annette.  Holmes,  daughter  of  the  late 
George  E.  Holmes,  of  Port  Byron.  Judge 
Guyer  was  a  pioneer  of  Rock  Island  County, 
of  which  he  was  county  judge  for  a  period  of 
eight  years,  serving  the  county  as  sheriff"  for 
like  period.  He  was  one  of  the  original  pro- 
prietors of  the  Town  of  Coal  Valley,  and  was 
an  incorporator  of  the  Coal  Valley  Mining 
Company,  also  of  the  Rock  Island  and  Peoria 
Railroad  Company  and  of  Chippiannock 
Cemetery. 

Edward  Holmes  Guyer  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  Rock  Island  Grade  and  High 
Schools.  He  graduated  from  the  Michigan 
ITniversity,  receiving  therefrom  the  Degrees 
of  Bachelor  of  Arts  and   Bachelor  of  Laws.' 


16 


//  /  N  7'  ()  in  <■    R  0  V  l<    ISLAND    COUNTY 


He  also  studiod  for  two  yonrs  at  Heidelberg, 
Germany. 

Mr.  Guyer  entered  upon  hi.s  active  busines.s 
career  in  tlie  ('it>-  of  Rock  Island  in  the  year 
1S79  when  he  o|M'iic'd  his  office  and  entered 
into  the  ]iractice  of  law,  which  he  has  followed 
ever  since.  He  was  secretary  and  attorney 
for  the  Rock  Island  and  Milan  Street  Railway 
Company  and  of  the  Moline  Central  Street 
Railway  Company,  the  first  road  in  Illinois 
to  be  equipped  with  modern  electric  motors. 

Mr.  Guyer  has  been  attorney  and  manager 
of  the  Rock  Island  Mutual  Building  Loan 
and  Savings  Association  since  its  organiza- 
tion twenty-six  years  ago;  has  been  director 
of  the  Chippiannock  Cemetery  Association 
since  1882,  and  its  president  for  more  than 
twenty  years. 

His  interests  in  real  estate  have  been  very 
extensive.  He  platted  in  Rock  Island,  Guy- 
er Sub-division,  Guyer's  First,  Second  and 
Third  Additions,  Edgewood  Park,  First  and 
Second  Additions  to  Edgewood  Park,  College 
Heights  and  Buford  and  Guyer  Additions. 
In  Moline  he  platted  Prospect  Park  and  First 
and  Second  Fairmount  Additions.  In  the 
year  1895  platted  the  Town  of  East  Moline 
on  a  tract  of  twelve  hundred  acres. 

Mr.  Guyer's  public  services  to  the  Cities 
of  Rock  Island  and  INIoline  have  been  great. 
He  originated  and  carried  to  a  successful 
conclusion  the  project  of  locating  the  Water- 
town  Hospital  for  the  Insane  at  Water- 
town,  and  the  location  of  the  small  arms' 
plant  at  Rock  Island  Arsenal  in  which  enter- 
prise he  spent  six  weeks  at  Washington  to 
secure  an  appropriation  from  Congress. 
He  was  one  of  a  delegation  of  three  to  the 
Head  Camp  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  held  at  Omaha,  securing  the  remov- 
al of  the  head  offices  from  Fulton  to  Rock 
Island. 

Mr.  Guyer  has  been  twice  elected  a  director 
of  the  Rock  Island  Club,  and  was  its  presi- 
dent in  1905.  He  represented  the  Seventh 
Ward  of  his  citv  in  the  years  1892  and  1893. 


He  is  a  Republican,  but  of  the  independent 
order.  His  marriage  to  Miss  Constance  Kim- 
ball, of  Paris,  Maine,  was  celebrated  in  the 
year  1886.  Of  this  union  the  children  are 
Alice    F.  Guyer  and  Edward  F.  Guyer. 


PETER  FRIES. 

A  MAN  whose  personality  was  strongly 
impressed  on  Rock  Island  County,  was 
Peter  Fries,  distiller,  banker,  and  man 
of  affairs.  Mr.  Fries  was  born  May  4,  1822, 
on  the  family  estate  known  as  "Guss-Hof," 
situated  on  the  River  Main,  in  Bavaria,  Ger- 
many. He  died  July  20,  1902,  in  Rock  Is- 
land, Illinois.  His  father's  name  was  Johann, 
his  mother's,  Gertrude  (nee  Brand),  of  Reis- 
tenhausen. 

Johann  Fries  was  the  owner  of  the  Guss- 
Hof,  the  estate  which  had  descended  from 
father  to  son  for  many  generations,  and  was 
situated  near  Stadt  Prozelten. 

Peter  Fries,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
the  youngest  of  eight  children.  After  re- 
ceiving his  education,  he  assisted  his  father 
in  the  affairs  of  the  estate,  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  manhood,  when  he  sold  his  inheri- 
tance  to   his   oldest  sister. 

The  burden  had  been  heavy,  and  being 
informed  of  the  rare  opportunities  for  thrift 
and  energy  in  America,  he  came  in  the  year 
1849  to  the  United  States,  and  located  in 
Altoona,  Pennsylvania.  Here  he  engaged 
in  the  tannery  business,  but  his  investment 
proved  unfortunate,  and  he  continued  but 
for  one  year,  when  he  removed  to  Henry, 
Illinois,  where  he  once  more  embarked  in 
the  leather  business.  After  two  years  spent 
in  Henry,  he  sold  his  establishment  and  re- 
moved to  Davenport,  Iowa,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  vinegar,  which  he 
continued  until  the  year  1854.  At  this  time 
he  came  to  Rock  Island  and  entered  upon 
the     business     of    distilling     and     rectifying 


E.  II.   (JLYER 


/  C^-U^     /^yt. 


HISTORIC    ROC  K    ISLAND    COUNTY 


17 


liquors,  and  continued  therein  until  the  end 
of  his  life. 

Now  fortune  smiled  on  Mr.  Fries,  and  as 
he  prospered  he  became  widely  interested 
in  real  estate.  He  was  a  charter  member  of 
the  Rock  Island  National  Bank,  and  of  the 
People's  National  Bank.  He  was  a  director 
in  both  banks,  and  was  vice-president  of  the 
latter  up  to  the  time  of  his  death. 

In  politics  Mr.  Fries  was  a  Democrat, 
always  reserving  the  right  to  vote  for  men 
or  measures  according  to  the  dictates  of  his 
own  judgment. 

In  religion  Mr.  Fries  was  a  Catholic.  Mr. 
Fries  married  Theresa  Dauber  August  5, 
1852,  in  the  City  of  Henry,  Illinois.  Of  this 
union,  two  children  were  born:  .\nna,  who 
married  the  late  Mr.  Henry  Schmidt,  of  St. 
Louis,  and  is  now  Mrs.  James  Connor,  of  Rock 
Island,  Illinois.  The  other  child,  a  son,  died 
in  infancy. 

Mr.  Fries  died  a  successful  man,  the  result 
of  great  energy,  thrift  and  business  ability. 
He  was  a  man  of  great  force  of  character, 
and  in  disposition  modest  and  unassuming. 
His  large  and  varied  business  connections 
made  him  an  important  factor  of  the  business 
life  of  the  city,  to  which  his  death  was  a  great 
loss. 


ISAAC  NEGUS. 

ISAAC  NEGUS,  deceased,  who,  during  his 
lifetime,   was  one  of  the  leading  business 

men  in  Rock  Island,  was  a  man  whose  be- 
lief in  the  future  of  the  city  he  had  chosen  for 
his  home  took  the  substantial  form  of  build- 
ing enterprise. 

He  was  born  December  31,  1799,  at  La- 
bions,  Ondaga  County,  New  York,  where  he 
received  a  common  school  education.  After 
leaving  school  he  found  employment  in  the 
construction  department  of  the  Erie  Canal 
in  New  York  State,  where  he  remained  for 


three  years.  The  experience  and  practical 
knowledge  gained  during  those  three  years 
was  a  great  service  to  him  later,  when  he, 
with  his  partner,  Mr.  James  Sanger,  took  a 
$150,000  contract  for  a  part  of  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Illinois  and  .Michigan  Canal,  the 
scene  of  their  operations  being  Chicago. 

Mr.  Negus  removed  from  New  York  State 
in  1829,  locating  in  Edwardsville,  Madison 
County,  Illinois,  where  for  three  years  he  was 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business.  From 
thence  he  moved  to  Chicago  and  later  went 
to  Galena,  Illinois,  where  he  was  again  en- 
gaged in  mercantile  lines  until  he  came  to 
Rock  Island  on  October  8,  1844.  Here  he 
again  took  up  mercantile  life  and  made  an 
enviable  record  in  his  business  career. 

He  was  also  a  member  of  the  banking  firm 
of  Osborn,  Negus  &  Company  known  as  the 
Rock  Island  Bank,  the  firm  at  that  time  op- 
erating the  principal  bank  in  the  city.  He 
was  also  one  of  the  owners  of  the  first  street 
car  system  between  the  cities  of  Rock  Island 
and  Moline.  In  those  early  days  electricity 
had  not  supplanted  the  horse  as  a  means  of 
motive  power,  and  indeed,  a  hack  line  which 
Mr.  Negus  started  and  operated  between  the 
Twin-Cities  was  a  nticleus  from  which  the 
first  horse  car  system  grew.  Mr.  Negus  was 
also  one  of  the  stock  holders  in  the  Rock 
Island  Watch  Company,  and  held  a  large 
interest  in  the  Rock  Island  Stove  Company. 

In  1876  Mr.  Negus  built  the  Rock  Island 
Hotel  which  is  still  one  of  the  city's  leading 
hotels,  and  this  building  stands  as  a  monu- 
ment to  the  man  who  believed  in  the  future 
of  his  city  and  who  took  pride  in  her  welfare. 
He  stood  always  ready  to  co-operate  in  every 
possible  way  with  any  movement  that 
looked  toward  the  best  interests  of  Rock 
Island.  He  invested  largely  in  city  property 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  had  very  ex- 
tensive holdings.  He  was  a  man  of  a  benev- 
olent and  charitable  nature  and  was  always 
ready  to  extend  a  helping  hand  to  a  needy 
fellow  being. 


//  /  .s'  T  O  Hie    h'  (>  (■  K    I  S  L  A  N  D    C  0  U  N  T  Y 


Mr.  Negus  was  a  self-made  man.  A  strong 
and  vigorous  character,  he  determined  to 
achieve  success  and  through  his  own  unaided 
exertions  he  attained   his  goal. 

On  November  28,  1839,  he  nuu-ried  Miss 
Jusiva  Waldo,  a  native  of  Mansfield,  Connec- 
ticut, the  scene  of  their  marriage  being  Sec- 
tion 3,  Number  4,  Summit  Division  of  the 
Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal.  Four  children 
were  born  of  this  union,  they  being  Charles 
W.,  who  died  September  29,  1900;  Anna  S., 
wife  of  the  late  W.  S.  Knowlton,  (Mrs. 
Knowlton's  death  occurred  March  2.'),  1901); 
Henry,  who  died  in  infancy,  and  William  O., 
of  Rock  Island. 

Although  Mr.  Negus  had  no  church  affilia- 
tion, yet  he  was  a  libera]  supporter  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  his  wife, 
whose  death  occurred  September  1,  1873, 
in  Rock  Island,  was  a  devout  and  consistent 
member. 

In  politics  Mr.  Negus  was  a  Democrat,  and 
although  personally  he  never  cared  to  hold 
office,  he  took  a  great  interest  in  political 
affairs.  Yielding  to  the  solicitations  of  his 
party  in  Rock  Island  he  was  once  prevailed 
upon  to  become  a  candidate  for  mayor  of  his 
city,  which  was  at  that  time  overwhelmingly 
Republican.  He  was  defeated  by  a  small 
majority,  his  personality  and  well  known 
interest  in  municipal  affairs  drawing  to  him 
many  votes  from  the  opposition.  At  one 
time  he  was  president  of  the  Old  Settlers' 
Association  of  Rock  Island  County. 

On  November  27,  1883,  Mr.  Negus  passed 
away  at  his  home  in  Rock  Island,  his  death 
bringing  to  a  close  a  long  and  successful  life. 
In  his  old  age  he  retired  from  active  partici- 
pation in  business  affairs,  but  he  never 
ceased  to  take  the  same  keen  and  zealous  in- 
terest in  his  home  city,  and  in  the  success  of 
the  enterprises  which  he  had  helped  in  so 
large  a  measure  to  create.  He  was  a  man  of 
whom  it  can  be  said  that  his  convictions  took 
form  in  acts,  and  who,  in  his  prosperity, 
helped   those   less   fortunate   than   himself. 


HENRY  A.  AINSWORTH. 

HKNRY   A.    AINSWORTH,   president   of 
the    Moline    Trust    and    Savings    Bank, 
and  president  of  the  Williams  <t  White 
Company,  manufacturers  of  steam  hammers 
and  other  special  tools,  is  classed  among  the 
truly  representative  citizens  of  Moline,   and 
dates  his  residence  there  since   1870.     He  is 
a  native  of  Vermont,  born  in  Williamstown, 
September     28,     1833.     His    father,     Calvin 
Ainsworth,    was    also    a   native   of    Vermont, 
born  in  Brookfield,  but  in  early  life  moved  to 
Williamstown,  where  for  fifty  years  he  was  a 
general  merchant,  well  and  favorably  known 
in  all  that  section  of  the  country.     He  mar- 
ried Miss  Laura  Lynde,  a  native  of  Vermont, 
whose  father,  Cornelius  Lynde,  was  the  first 
circuit  judge  of  Orange  County,  that  state. 
The  Ainsworth  family  was  of  English  descent, 
the  first  of  the  name  coming  to  New  England 
in  the  Seventeenth  Century  and  locating  in 
Chelsea,     Massachusetts.     The     Lyndes     are 
also  of  English  descent,  having  settled  in  this 
country    prior    to    the    Revolutionary    War, 
several  of  the  name  taking  part  in  that  strug- 
gle. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  man- 
hood in  his  native  village,  and  in  the  district 
schools  received  his  primary  education  which 
was  supplemented  by  attendance  in  two 
academies.  In  1853,  at  the  age  of  twenty 
years,  he  left  home  and  came  west,  locating 
in  Geneseo,  Henry  County,  Illinois,  where  he 
engaged  in  general  merchandising  on  his  own 
account.  In  this  line  he  continued  eight 
years,  then  sold  out,  and  for  a  few  years  was 
engaged  in  the  hardware  and  agricultural 
implement  trade  in  the  same  place.  In  both 
lines  he  met  with  good  success. 

In  1870  Mr.  Ainsworth  came  to  Moline  and 
secured  an  interest  in  the  manufactory  of 
Williams  &  White.  Within  a  year  later  the 
business  was  incorporated,  and  Mr.  Ains- 
worth was  elected  secretary  of  the  company, 
a  position  he  held  for  about   fifteen  years, 


HENRY    A.  AINSWORTH 


HISTORIC    RO  C  K    ISLAND    C  0  U  N  T  Y 


19 


when  purchasing  about  three-fourths  of  its 
capital  stock,  he  was  elected  president,  a 
position  he  still  retains.  Under  his  general 
management  the  business  has  attained  mam- 
moth proportions,  and  is  one  of  the  leading 
industries  of  Moline.  Soon  after  coming  to 
Moline  he  took  stock  in  the  Moline  National 
Bank,  and  also  in  the  Moline  Savings  Bank, 
and  for  some  years  served  as  director  and 
vice  president  of  both  institutions.  His 
ability  as  a  financier  and  good  executive 
ability  were  recognized  by  his  associates, 
and  in  1894  he  was  elected  president  of  the 
former  institution,  a  position  he  is  well  quali- 
fied to  fill.  On  his  election  as  president  of 
the  Moline  National  Bank,  he  resigned  the 
vice-presidency  of  the  Moline  Savings  Bank, 
but  was  retained  in  its  directory.  April,  1892, 
he  resigned  as  president  of  the  Moline  National 
Bank,  when  it  was  changed  to  Moline  Trust 
and  Savings  Bank.  He  was  elected  president 
of  that  bank  in  1894  and  still  holds  that 
position. 

On  the  2Sth  of  July.  1858,  Mr.  Ainsworth 
was  married  at  Ashland,  Ohio,  to  Miss  Sarah 
Andrews,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  a  sister  of 
Mr.  Andrews,  president  then  of  Kenyon  Col- 
lege. After  a  happy  married  life  of  thirty- 
three  years,  Mrs.  Ainsworth  was  called  to  her 
reward,  dying  in  a  hospital  at  Chicago,  leav- 
ing two  children,  Harry  and  Mary.  The 
former  is  a  graduate  of  Oberlin  College,  and 
of  the  law  department  of  Harvard  University. 
He  is  a  man  of  exceptionally  good  business 
ability,  and  is  now  secretary  of  the  Williams 
&  White  Company.  Mary  is  also  a  graduate 
of  Oberlin  College,  and  is  a  woman  of  rare 
attainments.  At  present  she  is  making  a 
tour  in  Europe.  Mrs.  Ainsworth  was  a  sin- 
cere and  honest  Christian  woman,  one  who 
delighted  in  the  service  of  the  Master,  and 
when  the  summons  came  she  was  ready  to  go, 
having  that  perfect  confidence  and  trust  in 
the  Blessed  Redeemer  and  the  life  beyond 
the  grave. 

For  his  second  wife,  Mr.  Ainsworth  wedded 


Miss  Sarah  F.  Anderson,  Jvme  30,  1896.  She 
was  born  in  Bucyrus,  Ohio;  moved  to  Gene- 
seo,  Illinois,  in  early  life,  and  was  a  graduate 
of  Rockford  Female  College.  A  teacher  of 
recognized  ability,  a  woman  of  grace  and 
refinement,  and  of  good  executive  ability, 
she  was  called  to  the  presidency  of  her  alma 
mater,  and  for  six  years  occupied  that  posi- 
tion. She  was  still  serving  as  such  when  her 
marriage  with  Mr.  Ainsworth  occurred.  In 
February,  1896,  Beloit  College  conferred  on 
her  the  degree  of  M.  A.,  a  degree  worthily 
bestowed. 

Mr.  Ainsworth  has  always  taken  a  com- 
mendable interest  in  public  affairs,  though 
never  to  the  neglect  of  his  business  interests. 
He  believes  it  the  duty  of  every  American 
citizen  to  keep  posted  and  act  intelligently 
upon  all  questions  affecting  the  people,  and 
in  pursuance  of  that  idea  he  carefully  reads 
the  current  literature  of  the  day,  and  attends 
the  public  speaking  as  his  time  will  admit. 

The  conventions  of  his  party  he  also  .at- 
tends, more  frequently  as  a  delegate  than 
otherwise.  Politically  he  is  a  strong  Repub- 
lican. Attaining  his  majority  the  year  that 
party  occurred,  he  gave  adhesion  to  its  prin- 
ciples,   and    has    never    deviated    therefrom. 

While  a  resident  of  Geneseo,  Mr.  Ainsworth 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  board  of  village 
trustees,  and  was  the  youngest  member  of 
that  body.  For  six  years  he  was  a  member 
of  the  state  board  of  equalization,  and  was 
state  senator  from  the  Moline  District  from 
1882  to  1886.  He  was  later  appointed  by 
Governor  Fifer  president  of  the  state  board 
of  labor  statistics,  which  office  he  resigned 
when  Altgeld  was  elected  governor.  In 
every  position  filled  he  discharged  its  duties 
faithfully  and  well,  and  to  the  satisfaction 
of  all  interested. 

Religiously,  Mr.  Ainsworth  and  family  are 
members  of  the  First  Congregational  Church, 
of  Moline,  and  in  the  work  of  the  church  he 
has  always  manifested  an  interest,  being 
among   its   most   liberal    contributors.     Fra- 


20 


JJJSTUNJC     ROCK     ISLAXD    CUL'XTY 


tcnially,  lie  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason,  a  member  1,SS9.      In  ihis  connection  it  is  interesting  to 

of  both  the  Blue  Lodge  and  Chapter  at  Mo-  state  that   Airs.   Ainsworth's  grandfather,  on 

line.     In    the   former   body    he   is   now    past  tiie  maternal  side,  James  T.  Gifford,  laid  out 

master.     As   a   citizen   he   has  ever  taken   a  the  City  of  Elgin. 

lively  interest  in  every  enterprise  calculated  The  children  of  this  union  are  Caroline  D., 

to  build  up  his  adopted  city  and  county,  and  Sarah  A.,   and   Dorothy  S. 
few   men   have  a  wider  circle  of  friends  and 
acquaintances  throughout  the  state. 


HARRY  AINSWORTH. 

A  .MONO  the  leading  nuinufactiu'ers  of  Mo- 
line.  Illinois,  is  Mr.  Harry  Ainsworth, 
vice-president  of  Williams,  White  & 
Company,  manufactm-ers  of  heavy  machine 
tools. 

Mr.  Ainsworth  was  born  at  Geneseo,  Illi- 
nois, Ma}-  9,  1862.  He  is  the  son  of  Henry  A. 
Ainsworth  (whose  biography  appears  in  this 
book)  and  Sarah  A.,  his  wife.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  Oberlin  College  (class  of  1884)  and 
Harvard   Law  School   (class  of   1887). 

Although  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  State 
of  Illinois.  Mr.  Ainsworth  never  practiced, 
but  instead  entered  the  office  of  Williams, 
White  tt  Company  with  his  father,  where  he 
has  continued  ever  since  as  secretary,  treas- 
urer and  vice  president. 

Mr.  Ainsworth  has  served  as  secretary  of 
the  Tri-City  Manufacturers'  Association  for 
a  number  of  years;  also  as  member  of  the 
public  library  board,  of  which  he  is  now 
president. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  First  Congregational 
Church  of  Moline,  in  which  he  has  served  in 
variovis  offices,  being  now  and  for  years  past, 
superintendent  of  the  Sundaj-  School. 

In  politics  Mr.  Ainsworth  is  a  Republican, 
though  independent,  when  his  judgment 
prompts    him    to    assert   such    independence. 

Mr.  Ainsworth  was  married  to  Stella  A. 
Davidson,  the  daughter  of  Mr.  Orlando  Da- 
vidson, banker,  of  Elgin.  Illinois,  in  the  vear 


BEN  C.  HARTZ. 

OXE  OF  the  most  extensive  business  en- 
terprises conducted  in  the  City  of  Rock 
Island  is  the  wholesale  drug  house  of 
Hartz  &  Bahnsen  Company.  It  is  a  business 
that,  although  modest  in  its  inception,  has 
attained  immense  proportions,  until  today 
it  occupies  a  magnificent  four-story  building 
on  Third  Avenue  and  Nineteenth  Street, 
and  for  its  successful  operation  requires  the 
emploj-ment  of  a  small  army  of  clerks.  It  is 
one  of  the  founders  of  this  large  concern  and 
its  president,  whose  life  we  propose  to  take 
up  in  this  sketch,  and  as  a  specific  example 
of  what  integrity,  perseverance  and  industry 
can  accomplish,  it  will  certainly  be  of  inter- 
est to  every  reader. 

Ben  C.  Hartz  was  born  December  5,  1856, 
in  the  town  of  Altona.  Germany,  his  parents 
being  .1.  H.  and  Theresa  Hartz.  The  father 
was  a  contractor  and  manufacturer  of  furni- 
ture. He  died  in  his  native  land  of  Ger- 
many in  1871.  After  his  death  the  mother 
made  her  home  with  her  children  in  Rock 
Island,   passing   away   September,    1888. 

Their  son  came  in  the  United  States  in 
1873  and  located  in  Rock  Island.  Previous 
to  leaving  Germany,  he  had  served  an  ap- 
prenticeship of  three  years  in  a  wholesale 
and  retail  drug  and  paint  business  in  Ham- 
burg. Having  thus  fitted  himself  as  a  prac- 
tical pharmacist  he  found  no  difficulty  in  ob- 
taining employment  in  his  chosen  line  upon 
coming  to  Rock  Island,  and  after  having 
served  for  six  years  in   that   capacity  as  an 


B^^ 


MHS>.   THOMAS  CAMPBELL 


THOMAS  CAMPBELL, 


II  I  ST  0  Rl  C    RO  C  K    ISLAND    C  O  U  N  T  Y 


21 


employee  of  others,  in  1879  he  entered  into 
partnership  with  F.  W.  Bahnsen  in  the  retail 
drug  business  under  the  firm  name  of  Hartz 
&  Bahnsen.  Their  venture  was  a  sviccessful 
and  prosperous  one,  and  in  1891  they  dis- 
posed of  their  retail  drug  ijusiness  and  incor- 
porated as  Hartz  &  Bahnsen  Company,  niid 
from  that  date  to  the  present  time  they  have 
been  actively  engaged  in  the  wholesale  drug 
business  exclusively.  U])on  the  formation 
of  the  new  corporation,  Mr.  Hartz  was  elected 
its  president,  an  oHice  that  he  has  ever  since 
lu'ld,  devoting  his  time  exclusively  to  the 
tluties  and  responsibilities  which  necessarily 
devolved  upon  him. 

In  I'cligious  conviction  Mr.  Hartz  is  a 
Lutheran,  and  was  confirmed  in  the  Lutheran 
Evangelical  Church.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican.  For  twenty-seven  years  he  has 
been  a  member  of  Ucal  Lodge,  No.  608,  of 
Odd  Fellows.  He  is  also  a  director  of  the 
Rock  Island  Club.  He  is  a  progressive  and 
respected  citizen  of  Rock  Island,  and  the 
business  that  he  and  his  early  partner,  Mr. 
Hahnsen,  have  built  up  and  cai'ry  on,  stands 
as  a  monument  to  the  business  sagacity  of 
both  those  gentlemen. 


THOMAS  CAMPBELL. 

THOMAS  CAMPBELL,  one  of  the  best 
known  citizens  of  Rock  Island  County 
was  born  January  9,  1842,  in  liallyhas- 
kin  Parrish,.  Comity  Down,  Ireland.  His 
l)arents  were  John  and  Margaret  (McQuaid) 
Campbell,  and  of  their  union  four  children 
were  born:  Mary  (now  Mrs.  Rutherford), 
Margaret  (deceased),  Robert  and  Thomas, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

The  Campbells  were  originally  from  Scot- 
land. About  two  centuries  past  the  fore- 
bears of  Thomas  Campbell  removed  from 
Scotland  and  settled  in  the  North  of  Ireland. 


February  11,  1850,  when  Thomas  Camp- 
Ijcll  was  eight  years  of  age,  his  parents,  with 
their  children,  left  Ireland  for  America,  em- 
barking on  the  Elizabeth  Augusta,  a  sailing 
vessel  bound  for  New  Orleans.  The  journey 
consumed  seven  weeks  and  three  days.  Up- 
on arriving  at  New  Orleans  the  family,  hav- 
ing determined  to  come  to  Rock  Island,  took 
boat  and  proceeded  up  the  Mississippi,  but 
at  St.  Louis  the  illness  antl  death  of  the 
mother  comjielled  a  temporary  cessation  of 
jommey.  Mrs.  Campbell  was  buried  at  St. 
Louis  and  the  rest  of  the  s((rro\ving  family 
continued  upon  their  way  to  Rock  Island, 
which  they  reached  May  3,  1850. 

On  the  first  of  May  the  fdllDwing  year, 
Thomas  Campbell  was  taken  into  the  home 
of  John  A.  Boyer  and  wife.  He  attended  the 
common  schools  of  Rock  Island,  going  three 
or  four  months  in  the  winter,  and  spending 
the  other  months  in  farm  work.  He  made 
his  home  with  the  Boyers  until  the  death  of 
that  couple.  Having  no  children  of  their 
own,  they  had  made  Thomas  Campbell  their 
heir,  and  they  left  to  him  considerable  pro- 
perty, consisting  chiefly  of  real  estate.  He 
continued  to  live  in  the  old  Boyer  homestead 
until  1901,  when  he  built  a  new  house  about 
two  hundred  feet  south  of  the  old  one  and 
moved  into  it.  This  is  the  only  time  that 
Mr.  Campbell  has  moved  since  he  came  to 
Rock  Island  in  his  boyhood. 

On  August  9,  1862,  Mr.  Campbell  enlisted 
as  a  ])rivate  in  Company  I,  One  Hundred 
and  Twenty-sixth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry. 
Seven  comjianies  were  mustered  in  Rock 
Island  Coimty.  All  of  them  went  to  Dixon, 
Illinois,  where  they  remained  in  camp  three 
weeks.  Then  they  were  ordered  to  Chicago. 
While  there  one  of  the  companies,  (Capt. 
Williams')  went  into  the  Eighty-ninth  Illinois, 
and  another  (Capt.  Ashbaugh's)  joined  the 
Ninety-third  Illinois.  This  left  five  companies 
from  Rock  Island  County,  and  these,  together 
with  five  companies  from  the  southern  part  of 
state,   formed  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 


22 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


sixth  llliuois  N'ohiiitiMT  Infantry.  While  they 
were  in  camp  at  Chicago,  Harper's  Ferry  iwul 
been  tal<en.  Some  of  tlie  Union  .soldiers  who 
were  captured  at  tliat  Confederate  victory  were 
paroled  and  sent  to  Chicago  to  Camj)  Doug- 
las. One  of  them  upon  going  to  a  sutler's 
tent  to  ptu-chase  tal)acco  was  informed  by 
the  sutler's  clerk  that  he  "would  not  sell  to- 
bacco   to     a    d coward."     This    insult 

spread  through  the  camp  like  wildfire  and 
everything  in  the  tent  was  destroyed  by  the 
enraged  soldiers,  so  keen  was  their  resent- 
ment of  the  insult  offered  their  comrade. 
The  other  sutlers'  tents  were  guarded,  or  the 
same  treatment  would  have  been  meted  out 
to  them.  Diu'ing  this  melee,  through  the 
accidental  discharge  of  a  soldier's  musket, 
Mr.  Campbell  was  wounded,  the  ball  passing 
through  his  left  knee  joint  and  crippling  him 
for  life,  from  the  effect  of  which  in  1900  he 
had  to  have  his  limb  amputated  four  inches 
above   the   knee-joint. 

Mr.  Campbell  was  married  September  7, 
1864,  to  Mary  J.  Carson.  Seven  children 
were  born  to  them,  all  of  them  living  but  one, 
who  was  killed  in  a  railroad  accident  Febru- 
ary 19,  1904. 

Mr.  Campbell  has  devoted  his  life  to  farm- 
ing, his  farm  being  located  just  outside  the 
city  limits  of  Rock  Island,  and  being  known 
to  this  day  as  "the  old  Boyer  place."  For 
twenty-five  years  he  has  been  crop  corres- 
pondent for  Rock  Island  County. 

In  politics  Mr.  Campbell  is  a  Republican 
and  has  been  frequently  honored  by  his  par- 
ty, having  held  the  offices  of  school  director, 
road  commissioner,  supervisor,  county  treas- 
urer in  1890,  and  on  November  6,  1906, 
he  was  elected  as  a  representative  to  the 
Illinois  Legislature  from  the  Thirty-third 
Senatorial  District,  which  is  composed  of 
Rock  Island,  Mercer  and  Henderson  Coun- 
ties. His  first  presidential  vote  was  cast  for 
Abraham  Lincoln  on  iiis  second  term,   1864. 

Mr.  Campbell  is  a  member  of  John  Buford 
Post,  G.  A.  R.     For  abotU  twenty  years  he 


was  elected  quartermaster,  then  commander, 
and  at  the  present  time  he  is  chaplain.  He 
is  also  a,  member  of  the  Old  Settlers' Associa- 
tion. 

He  is  affiliated  with  the  First  Baptist 
Church  in  Rock  Island,  and  has  been  promi- 
nent in  church  work.  For  twelve  years  he 
has  been  a  trustee  and  for  ten  \-ears  a  deacon 
of  his  church. 


MANSFIELD  M.  STURGEON. 

ONE  of  the  most  brilliant  and  astute 
attorneys  practising  at  the  Rock  Island 
("ounty  Bar  is  Mansfield  M.  Sturgeon, 
senior  member  of  the  legal  firm  of  Sturgeon. 
Stelck  &  Sturgeon,  a  man  whose  great  ability 
and  profound  learning  as  an  attorney  has  been 
demonstrated  in  the  trial  of  many  important 
suits,  as  well  as  in  sound  counsel  and  legal 
advice. 

He  was  born  September  10,  1848,  at  Letart 
Falls,  Ohio,  his  parents,  being  Oliver  Hazard 
Perry  Sturgeon  and  Mar\'  Ellenor  (Summers) 
Sturgeon.  The  father  was  born  March  14, 
1818,  at  Sistersville.  Virginia,  the  date  of  the 
marriage  of  the  senior  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sturgeon 
being  December  25,  1839.  The  death  of  the 
father  occurred  at  Windom,  Kansas,  in  1902, 
he  being  then  in  his  eighty-fifth  year.  The 
mother  was  born  in  Morgantown,  Virginia, 
.June  11,  1819.  She  is  still  living,  and  is  in  her 
eighty-eighth  year. 

The  grandfatlu'i-  of  our  subject.  William 
Sturgeon,  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812, 
and  was  with  the  land  forces  at  Lake  Erie 
when  Commodore  Perry  won  the  memorable 
naval  battle  there.  Hence  when  his  son  was 
born  he  bestowed  upon  him  the  somewhat 
lengthy  name  of  Oliver  Hazard  Perry  Stur- 
geon, in  honor  of  his  hero.  This  rather 
ctimbrous  cognomen  was  abbreviated  by  his 
boyhood  companions  to  simply  "Perry",  and 


M.   M.   STURGEON 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


23 


by  this  name  he  was  known  throughout  liis 
life. 

The  Sturgeons  were  of  Scotch-Irish  ances- 
try, one  of  the  members  of  that  family  set- 
tling in  Uniontown,  Pennsylvania,  in  an  early 
day.  The  great-grandfather  of  our  subject 
was  born  in  Uniontown.  When  a  young 
man  he  erected  a  grist  mill  on  the  banks  of 
Union  Creek,  and  was  engaged  in  the  milling 
and  general  merchandise  business  for  many 
years. 

After  the  war  of  1812  William  Sturgeon 
was  commissioned  colonel  of  militia  by  the 
then  Governor  of  Virginia.  Under  the  old 
militia  laws  of  that  state,  annual  drills  or 
musters  were  held,  which  all  the  able-bodied 
men  subject  to  military  duty  were  required 
to  attend.  Colonel  Sturgeon  held  these  mus- 
ters either  at  Morgantown  or  else  at  Wheeling, 
at  that  time  included  in  old  Virginia,  but  now 
one  of  the  principal  citie.s  in  West  Virginia. 
Colonel  Sturgeon  died  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
in  185.5. 

The  family  of  our  subject's  mother  was 
noted  for  longevity.  His  great-grandmother 
lived  to  be  one  hundred  years  old,  and  his 
great-great-grandmother  was  one  hundred 
and  one  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death. 

In  1849,  when  Mansfield  M.  Sturgeon  was 
six  years  of  age,  his  parents  removed  from 
their  Ohio  home  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  and 
afterward  to  Rock  Island,  arriving  in  the  lat- 
ter city  in  1851.  This  city  has  been  Mr. 
Sturgeon's  home  ever  since,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  few  years  just  prior  to,  and  during 
the  first  years  of  the  Civil  War,  when  his 
parents  lived  upon  a  farm  in  Buffalo  Prairie 
Township  in  this  county.  He  attended  the 
public  schools  of  Rock  Island,  and  while  his 
parents  were  upon  the  farm  he  attended  the 
country  schools  tjf  the  lower  end  of  the  county 
and  also  a  private  academy  at  Edgington. 
After  the  close  of  the  war  he  took  a  one  year's 
course  in  the  Rock  River  Seminary  at  Mount 
Morris,  Illinois. 

In  June,  1862,  he  enlisted  in   Company   F, 


Sixt}--ninth  Regiment  of  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry  to  serve  for  three  months.  The  regi- 
ment was  assigned  to  duty  at  Camp  Douglas, 
Chicago,  guarding  rebel  prisoners,  of  which 
there  were  about  eight  thousand  detained  at 
that  camp.  The  time  of  Mr.  Sturgeon's 
enlistment  expired  the  following  September, 
and  upon  its  expiration  he,  together  with 
others  whose  enlistments  had  expired,  vol- 
unteered, before  being  mustered  out  of  service, 
to  guard  rebel  prisoners  from  Camp  Douglas 
to  Vicksburg,  Mississippi,  where  they  were  to 
be  exchanged.  This  expedition  from  Camp 
Douglas  to  Vicksburg  took  in  all  about  six 
weeks. 

In  the  early  winter  of  1863-1864  Mr.  Stur- 
geon again  enlisted,  this  time  in  Company  H, 
Forty-fifth  Regiment  of  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  through  Sergeant  Wallace,  who 
was  then  in  Edgington  upon  recruiting  ser- 
vice. After  signing  the  enlistment  roll  Mr. 
Sturgeon  heard  nothing  further  in  regard  to 
the  matter  until  the  spring  of  1864,  when  he 
received  orders  to  report  at  Camp  Yates, 
Springfield,  Illinois.  Upon  reporting  at  Camp 
Yates  he  was  assigned  to  the  extremely  un- 
pleasant task  of  drilling  raw  recruits,  which 
proved  so  exceedingly  irksome  and  uncongen- 
ial that  he  longed  to  get  away.  Racking  his 
brain  in  an  endeavor  to  plan  some  way  to 
obtain  relief  from  the  distasteful  duty  with 
the  awkward  squad,  he  one  day  chanced  to 
meet  Colonel  E.  M.  Beardsley  of  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Twenty-sixth  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry. Colonel  Beardsley  had  formerly  been 
first  lieutenant  of  Company  F  of  the  Si.xty- 
ninth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  the  com- 
pany and  regiment  to  which  Mr.  Sturgeon  was 
attached  upon  his  first  enlistment,  and  the 
two  men  were  also  old  friends.  Mr.  Sttirgeon 
told  the  colonel  how  anxious  he  was  to  leave 
Springfield.  Colonel  Beardsley  proposed  that 
Mr.  Sturgeon  accompany  him,  as  he  (Beards- 
ley) was  about  to  leave  Springfield  to  join 
his  regiment  which  was  then  located  at  De 
Vails  Bluff,  Arkansas.     This  invitation  was 


24 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


eagerly  accepted  liy  the  yiiuiif;  man,  and  they 
then  set  about  arranging  for  the  transfer  of 
Mr.  Sturgeon  to  Colonel  Beardsley's  regiment. 
That  same  afternoon  Mr.  Sturgeon  received 
orders  to  report  to  the  adjutant  general  of 
the  state.  Arriving  at  his  office  he  found 
Colonel  Beardsley  alread.y  there.  Here  Mr. 
Sturgeon's  enlistment  papers  were  changed 
from  Company  H,  Forty-fifth  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry  to  Company  B,  One  Hundred 
and  Twenty-sixth  Illinois  ^'olunteer  Infantry. 
This  concluded  the  necessary  formalities,  and 
Mr.  Sturgeon  accompanied  Colonel  Beardsley 
to  De  Vails  Bluff,  Arkansas.  On  the  twenty- 
third  of  June,  1864,  Mr.  Sturgeon  was  in  the 
engagement  at  Clarendon,  Arkansas.  Short- 
ly afterward  he  was  detailed  for  special  duty 
in  the  provost  marshal's  oflice  at  De  Vails 
Bluff,  where  he  served  as  clerk  until  Septem- 
ber of  that  same  year.  Then  he  was  ordered 
to  report  to  the  provost  marshal  general  of 
the  Department  of  Arkansas,  at  Little  Rock. 
He  was  assigned  to  duty  in  this  office,  and 
remained  there  imtil  the  close  of  the  war. 

After  the  close  of  the  war,  Mr.  Sturgeon 
again  resumed  his  residence  in  Rock  Island 
County  and  has  never-changed  it  since.  From 
1866  to  March,  1869,  he  taught  school  in  the 
town  of  Milan.  In  the  latter  month  and  year 
he  was  appointed  county  superintendent  of 
schools,  to  fill  out  the  unexpired  term  of  the 
Hon.  Wm.  H.  Gest,  who  had  resigned.  Mr. 
Sturgeon  studied  law  with  the  legal  firm  of 
Gest  &  Hawley  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
of  Illinois  in  Jime,  1872.  The  fotu'th  of  July 
of  that  year  he  celebrated  by  opening  a  law 
office  of  his  own  .■mil  hanging  out  his  sign 
"Mansfield    M.    Sturgeon,    Lawyer." 

On  June  23,  1870,  occurred  the  marriage  of 
Mansfield  M.  Sturgeon  .-ind  .Miss  Jennie  B. 
^lattison,  a  young  lady  of  Mount  Morris, 
Illinois.  To  them  four  children  were  born: 
Grace  .M.,  the  wife  of  J.  S.  Freeman,  who  re- 
sides in  Moline;  Mansfield,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  three  and  a  half  j'ears;  Rollin  S.,  a 
graduate  of  Northwestern  University  anil  of 


Harvard  Law  School,  and  who  is  now  a  mem- 
ber of  the  law  firm  of  Sturgeon,  Stelck  & 
Sturgeon;  and  Miss  Jennie  B.  Sturgeon,  who 
is  also  a  graduate  of  Northwestern  University 
and  who  is  now  principal  of  the  English  De- 
partment of  the  Monmouth  High  School. 

In  politics  Mr.  Sturgeon  has  always  been  a 
staunch  Republican,  and  he  is  recognized  as 
one  of  the  leaders  of  his  party  in  Rock  Island 
County.  He  has  several  times  been  honored 
by  his  party,  the  first  time  by  the  appoint- 
ment as  county  superintendent  of  schools 
and  afterwards  by  election  to  that  office  three 
successive  terms;  then  by  his  election  to  the 
office  of  state's  attorney  for  Rock  Island 
County  in  1888  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of 
Patrick  O'Mara,  who  died  a  short  time  after 
being  elected  to  office.  Mr.  Sturgeon  served 
as  state's  attorney  until  1892.  He  was  a 
vigorous  and  efficient  prosecutor  and  conduc- 
ted the  affairs  of  the  office  in  a  competent  and 
lawyer-like  manner.  In  1892  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  state  board  of  equiliza- 
tion  for  the  Eleventh  Congressional  District 
of  Illinois,  and  served  until  December  1, 
1896. 

As  a  lawyer  Mansfield  M.  Sturgeon  is  be- 
yond question  the  peer  of  any  attorney  prac- 
ticing at  the  Rock  Island  County  Bar.  Al- 
though a  brilliant  man  and  a  talented  lawyer 
he  is  modest  and  unassuming,  and  without 
the  slightest  trace  of  ostentation  in  his  man- 
ner. He  has  a  large  number  of  friends 
throughout  Rock  Island  County,  and  is 
covmted  one  of  the  good,  substantial  citizens 
in  the  community  in  which  he  resides. 


STEPHEN  HENRY  VELIE. 

THE  City  of  Moline  owes  its  prominence 
throughout    the   United   States,   and   in 
fact,     throughout     the     entire   civilized 
world,  chiefly  to  its  manufactories.     And  to 
Stephen  Henry  N'elie.  deceased,  who,  diu'ing 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY' 


25 


his  life,  was  conspicuously  identified  with 
several  of  that  city's  leading  manufacturing 
establishments,  Moline  is  greatly  indebted 
for  the  preeminence  she  now  maintains  in 
industrial  enterprise. 

Mr.   Velie  was  born  April  21,   1830,  near 
Hyde    Park,    Dutchess    County,    New    York, 
his  boyhood,  until  he  arrived  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  years,   being  spent   upon  his  father's 
farm  in  that  county.     During  this  period  he 
attended  the  public  schools  of  that   locality. 
In  1845  he  went  to  New  York  City,  where  he 
made  his  home  with  his  grandfather,  Stephen 
Herrick,  who  was  engaged  in  the  commission 
business.      While    with    his   grandfather.    Mr. 
Velie  obtained  valuable  business  training  and 
experience  which  was  of  great  advantage  to 
him  in  later  life.     After  remaining  for  some 
time    in    the    home   of   his    grandfather,    Mr. 
Velie  went  to  Poughkeepsie  in  the  same  state, 
and  in  1847  came  west,  locating  in  St.    T>ouis, 
Missouri.     Here    he    was    employed    in    the 
wholesale  grocery  house  of  Edward  J.  Gay  it 
Company.     Mr.   Gay,  the   head   of  the  firm, 
made  his  home  in  Louisiana,  and  was  after- 
wards elected  to  congress  from  his    district 
in  that  state.     At  this  time  Mr.  Velie    lived 
with   him  at  his   Louisiana   home  and   man- 
aged his  large  plantation  for  a  period  of  two 
years  during  his  employer's  term  in  congress. 
He  again  returned  to  St.  Louis  where  he  re- 
mained  until    1854   when   he   came   to   Rock 
Island.     For  five  years  after  removing  to  this 
city  he  had  charge  of  the  C.   C.   Webber    & 
Company's    foundry,    at    the    e.xpiration    of 
which    time    he    went    to  Princeton,  Illinois^ 
where  he  was  for  two  years  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business. 

In  1863  Mr.  Velie  returned  to  this  locality 
and  entered  into  partnership  with  John 
Deere,  the  pioneer  plow  manufacturer  of  the 
west.  In  1868,  when  the  concern  was  incor- 
porated, Mr.  Velie  was  elected  to  the  offices  of 
secretary  and  treasurer  and  held  that  position 
until  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred 
February  14,  1895. 


In    addition    to    the    responsibilities    and 
duties  devolving  upon  him  in  consequence  of 
his  connection   with   Deere  &  Company,  ilr. 
Velie  was  largely  interested  in  numerous  other 
financial      and      manufacturing     enterprises. 
These  interests  and  holdings  he  accpiired  from 
time  to  time  during  his  life  in  consequence  of 
his  business  judgment  and  acumen  in  com- 
mercial affairs.      Every  enterprise  with  which 
he   identified    himself   prospered,    and  as  the 
substantial    fruits    of    these    increased,    Mr. 
Velie    was    constantly   seeking   new   fields   of 
investment  for  his  large  returns,  so  that   at 
the  time  of  his  death,  Mr.  ^'elie,  in  addition 
to   possessing   large    lumber   holdings    in   the 
south,  was  interested  in  the  stone  quarries   at 
Le  Claire,   Iowa,  as  president  of  the  Moline 
Central  Railway  Company,  the  Moline  Water 
Power    Company     and     the     Peoples     Power 
Company. 

On  May  10,  1860,  Mr.  Velie  married  Miss 
Emma  C.  Deere,  daughter  of  John  Deere,  the 
founder  of  Moline 's  great  plow  works,  and  of 
this  marriage  five  children  were  born,  they 
being  Charles  Deere  Velie,  one  of  the  present 
managers  of  Deere  &  Company's  branch 
house  at  Minneapolis,  Minnesota;  Stephen 
Henry,  Jr.,  manager  of  that  firm's  branch 
house  at  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  and  also  of 
the  Velie  Harness  Company  of  the  same  city; 
Willard  Lamb,  president  of  the  Velie  Carriage 
Company,  of  Moline;  John  Deere  Velie,  who 
died  August  14,  1870,  and  Grace  Deere  Velie, 
the  wife  of  Stuart  Harper  of  Rock  Island. 

In  politics  Mr.  Velie  was  originally  a  Whig, 
l)ut  later  joined  the  ranks  of  the  newly  formed 
Republican  part}'  which  had  taken  a  firm  and 
decided  stand  against  the  iniquity  of  the 
ownership  of  human  beings.  To  this  latter 
partj'  he  gave  his  allegiance  and  support 
throughotit  his  remaining  years,  always  re- 
joicing in  its  successes  and  lamenting  its 
defeats.  He  was  constantly  contributing 
both  his  personal  influence  and  his  means  to 
his  party's  cause,  but  never  sought  political 
honor  for  himself,  the  only  public  office  he 


26 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


ever  held  being  that  of  a  director  of  the  Moline 
Public  Library,  to  which  he  was  chosen  when 
that  institution  was  first  organized. 

Mr.  Velie  was  a  man  of  religions  convic- 
tion and  was  a  consistent  menii)er  of  the 
Congregational  Church  at  Moline,  and  in 
maintaining  and  fnrthering  church  work,  he 
was  always  a  liberal  contributor. 

He  was  a  Mason,  belonging  to  the  Order 
of  Knights  Templar  and  was  also  an  Odd 
Fellow,  and  in  his  fraternal,  as  well  as  in  his 
domestic  business,  political  and  other  rela- 
tions in  life,  he  set  and  maintained  a  high 
standard  for  himself. 

Mr.  ^'elie  was  a  large  employer  of  labor^ 
with  whom  he  dealt  fairly,  equitably  and 
liberally,  and  with  whom  his  relations  and 
dealings  were  at  all  times  fraternal  and  never 
tj'rannical. 

He  was  a  splendid  type  of  citizen.  He 
possessed  a  broad  and  comprehensive  under- 
standing of  the  trend  of  public  events.  Al- 
though actively  engaged  in  business,  with 
great  interests  demanding  his  most  careful 
attention,  he  never  became  so  engrossed  in 
matters  pertaining  to  finance  or  commerce 
that  he  was  difficult  of  approach.  He  was 
a  man  of  suave  and  genial  temperament, 
ready  to  help  those  less  fortunate  than  him- 
self, and  to  help  them  in  the  way  best  suited 
to  their  peculiar  need.  In  his  hours  of  re- 
laxation, he  was  a  most  delightful  compan- 
ion having  the  rare  power  of  discovering  and 
adapting  himself  to  the  environment  he 
might  be  placed  in,  and  so  he  was  held  in 
warm  regard  by  all  who  knew  him  as  a  man 
of  great  congeniality.  He  was  devotedly 
attached  to  his  home  and  family,  and  in 
return  he  reaped  the  reward  of  their  enduring 
devotion.  The  best  biographj-  of  Stephen 
Henry  Velie  is  written  in  the  memory  of 
those  who  knew  him,  and,  knowing  him, 
found  him  to  be  possessed  of  those  qualities 
that  are  found  only  in  a  high  standard  of 
manhood. 


COLONEL    ELHANAN   JOHN  SEARLE. 

SOLDIER,  jurist  and  publicist,  a  man  of 
many  attainments  and  widely  diversified 
talent,  was  Elhanan  J.  Searle,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.  He  was  born  January  18, 
1835,  at  Royalton,  Ohio,  coming  to  Rock 
Island  County  with  his  parents  when  about 
two  years  of  age,  and  died  at  Rock  Island, 
August  18,  1906.  Colonel  8earle,  or  Judge 
Searle  as  he  was  perhaps  more  familiarly 
known  throughout  Rock  Island  County,  re- 
ceived his  education  at  the  Rock  River  Sem- 
inary, an  institution  located  at  Mount  Morris, 
Illinois,  and  after  completing  his  studies  in 
that  school,  which  was  largely  preparatory 
in  its  scope,  he  entered  Northwestern  Uni- 
versity at  Evanston;  from  which  institution 
he  graduated  with  the  highest  honors  of  his 
class;  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  the 
oldest  alumnus  of  that  institution.  After  the 
completion  of  his  collegiate  course  he  decided 
to  fit  himself  for  entrance  to  the  legal  pro- 
fession, and  with  that  end  in  view  he  entered 
the  law  office  of  John  L.  Beveridge,  afterwards 
Governor  of  Illinois,  at  Chicago.  He  re- 
mained in  Mr.  Beveridge 's  office  until  Nov- 
ember, 1859,  when  he  entered  the  law  office 
of  Abraham  Lincoln  and  William  H.  Hern- 
don,  the  firm  being  known  as  Lincoln  &  Hern- 
don,  at  Springfield,  and  here  he  remained 
continuing  the  sttidy  of  his  chosen  profession 
until  March,  1861.  Daily  association  with  a 
character  such  as  Abraham  Lincoln's  and  the 
intimacy  naturally  arising  from  their  relation 
as  student  and  mentor,  must  have  made  a 
deep  impression  upon  the  j'Otmg  man,  and 
doubtless  exerted  a  formative  influence  upon 
the  whole  course  of  his  after  life.  As  we  can 
view  it  now,  such  an  opportunity  was  a  price- 
less one,  and  even  in  those  days  it  was  a 
most  excellent  thing  for  any  young  man  as- 
piring to  become  a  law3'^er,  to  be  taken  into 
the  office  of  Lincoln  &  Herndon,  for  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  was  then  recognized  as  one  of 


COLONEL  ELHANAN  JOHN  SEARLE 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


27 


the  leaders  of  the  Illinois  Bar,  although  Lin- 
coln, the  lawyer,  is  now  overshadowed  by  that 
more  majestic  and  sublimely  beautiful  char- 
acter as  president  and  martyr.  The  inti- 
macy thus  arising  between  Abraham  Lincoln 
and  his  student  continued  until  the  tragic 
death  of  the  president,  considerable  corres- 
pondence passing  between  the  two. 

On  September  23,  1861,  Elhanan  J.  Searle, 
declining  preferment  tendered  him  by  Presi- 
dent Lincoln,  enlisted  in  Company  H,  Tenth 
Illinois    Cavalry,  at  Springfield  as  a  private. 
He  served  in  that  capacity  until  July  7,  1S62, 
when  he  was  made  captain  of  his    company. 
His  duties   carried   him  into   Arkansas   as   a 
recruiting   officer.     He    was   instrumental    in 
recruiting  and  sending  into  the  field  the  First 
Arkansas    Infantry,     and    the    Second     and 
Fourth    Arkansas    Cavalry,    these    regiments 
being  organized  largely  from  the  mountainous 
districts  of  the  Ozarks.     Upon  its  organiza- 
tion, he  was  made  lieutenant-colonel    of    the 
First  Arkansas  Infantry,  and  was  in  command 
of  that  regiment  for  the  greater  part  of  three 
years,  the    colonel,  himself ,  being  absent  from 
his  command,   and   his  duties   naturally  de- 
devolving    upon    the    officer    next    in    rank. 
Colonel  Searle  was  a  brave  and  gallant  sol- 
dier, and  while  in  command  of  his  regiment, 
he  made  for  himself  a  most  excellent  record, 
participating  in  more  than  forty  engagements 
and  skirmishes,  and  being  fairly  idolized    by 
his  men.     Although  always  in  the  thick  of  the 
fight,  Colonel  Searle  escaped  injury,  although 
in   different   battles   three   horses    were   shot 
from  under  him.     He  often   acted  as  briga- 
dier-general  in  command  of  the  brigade    of 
which  his  regiment  formed  a  part,  and  was 
placed  in  command  of  a  number  of  impor- 
tant posts.     For  several  months  he  was  pro- 
vost-marshal of  a  military  department,  and 
frequently  was  called  upon  to  act  as  a  mem- 
ber of   military   commissions   and  court-mar- 
tials.    At  the  close  of  the  war.  Colonel  Searle 
was  honorably  discharged  from  the  service, 
the  date  of  his  discharge  being  August  10,  1865. 


Upon  laying  aside  the  sword.  Colonel  Searle 
settled  at  Fort  Smith,  Arkansas,  and  here  he 
entered  upon  the  practice  of  that  profession 
which  he  had  temporarily  put  aside  to  take  up 
the  sterner  duties  of  war.  On  February  19, 
1866,  he  was  commissioned  prosecuting  at- 
torney for  the  Ninth  Judicial  District  of  Ar- 
kansas, a  district  which  comprised  eight 
counties.  Some  time  after  this  he  was  ap- 
pointed United  States  Commissioner  for  the 
Western  District  of  Arkansas,  which  included 
not  only  the  western  part  of  Arkansas,  but 
all  of  Indian  Territory  as  well.  He  served  as 
assistant  United  States  District  Attorney  in 
addition  to  the  duties  of  the  latter  office  until 
January  1,  1867,  when  he  was  commissioned 
liy  the  provisional  governor  of  Arkansas  as 
circuit  judge  of  the  Ninth  Judicial  Circuit  of 
that  state,  his  appointment  being  approved  by 
the  United  States  military  authorities.  He 
served  as  circuit  judge  until  Feliruary  10, 
1871,  when  he  was  appointed  as  one  of  the 
justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Arkansas. 
This  appointment  was  for  a  term  of  two  years, 
and  at  its  expiration  he  was  elected  to  succeed 
himself  for  a  term  of  eight  years,  but  this  lat- 
ter term  was  cut  short  by  the  adoption  of  a 
new  state  constitution,  which  prescribed  dif- 
ferent regulations  in  regard  to  the  selection  of 
the  supreme  court. 

For  several  years  Colonel  Searle  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Arkansas  .State  Board  of  Education 
and  also  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of 
the  Arkansas  State  University,  which  latter 
institution  he  helped  to  found,  and  of  which 
he  drafted  the  plan  of  government  and  instruc- 
tion to  be  followed  in  all  departments.  He 
was  also  a  member  of  the  executive  and 
building  committees  of  the  board  of  trustees 
of  that  institution. 

In  1875  Colonel  Searle  returned  to  Illinois, 
locating  at  Chicago,  where  he  practiced  law 
for  a  few  years,  taking  part  as  counsel  in  a 
number  of  important  cases,  and  taking  an 
active  part  in  the  Hayes-Tilden  campaign, 
filling  nearly  all  the  speaking  engagements  of 


28 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


John  A.  Logau,  who  was  ill.  Lattn-  he  prac- 
ticed law  for  a  time  in  St.  Louis,  and  then  in 
Pana,  Illinois,  till  1SS5.  He  then  spent  two 
3'ears  in  travel,  and  in  1S87  returned  to  his  old 
home  in  Rock  Island  County,  purchasing  the 
well  known  Rodman  home  in  Rock  Island, 
and  here  he  resided  until  his  death.  He  also 
purchased  the  valuable  farm  in  Zuma  Town- 
ship, Rock  Island  County,  upon  which  he  had 
spent  his  boyhood. 

On  April  1,  1863,  Colonel  Searle  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Cassie  R.  Pierce,  who  survives 
him,  the  marriage  ceremony  occiu-ring  at 
Springfield.  Of  this  union  six  children  were 
born,  two  of  whom  are  still  living,  Hon. 
Charles  J.  Searle  and  Miss  Blanche  Searle, 
both  of  Rock  Island. 

The  recent  death  of  Colonel  Searle  removes 
from  life's  activities  one  of  the  few  remaining 
links  between  the  past  and  the  present.  He 
was  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school,  modest, 
dignified,  kind  and  courtous,  and  a  delightful 
social  companion  among  his  friends.  He 
was  full  of  reminiscence  and  anecdote, 
and  was  a  man  of  profound  learning  and 
broad  general  information.  Upon  political 
subjects  and  as  a  close  student  of  times  and 
conditions  he  was  particularly  well  informed. 
Upon  his  return  to  Rock  Island  he  lived  in 
practical  retirement,  but  his  interest  in  politi- 
cal and  economic  questions  was  keen  and  to 
these  subjects  he  devoted  much  thought.  He 
was  a  man  of  the  highest  ideals,  and  deplored 
deeply  the  materialistic  trend  which  he  be- 
lieved the  countrj^  was  pursuing,  feeling  that 
it  would  work  prejudice  and  finally,  if  un- 
checked, ruin  to  the  Republic.  Rut  although 
foreseeing  these  dangers.  Colonel  Searle  was 
by  no  means  a  pessimist.  He  supported  men 
rather  than  party,  and  although  a  Republi- 
can, was  moulded  after  the  type  of  those  party 
leaders  who  believe  in  progress  and  reform. 
He  was  an  ideal  citizen,  broad,  intelligent 
and  patriotic,  a  noble  example  of  upright, 
conscientious  manhood. 


SAMUEL  SHARPE  DAVIS. 

IN  considering  those  among  Rock  Island's 
citizens  whose  activities  have  been  directed 

toward  developing  that  city's  industries,  and 
whose  foresight  has  been  rewarded  in  a  most 
substantial  manner,  one's  mind  instinctivelj- 
turns  to  the  subject  of  our  i)resent  sketch, 
Samuel  Sharpe  Davis. 

He  was  born  Februarj-  1,  1S58,  at  Coving- 
ton. Kentucky,  his  parents  being  Johrt  B. 
and  Anna  E.  (Sharpe)  Davis.  To  this  couple 
three  children  were  born:  Thomas  B..  Sam- 
uel S.  and  Mary.  The  parents  were  of  Scotch- 
Irish  origin.  Thomas  Bodle}'  Davis,  the 
paternal  grandfather  was  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania. In  early  life  he  moved  to  Ken- 
tucky, and  for  some  years  served  as  captain 
of  a  steam  boat  pl3'ing  between  Pittsburg 
and  New  Orleans  on  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi 
Rivers.  Upon  one  of  the  trips  up  river  from 
New  Orleans  he  was  stricken  with  j'ellow 
fever,  and  died  before  the  completion  of  the 
journey.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was 
thirty-four  j-ears  of  age. 

The  maternal  grandfather,  Samuel  K. 
Sharpe,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky.  He  was  a 
practicing  ph3'sician  and  sui-geon.  The  great- 
er part  of  his  life  was  spent  in  Mays^nlle, 
Kentucky.  He  removed  to  Rock  Island 
with  his  wife  in  1875.  Her  death  occurred  in 
1881  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  j-ears.  Her 
husband  siu'vived  her  nine  years,  his  death 
occvuTing  in  Rock  Island  in  1890.  at  the  ex- 
treme age  of  ninety  years.  Dr.  Sharpe  was  a 
remarkably  strong  man.  both  physically  and 
mentally  and  was  of  pronounced  religious 
conviction,  giving  his  adherence  to  the  Pres- 
bj'terian  faith.  In  politics  he  was  a  Demo- 
crat. 

John  B.  Davis,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
followed  the  calling  of  his  father,  that  of  a 
river  captain,  almost  his  entire  life,  princi- 
jjally  upon  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Rivers. 
For  some   time   he   had   charge  of   Canadian 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


29 


Government  boats  canying  the  supplies  of 
the  Hudson  Bay  Fur  Company  on  the  Sack- 
atchcwan  River.  At  the  outbreak  of  the 
Civil  War  he  enlisted  in  the  Second  Minne- 
sota Volunteer  Infantry.  He  was  promoted 
to  the  rank  of  major  and  for  nearly  three 
years  he  served  with  his  regiment.  He  was 
with  his  regiment  in  the  battles  of  Chieka- 
mauga,  Mill  Springs,  Corinth  and  Tullahoma. 
At  the  battle  of  Chickamauga  he  was 
wounded.  During  the  time  that  Major  Davis 
served  with  his  regiment  it  was  attached  first 
to  the  command  of  General  Buell  and  later 
to  that  of  General  Thomas. 

After  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  Major  Davis, 
went  to  Augusta,  Arkansas,  and  later  located 
at  Memphis,  Tennessee,  in  1868.  He  settled 
permanently  in  Rock  Island  in  1874.  He 
spent  the  greater  portion  of  his  life  upon  the 
river  in  command  of  the  different  river  pack- 
ets. After  coming  to  Rock  Island  he  was  one 
of  the  Diamond  Jo  Line  captains  until  about 
one  year  before  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1890.  when  he  was  sixty-one  years  of  age. 
His  wife  still  makes  Rock  Island  her  home. 
Politically  Major  Davis  was  a  staunch  Demo- 
crat. He  was  a  prominent  Mason  and  a 
devoted  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church, 
in  which  faith  he  died. 

Having  thus  passed  rapidly  over  the  points 
of  interest  in  the  lives  of  the  forebears  of  our 
subject,  we  now  come  to  treat  of  his  life. 
His  education  was  obtained  in  the  schools  of 
Memphis,  Tennessee,  and  in  Rock  Island.  In 
1873  he  was  employed  as  clerk  on  the  steamer 
'Montana,"  a  boat  commanded  by  his  father. 
He  continued  in  this  service  for  several  sea- 
sons, attending  school  during  the  winter 
months.  In  1876  his  father  had  a  Govern- 
ment contract  to  carry  supplies  from  Bis- 
marck, Dakota,  up  the  Missouri,  Yellowstone 
and  Big  Horn  Rivers  to  the  place  where  the 
Custer  massacre  occurred.  Upon  this  expe- 
dition he  was  accompanied  by  his  son.  Upon 
their  return  to  Rock  Island  the  son  was  em- 
ployed as  clerk  for  J.  H.  Langley,  who  was 


agent  for  a  line  of  boats  in  the  St.  Louis  and 
St.  Paul  trade.  On  January  1,  1878,  he  was 
employed  by  Thomas  Yates,  in  Moline,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  the  plumbing  and  steam 
fitting  business.  He  continued  in  this  em- 
ployment until  the  death  of  Mr.  Yates,  which 
occurred  in  1881.  Mr.  Davis  and  his  bro- 
ther, Thomas  B.  Davis,  had  obtained  a  num- 
ber of  valuable  patents  upon  steam  appliances, 
and  together  with  Jacob  Riley,  of  Rock  Island, 
they  formed  a  partnership  known  as  Davis 
&  Company  They  bought  out  the  business 
interests  of  the  Yates  estate,  both  in  Rock 
Island  and  Moline.  In  1882  the  Davis  brothers 
bought  out  Mr.  Riley's  interest  in  the  busi- 
ness and  continued  it  themselves  until  1891, 
when  the  Davis  Company  was  incorporated 
by  them. 

Meanwhile  our  subject  was  engaged  in 
many  important  operations.  He  planned 
and  superintended  the  construction  of  the 
Moline  Waterworks,  which  was  begun  in  the 
spring  of  1884.  He  also  installed  the  first 
electric  light  plant  in  the  City  of  Moline.  In 
1886  he  constructed  the  Davis  Block  in  that 
city,  and  as  secretary  and  manager  of  the 
Merchants'  Electric  Light  Company  lighted 
the  streets  of  Moline.  Eighty  arc  lights  were 
installed,  which  superseded  the  old  street  gas 
lamps  with  which  the  city  had  formerly  been 
lighted. 

In  1887  the  Peoples'  Light  and  Fuel  Manu- 
facturing Company  was  organized.  Of  this 
organization  Mr.  Davis  was  elected  secre- 
tary and  general  manager.  Repurchased  the 
stock  of  the  Moline  Gas  and  Coke  Company 
and  merged  the  institution  with  that  of  the 
Merchants'    Electric    Light    Company. 

In  1888  the  Merchants'  Electric  Light 
Company  of  Rock  Island  was  organized.  In 
the  autumn  of  that  same  year  a  power  plant 
was  erected  in  Moline  so  arranged  as  to  utilize 
that  city's  splendid  water  power  in  its  oper- 
ation .  The  machinery  of  the  Peoples'  Light 
and  Fuel  Manufacturing  Company  of  Moline, 
as   well    as   that   of   the   Merchants'    Electric 


HISTORIC    ROCK    I  SLA  .V  D    COU  N  T  Y 


30 


Light  Company  of  Rock  Island,  was  removed 
to  this  new  power  phmt.  This  arrangement 
led  up  to  the  formation  of  the  Peoples'  Power 
Company  in  1893.  This  latter  organization. 
which  included  the  companies  in  which  .Mr. 
Davis  was  already  interested,  bought  out  the 
Rock  Island  Brush  Electric  Light  Company 
and  the  Rock  Island  Gas  and  Coke  Company. 
Both  of  these  plants  were  removed  to  Moline, 
where  they  were  located  at  the  foot  of  Fourth 
Street  in  that  city.  Mr.  Davis  planned  the 
reorganization  and  also  the  construction  of 
the  new  plants.  He  sold  his  interests  in  the 
Peoples'    Power   Company   in    1906. 

On  September  21,  1892,  occurred  the  mar- 
riage of  Samuel  Sharpe  Davis  and  Miss  Apol- 
lonia  Weyerhaeuser,  the  daughter  of  Fred- 
erick and  Sarah  Weyerhaeuser.  One  child 
has  been  born  of  this  marriage,  a  son,  Edwin 
W.  Davis. 

Mr.    Davis    in    his    church    allegiance    is    a 
Presbyterian,  and  is  a  trustee  of  the  Broadway 
Presbyterian    Church,    of    Rock  Island.     In 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  but  he  has  never 
desired  or  held  public  office.     Fraternally  he 
is  a  member  of  Trio  Lodge  No.  57.  Ancient 
Free     and    Accepted     Masons,     of     Barrett 
Chapter  No.   IS.  and  of  Evarts  Coramandry 
No.  IS,  Knights  Templar.     He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber  of   the    Knights   of   Pythias   and   of   the 
Modern    Woodmen    of    America.     Such    are 
the  interesting  events  in  the  career  of  a  man, 
who  through  business  sagacity  and  acumen, 
has  risen   to  a  commanding  position  in  this 
locality's     financial     and     industrial     circles. 
Mr.   r)a\is  is  a  man  universally  liked  by  all 
who  are  acquainted  with  him.     Although  at 
all  times  a  busy  man  he  is  easily  approachable. 
In  manner  he  is  unassuming  and  without  os- 
tentation.    He  is  one  of  Rock  Island's  most 
public  spirited  and  progressive  citizens,  and 
no   movement  for  the  real   advancement  of 
the  city  is  launched  that  does  not  receive  his 
active  and  hearty  cooperation,  and  where  the 
project  is  one  that  requires  financial  subscrip- 
tion his  gift  is  always  a  liberal  one.     In  fine 


it  may  be  said  that  Mr.  Davis  is  pre-eminently 
an  organizer  and  an  executive,  a  man  of  great 
business  talent,  and  a  courteous,  kindly 
gentleman. 

*  «  i8 

W.  E.  TAYLOR,  M.  D. 

PLACED  at  the  head  of  a  great  state  charit- 
able institution,  carrying  the  responsi- 
bility for  the  welfare  of  hundreds  of  un- 
fortunates whose  reason  has  been  shattered^ 
and  imbued  with  an  earnest  desire  to  restore 
his  unfortunate  charges  to  health  and  friends, 
stands  Doctor  W.  E.  Taylor,  superintendent 
of  the  Illinois  Western  Hospital  for  the  Insane 
at    Watertown. 

He  was  born  at  Waukesha,  Wisconsin,  May 
24,  1854,  where  his  parents,  E.  T.  and  Esibell 
(Irving)  Taylor  resided.  Here  his  boyhood 
was  spent,  and  after  thoroughly  fitting  him- 
self in  preparatory  schools,  he  entered  the 
L^niversity  of  Wisconsin,  and  upon  complet- 
ing a  course  in  that  institution,  took  up  the 
study  of  medicine  at  the  Hahnemann  Medical 
College  at  Chicago,  from  which  he  graduated. 
After  his  graduation,  he  began  the  practice 
of  his  chosen  profession  at  Monmouth,  Illi- 
nois, and  remained  in  that  city  until  his  ap- 
pointment as  superintendent  of  the  ^^  ater- 
town  Hospital  for  the  Insane  in  1897,  which 
position  he  still  holds. 

August  5,  1879,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Vagima  McCleary,  and  of  this  union  two  sons 
have  been  born.  Don  and  Mac  Taylor. 

Dr.  Taylor  is  a  Republican  and  is  promi- 
nent in  the  councils  of  his  party,  not  merely 
locally,  but  throughout  the  State  of  Illinois. 
During  the  time  he  resided  in  Monmouth,  he 
was  at  the  head  of  the  health  department 
of  that  city  for  ten  years,  and  was  mayor  of 
Monmouth  for  two  years.  In  1896  he  was  a 
presidential  elector.  He  has  campaigned 
throughout  the  state  for  his  party  every  year 
since  1884. 


ALEXA-NUER  E.  MONTGOMERY. 


HISTORIC    RO  C  K    I  S  L  A  X  D    C  OU  N  T  Y 


31 


He  is  recognized  throughout  the  medical 
profession  in  the  United  States  as  an  author- 
ity on  nervous  diseases  and  disorders,  and 
has  a  chair  on  nervous  diseases  in  the  Hahne- 
mann Medical  College,  his  own  alma  mater. 

Those  who  have  talked  with  Dr.  Taylor 
upon  his  specialty  in  the  field  of  medicine, 
know  how  devoted  he  is  to  the  study  of  the 
human,  both  in  its  normal  and  abnormal 
conditions.  He  is  a  broad  investigator  and  is 
constantly  striving  to  discover  and  put  into 
practical  use  new  means  and  methods  of 
successfully  treating  the  mental  ills  of  those 
upon  whose  reason  a  cloud  has  fallen,  and 
in  his  chosen  field  he  has  been  eminently 
successful,  and  the  number  of  cures  that  have 
been  effected  in  the  Watertown  institution 
is  truly  remarkable.  During  his  adminis- 
tration several  new  and  commodious  build- 
ings have  been  added  and  the  possibilities 
of  the  asylum  for  doing  effective  work  have 
been  greatly  increased.  Another  thing  that 
is  deserving  of  special  mention  is  the  fact 
that  during  the  time  Dr.  Taylor  has  been  in 
charge  of  this  institution,  not  one  breath  of 
scandal  has  even  been  whispered  concerning 
the  manner  of  administration  or  the  treat- 
ment of  patients.  Nothing  of  gloom  or  des- 
pair pervades  this  asylum,  but  throughout 
each  department  there  exists  that  spirit  of 
helpful  co-operation  among  the  superintend- 
ent, physicians  and  other  employees,  who 
unite  in  a  determined  effort  to  seek  and  find 
the  best  means  of  aiding  in  the  restoration  of 
impared  reason. 


ALEXANDER  E.  MONTGOMERY. 

ALEXANDER  E.  MONTGOMERY,  well 
and  favoralDly  known  for  a  generation 
past  in  Moline  and  Rock  Island,  was 
born  February  2,  1831,  in  County  Down,  Ire- 
land, and  died  in  the  City  of  Moline,  Illinois, 
at  his  daughter's  (Mrs.  Thornton's)  home, 
on    Twelfth    Avenue.    July    17,    1906.     His 


father  and  mother,  James  and  Margaret  (nee 
Ewart.)  were  natives  of  Scotland,  descended 
from  Scotch-Irish  ancestry,  of  honorable 
history. 

Mr.  Montgomery  received  a  common  school 
education  in  his  native  land.  In  the  year 
1849,  at  fourteen  years  of  age,  he  immigrated 
to  New  York  City,  and  entered  the  service 
of  the  United  States  Hotel  as  bookkeeper. 
In  the  year  1853  he  came  west,  and  for  sev- 
enteen years  succeeding,  lived  on  a  farm  in 
Rural  Township,  Illinois.  At  the  expiration 
of  this  period,  in  1870,  Mr.  Montgomery  sold 
his  farm,  removed  to  Rock  Island,  and  en- 
tered upon  contract  work  for  the  United 
States  Government,  in  connection  with  which 
he  built  the  excellent  rock  road,  which  tra- 
verses the  Arsenal  between  Moline  and  Dav- 
enport approaches.  During  the  first  year 
in  this  employment  he  resided  part  of  the 
time  in  Rock  Island  and  part  of  the  time  in 
Davenport:  then  taking  up  his  abode  in  a 
dwelling  on  the  Arsenal  Island,  belonging 
to  the  government,  he  continued  in  that  resi- 
dence until  the  house  burned  down  July 
21,  1898.  Thenceforth  Mr.  Montgomery  re- 
sided in  Moline  until  his  death,  continuing 
an  unbroken  service  with  the  government 
for  the  prolonged  period  of  thirty-four  years, 
during  the  earlier  portion  at  the  Arsenal 
Shops,  and  latterly  as  guard  at  the  Moline 
Bridge,  where  his  honest  Scotch  face  and 
sturdy  figure  were  a  familiar  and  welcome 
object  to  the  multitudes  who  passed  his 
watch  daily  through  many  years. 

Republican  in  politics,  Mr.  Montgomery 
never  sought  nor  cared  for  office,  being  well 
content  to  pursue  the  even  tenor  of  a  quiet, 
industrious  life,  in  the  bosom  of  his  family, 
and  enjoying  the  respect  and  confidence  of 
his  neighbors. 

He  was  a  devoted  member  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  had  the  satisfac- 
tion of  participating  in  the  building  of  the 
beautiful  church  edifice  and  fine  parsonage 
which    were    finished    only    recently,    and    of 


32 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNT Y 


worshiping  to  the  end  with  his  sons  and 
daughters  (whose  biographical  sketches  ap- 
pear in  this  book)   about  him. 

Mr.  Montgomery  was  an  active  member 
of  the  Knights  of  America,  the  Ancient  Order 
of  United  Workmen,  was  a  charter  member 
and  grand  commander  of  McLean  Lodge,  No. 
26,  of  Moline,  serving  two  j'ears  as  com- 
mander and  nine  years  as  treasurer. 

Mr.  Montgomery  was  married  to  Miss 
Margaret  King  in  Xew  York  City.  July  5, 
1850.  Mrs.  Montgomery  was  also  a  native 
of  Ireland,  born  in  County  Armogh,  and  immi- 
grating to  America  in  18-18,  one  year  in  ad- 
vance of  him  who  was  to  become  her  husband, 
and  with  whom  she  lived  in  ideal  conjugal 
happiness  until  her  lamented  death,  April 
14,  1903. 

Eight  children,  four  boys  and  fo.ur  girls, 
were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Montgomery: 
Martha  J.,  widow  of  Mr.  John  H.  Thornton; 
Miss  Lizzie;  Maggie,  wife  of  Mr.  CJeorge  W. 
Brooks;  Alexander  E.,  secretary  and  treasurer 
of  the  Moline  Elevator  Company;  James  T., 
who  was,  before  his  demise,  president  of  the 
same,  and  who  died  August  4,  1906;  Robert 
J.,  superintendent  of  construction  for  the 
same,  and  Samuel  H.,  president  of  the  com- 
pany.    One  girl  died  in  infancy  in  New  York. 

All  these  surviving  offspring  reside  in  Mo- 
line, and  all  are  actively  connected  with 
the  flourishing  manufacturing  business,  the 
growth  and  firm  establishment  of  which  their 
honored  father  watched  with  paternal  solici- 
tude from  its  beginning.  At  the  time  of  his 
death,  his  hopes  for  his  family  were  realized 
and  he  was  well  content. 


HON.  ^X/1LLIA^  JACKSON. 

AAIONG   the   old  settlers   of   Rock   Island 
Count}^    who    has    assisted    during    his 
residence    here   in    accomplishing    many 
permanent    reforms,    is    the    Hon.    William 
Jackson,  who  is  entitled  to  honorable  mention. 


Mr.  Jackson  was  Ijorn  in  the  City  of  Liver- 
pool, England,  August  14,  1834,  of  English 
parentage.  His  early  boyhood  was  spent  in 
his  native  city.  After  leaving  school,  the 
last  being  the  Liverpool  Collegiate  Institu- 
tion, he  was,  at  an  early  age,  apprenticed  to  a 
grocer.  Serving  part  of  his  apprenticeship, 
and  being  very  desirous  of  trying  his  fortune 
in  the  new  world,  where  he  had  many  rela- 
tives, he  left  the  28th  of  May,  1851,  his  na- 
tive city  and  landed  in  New  York,  July  2,  of  the 
same  year.  The  great  west  being  his  ob- 
jective point  he  arrived  in  the  County  of 
Rock  Island  in  August  of  the  same  3-ear. 

In  April,  1852,  he  came  to  the  City  of  Mo- 
line where  he  first  engaged  in  ser\'ice  in  the 
]il(nv  factory  of  John  Deere,  then  in  its  infan- 
cy, working  there  one  year,  during  which 
time  he  performed  alone  particular  labor 
which  requires  now  in  the  extensive  Deere 
Plow  Works  the  labor  of  many  persons. 
During  the  succeeding  years  he  worked  in 
the  Sears  Mill,  of  Moline,  until  the  fall  of 
1858,  when  he  commenced  the  study  of  the 
law.  He  was  admitted  to  practice  in  1860, 
and  then  formed  a  law  partnership  with 
James   Chapman   of   that   city. 

In  1862  Mr.  Jackson  moved  to  the  City  of 
Rock  Island.  In  1864  he  formed  a  law 
partnership  with  E.  D.  Sweeney,  Esquire, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Sweeney  &  Jackson. 
About  1876  Mr.  C.  L.  Walker  entered  the 
firm,  which  was  afterwards  known  as  Sweeney, 
Jackson  &  Walker.  The  firm  continued  un- 
til 1883.  Mr.  Jackson  then  retiring  on  account 
of  ill  health. 

In  1888  he  formed  a  law  partnership  with 
E.  W.  Hurst,  Esquire,  under  the  name  of 
Jackson  &  Hurst,  which  continued  to  1903, 
when  the  firm  was  enlarged,  being  now  known 
as  Jackson,  Hurst  A'  Staff'ord. 

In  the  practice  of  his  chosen  profession  Mr. 
Jackson  has  had  his  fair  measure  of  success, 
having  been  engaged  in  many  important 
suits.  At  the  present  time  he  is  in  active 
practice   and   one  of  the  local   attorneys  of 


WILLIAM  JACKSON 


//  /  S  T  0  RI  C    RO  C  K    ISLAND    COUNTY 


33 


the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  and  Pacific  Railway. 

May  21,  1863,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Jen- 
nie E.  Sammis,  one  of  the  teachers  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Rock  Island.  Mrs.  Jackson  was 
born  in  the  City  of  New  York.  Two  children 
are  living,  Mrs.  Carrie  A.  Earth  and  Mrs. 
Hattie  J.  Babcock. 

In  politics  he  is  and  always  has  been  a 
Republican;  in  church  association  for  fifty- 
eight  years  a  Methodist,  and  is  now  a  member 
of  the  official  board  of  the  First  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  of  Rock  Island.  During 
his  life  Mr.  Jackson  has  held  two  important 
offices:  postmaster  of  the  City  of  Rock  Island 
from  1873  to  1876,  and  member  of  the  board 
of  managers  of  the  Illinois  State  Reformatory 
from  1897  to  1901.  At  present  he  is  president 
of  the  board  of  park  commissioners  of  the 
City  of  Rock  Island,  a  work  in  which  he  takes 
great  interest  as  shown  in  the  improvement 
and  beautifying  of  Spencer  Square,  which 
was  done  under  his  direction. 

Mr.  Jackson  has  always  aimed  to  advance 
the  best  interests  of  the  city  of  his  residence- 
believing  that  the  commvmity  in  which  he  has 
lived,  and  which  has  liberally  contributed  to 
whatever  success  he  has  attained,  deserved 
on   his  part  a  reciprocal   obligation. 


MAJOR  HENRY  CLAY  CONNELLY. 

THE  record  of  Major  Henry  Clay  Con- 
nelly, both  as  a  soldier  and  as  a  civilian, 
is  a  brilliant  one  and  will  live  long  after 
ho  has  passed  to  another  world.  His  father 
was  James  Connelly,  a  son  of  Bernard  Con- 
nelly, who  settled  in  Philadelphia  about  1S(X). 
He  afterwards  located  in  Somerset  County, 
Pennsylvania,  where,  as  a  dealer  in  live  stock 
he  became  successful.  His  wife,  of  English 
birth,  was  a  Miss  Eggleton.  She  was  the 
first  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church  of  Eng- 
land in  that  county  and  for  many  years  the 
only  one.  James  Connelly  arrived  at  man- 
hood in  Somerset  County  and  aided  his  father 


in  the  management  of  his  interests.  Some 
years  later  he  moved  to  Petersburg,  a  village 
in  Somerset  County  lying  on  the  Great  Na- 
tional Road,  where  he  became  influential  and 
prosperous.  He  was  one  of  the  original  pro- 
moters and  builders  of  the  National  Road  and 
was  a  leading  citizen  of  that  locality.  His 
wife  was  Marie  Hugus,  her  progenitors  on 
both  sides  being  of  the  sturdy  and  fearless 
Huguenot  stock,  patriots  whose  zeal  and  sac- 
rifices have  carved  for  them  an  imperishable 
name  throughout  Christendom.  Several  of  her 
ancestors,  the  Hugus  and  Ankcny  families, 
were  Revolutionary  soldiers.  Peter  Ankeny, 
our  subject's  great-gr.and-father.  was  a  cap- 
tain in  the  Revolutionary  War  under  Wash- 
ington. His  wife  was  a  Miss  Rosa  Bonnet, 
a  member  of  the  historical  French  family. 

Major  Henry  Clay  Connelly  was  born  in 
Petersburg,  Somerset  County,  Pennsylvania, 
December  22,  1831,  and  was  the  foiu'th  in 
order  of  a  family  of  eight  children.  It  was 
there  he  spent  his  boyhood  days  until  the 
death  of  his  father,  after  which  his  mother 
moved  to  the  town  of  Somerset.  There  the 
children  of  Mrs.  Connelly  were  given  the  best 
educational  advantages  obtainable,  and  there 
Major  Connelly  graduated  from  the  Somerset 
Academy.  After  leaving  school  he  mastered 
the  art  of  printing  in  the  office  of  the  Somer- 
set Visitor,  then  published  and  edited  by 
General  A.  H.  Coffroth,  who  afterwards  be- 
came distinguished  and  was  pallbearer  at 
President  Lincoln's  funeral  when  a  member 
of  Congress.  At  the  age  of  twenty,  Mr.  Con- 
nelly was  a  half-owner  and  editor  of  the 
Beaver  Star.  Two  years  and  a  half  later  he 
disposed  of  his  interest  in  that  newspaper, 
formed  a  partnership  with  Emanuel  J.  Per- 
shing, and  came  to  Rock  Island  where  he  has 
since  resided.  Arriving  here  February  18, 
1855,  he  and  Mr.  Pershing  published  the 
Wcckh/  Rock  Islander.  They  established  a 
daily  in  May,  1855.  Bound  volumes  of  this 
paper  can  now  be  seen  in  the  Public  Library, 
in  which  will  be  found  the  various  incidents 


34 


IIISrORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


of  life  at  that  early  day.  In  the  year  1857, 
Mr.  Connelly  and  his  partner  purchased  the 
Argus  and  consolidated  the  two  papers  under 
the  title  of  the  Is1a)idcr  and  Argus. 

In  the  year  1858  Mr.  Connelly  commenced 
reading  law  with  Judge  J.  W.  Drury.     He  did 
not,  however,  sever  his  connection  with  the 
newspaper  until   September,    lSo9.     He   was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  January,  1860,  and  re- 
mained in  legal  harness  until  September  12, 
1862,  when  he  entered  the  I'nion  Army.     .\t 
that  date  he  did  not  dream  of  the  future  that 
awaited    him,    and    of    which    the    following 
gives  an  insight  of  the  numerous  battles  in 
which    he    participated:    Celina,    Tennessee, 
April  18,  19,  1862;  Turkey  Neck   Bend,   Ten- 
nessee, pursuit   of  Colonel  Hamilton's  troops, 
June  12,  1863;  Morgan's  raid    throiigh    Ken- 
tucky, Indiana  and  Ohio,  July    1-26,    18G3; 
Marrowbone  or  Burksville,  Kentucky,  (Mor- 
gan's raid),  July  2,  1863;   Buffington   Island, 
or  St.  George  Creek,  Ohio    (Morgan's    raid), 
July  19,  1863;  Washington,  Ohio   (Morgan's 
raid),  July  24,  1863;  near  Salineville,   Ohio, 
(Morgan  captured),  July  26,  1863;  Kno.wille, 
Tennessee,  (city  captured),  September  1, 1863; 
Powell's  River,  Tennessee,  September  6,  1863; 
Cumberland  Gap,  Tennessee,    (assaulted  and 
captured  under  General   Biu'nside),  Septem- 
ber 9,  1863;  Kingsport,  Tennessee,  September 
17,    1863;   Bristol,   Tennessee,  September  19, 
1863;    Zollicoffer,    Tennessee,  September  20, 
1863;   Blountville,   Tennessee,  September  22, 
1863;  Blue  Spring,  Tennessee,  (under  General 
Burnside),  October  10,  1863;  Bristol  Station, 
Tennessee,    October    14,    1863;   New  Madrid, 
Tennessee,  October  22,  1863;  Holsten  River, 
near  Knox ville .Tennessee,  November  15, 1863; 
Campbell's  Station,  Tennessee,  November  17, 
18, 1863;  siege  of  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  (under 
General  Burnside),  November,  1863;  Walker's 
Ford,  or  Clinch  River,  Tennessee,  December  1, 
2,  1863;  Clinch  Mountain,  Tennessee,  Decem- 
ber 6,  1863;  Bean  Station,  Tennessee,  Decem- 
ber 14,  1863;  Blaine's  Cross  Roads,  Tennessee, 
December  16,  1863;  Mossy  Creek,  Tennessee, 


December  26,  1863;  Dandridge,  Tennessee, 
December  29,  1863;  Strawlierry  Plains,  Ten- 
nessee, January  10,  1864;  Dandridge,  Tennes- 
see (second  fight),  January  16,  17, 1864;  Fair- 
garden,  French  Broad,  or  Kelly's  Ford,  Ten- 
nessee, January  27,  1864;  Sevierville,  Tennes- 
see, January  28,  1864:  Cherokee  Indian  Bat- 
tle, North  Carolina,  February  2,  1864;  Bat- 
tle of  Atlanta,  Georgia,  July  22,  1864;  on  the 
retreat  when  General  Hood  advanced  from 
the  Tennessee  River  to  Columbia  on  Waynes- 
borough  Road,  Tennessee,  fighting  General 
Forrest,  November  22,  23,  24,  1864;  Duck 
River,  Tennessee,  fighting  General  Forrest, 
November  28,  29,  1864;  Battle  of  Franklin, 
Tennessee,  November  30,  1864;  Battle  of 
Nashville,  Tennessee,  December  15,  16,  1864; 
Franklin.  Tennessee,  December  17,  1864. 

We  take  the  following  from  the  Chicago 
Inter-Ocean,  dated  September  27,  1887: 
"Henry  Clay  Connelly  is  a  member  of  General 
John  Buford  Post,  No,  243,  Rock  Island,  of 
which  he  was  a  charter  member  and  its  first 
commander.  He  is  a  delegate  to  the  National 
Encampment  which  meets  at  St.  Louis  this 
month.  He  was  commissioned  second  lieu- 
tenant of  Company  L,  Fourteenth  Illinois 
Cavalry,  January  7th,  1863.  In  the  spring 
the  regiment  w^ent  to  the  front,  its  first  head- 
quarter.s  being  Glasgow,  Kentucky.  While 
here  the  regiment  was  active  in  scouting,  and 
the  Confederate  forces  at  Celina  and  near 
Turkey  Neck  Bend,  on  the  Cumberland 
River,  were  attacked  and  routed.  The  next 
work  was  the  pursuit  of  General  Morgan  and 
his  cavalrj-^  command  for  twenty-eight  days 
and  nights,  the  battle  of  Buffington  Island, 
in  Ohio,  and  the  capture  of  Morgan  and  most 
of  his  command.  Lieutenant  Connelly  was 
present  at  the  capture.  In  August,  under 
General  Burnside,  the  Union  forces  went  to 
East  Tennessee.  With  the  advance  guard, 
Lieutenant  Connell}'  entered  Knoxville  Sep- 
tember 1st,  General  Burnside  arriving  on  the 
3d.  He  heard  the  last  toot  of  the  last  Con- 
federate   locomotive    of    General    Buckner, 


MAJOR   HEXRV  C.    C'OXXELLY 


//  I  ST  0  R  I  C    R  0  C  K    I  S  L  A  X  D    CO  V  N  T  Y 


35 


commanding  the  Confederates,  sounded  in 
Knoxville.  He  was  at  the  taking  of  Cumber- 
land Gap,  at  Bristol,  and  at  the  numerous 
encounters  in  that  locality;  at  the  defense  of 
Knoxville  and  its  incidents;  at  Bean  Station, 
at  Dandridge,  Fair  Garden,  Walker's  Ford, 
Strawberry  Plains,  and  at  the  battle  with 
Thomas'  Cherokee  Indians  in  North  Carolina. 
During  the  East  Tennessee  campaign  he  was 
placed  in  charge  of  a  battery  of  artillery.  On 
the  Indian  raid,  after  following  a  mountain- 
ous Indian  trail,  on  the  2d  of  February  the 
Cherokees  were  surprised  in  their  camp,  at- 
tacked and  the  legion  cut  to  pieces,  many  of 
them  being  killed  or  captured.  Lieutenant 
Connelly  had  with  him  only  a  part  of  his  bat- 
tery. Herculean  efforts  were  required  to 
take  the  guns  and  caissons  over  the  great 
mountains  and  through  the  deep  ravines,  but 
the  work  was  successfully  accomplished. 
General  Grant,  in  a  special  dispatch,  highly 
complimented  the  Fourteenth  for  this  work. 
Major  Connelly  received  his  commission  as 
captain  after  this  expedition,  being  promoted 
over  his  first  lieutenant.  He  did  duty  at 
brigade  and  division  headquarters  as  assis- 
tant adjutant  general  and  also  as  inspector. 
He  participated  in  the  Atlanta  campaign; 
and  on  the  Macon  raid  his  regiment,  being  in 
General  Stoneman's  command,  shared  in  the 
misfortunes  of  this  officer,  but  only  after  it 
had  cut  its  way  out  in  a  splendid  charge. 
Being  dismounted  by  reason  of  loss  of  horses 
on  the  Macon  raid,  the  regiment  did  duty  as 
infantry  at  the  siege  of  Atlanta,  and  was  one 
of  the  first  which  entered  the  city  after  its  fall. 
Being  remounted  and  re-equipped,  about  the 
1st  of  November,  1864,  it  took  a  position  on 
the  right  of  the  Union  Army  on  the  Tennessee 
River  to  watch  the  advance  of  General  Hood's 
great  army.  From  this  river  to  Columbia, 
Major  Connelly  day  and  night  was  with  the 
rear  guard,  being  repeatedly  surrounded. 
With  splendid  courage  his  command  charged 
the  Confederate  lines  with  success.  Near 
Mount  Pleasant,  and  also  Duck  River,  after 


dark,  finding  himself  cut  off  and  surrounded, 
he  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  his  command 
and  carried  his  column  through  the  Confed- 
erate  lines  with  success. 

During  the  advance  of  General  Hood's 
aggressive  army,  including  the  battle  of 
Franklin  and  the  advance  of  the  Union  Army 
at  Nashville,  his  officers  and  the  men  of  his 
command  speak  in  eulogistic  terms  of  Major 
Connelly's  leadership  and  his  sterling  quali- 
ties as  a  soldier.  From  second  lieutenant 
he  was  promoted  captain  over  his  first  lieu- 
tenant and  by  a  vote  of  the  officers  of  his  regi- 
ment, who  also  voiced  the  sentiment  of  the 
rank  and  file,  he  was  elected  major  over  six 
captains  who  held  commissions  older  than  his. 

The  Inter-Ocean's  article  is  brief,  and  does 
not  give  in  detail  the  events  leading  to  Cap- 
tain Connelly's  promotion,  which  are  now  re- 
lated: Colonel  F.  M.  Davidson,  of  the  Four- 
teenth, wrote  two  letters  to  Governor  Oglesby 
recommending  him  for  the  position  of  major. 
These  letters  were  written  at  Edgefield,  Ten- 
nessee, the  first  bearing  date  of  February  7, 
1865,  in  which  Colonel  Davidson  says:  "In 
recommending  Captain  Connelly  for  this  po- 
sition (major)  it  affords  me  much  pleasure  to 
bear  witness  to  the  gallant  and  successful 
manner  in  which  he  has  conducted  himself 
as  a  soldier  whenever  and  wherever  he  has  been 
called  upon  to  face  the  enemy.  His  bearing 
on  the  Morgan  raid  until  the  day  he  (Morgan) 
was  captured;  his  skill  throughout  the  entire 
campaign  in  East  Tennessee  under  General 
Burnside,  and  particularly  on  the  14th  day  of 
December,  1863,  at  the  battle  of  Bean  Sta- 
tion, fighting  General  Longstreet's  corps,  in 
which  he  handled  his  battery  with  the  coolest 
daring  and  most  splendid  success;  his  energy 
on  the  (Cherokee)  North  Carolina  expedition 
in  the  month  of  February,  1864,  commanded 
by  myself;  his  bravery  and  dash  during  the 
recent  campaign  in  Tennessee  under  General 
Thomas,  and  particularly  on  the  night  of  the 
23d  of  November,  1864,  when,  being  sur- 
rounded by  General  Forrest,  and  after  other 


36 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


officers  failed  in  charging  the  enemy's  lines, 
he  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  the  column, 
rallied  the  men,  and  charged  out  without  the 
loss  of  a  man;  and  also  on  the  15th  of  Decem- 
ber (at  Nashville)  when  he  rallied  his  regi- 
ment, after  being  broken  under  a  fearful  can- 
nonade from  the  enemy's  batteries.  In  short 
his  whole  career  as  a  soldier  proves  him  to  be 
worthy    of   prompt    promotion." 

Governor  Oglesby  hesitated  to  commission 
a  junior  captain  over  so  many  seniors;  and 
Colonel  Davidson,  being  advised  of  this  hesi- 
tation, on  March  28,  1865,  wTote  to  him  again 
as  follows:  "I  can  only  repeat  what  I  said 
of  Captain  Connelly  in  my  communication  to 
Governor  Oglesby  dated  February  7,  1865. 
Aside  from  his  being  an  officer  of  the  first  or- 
der (particular  mention  of  some  of  his  acts  of 
bravery  being  there  set  forth),  his  high  tone 
as  a  gentleman,  and  his  acknowledged  talent 
as  a  man,  loudlj'  call  for  official  recognition 
of  his  services  to  his  country.  He  has  capac- 
ity for  any  position  as  field  officer.  Anything 
you  may  be  able  to  do  for  him  will  be  esteemed 
as   a   personal   favor." 

June  22,  1865,  Governor  Oglesbj'  issued  to 
Captain  Connelly  his  commission  as  major. 

In  the  Rock  Island  Argus  of  July  10,  1S65, 
we  find  the  following:  "Major  H.  C.  Connelly 
of  the  Fourteenth  Illinois  Cavahy.  arrived 
home  on  Saturday  evening,  and  is  a  citizen 
again.  No  officer  from  our  count}-  has  ac- 
quitted himself  with  more  credit  or  returned 
with  a  better  reputation,  both  among  the 
soldiers  and  people." 

Upon  his  return  from  the  war.  Major  Con- 
nelly resumed  his  law  practice.  In  1866  he 
was  elected  police  magistrate  for  a  term  of 
four  years.  He  was  elected  city  attorney 
for  Rock  Island  to  serve  during  the  years 
1869,  1870  and  1871.  In  January,  1894, 
his  son,  Bernard  D.,  became  associated 
with  him  under  the  firm  title  of  Connelh'  & 
Connelh'.  Their  practice  covers  the  various 
branches  of  law  and  the  firm  ranks  as  one  of 
the  leading  law  firms  of  Rock  Island  Count}'. 


Aside  from  the  practice  of  law,  Alajor  Con- 
nelly has  been  identified  with  several  local 
enterprises.  Upon  the  death  of  Bailey  Dav- 
enport he  succeeded  to  the  presidency  of 
the  Rock  Island  and  Milan  Street  Railway 
Company.  He  was  one  of  the  original  stock 
holders  in  the  Rock  Island  Buggy  Company, 
as  well  as  in  the  Rock  Island  Savings  Bank 
and  State  Bank.  He  was  one  of  the  orig- 
inal incorporators  and  assisted  in  the  passage 
of  the  bill  through  both  branches  of  Congress, 
authorizing  the  construction  of  the  electric 
railroad  now  crossing  the  Mississippi  River 
between  Rock  Island  and  Davenport,  Iowa. 
He  has  alwaj-s  been  active  and  taken  great 
interest  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  ad- 
vancement and  the  prosperity  of  Rock 
Island,  and  in  1861  labored  many  weeks  with 
senators  and  members  of  the  House  at  Wash- 
ington to  secure  the  passage  of  the  bill  by 
Congress,  locating  the  great  National  Arsenal 
at  Rock  Island.  He'  is  the  last  survivor  of 
the  committee  of  ten  from  Davenport,  Rock 
Island  and  Moline.  who  went  to  Washington 
in  the  fall  of  1861  to  aid  in  the  passage  by 
Congress  of  the  Arsenal    Bill. 

He  is  one  of  the  few  living  citizens  who  saw- 
Black  Hawk,  the  Indian  chief,  in  his  life- 
time. 

In  his  former  years  Major  Connelly  was  a 
strong  believer  in  and  supporter  of  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Democratic  party.  During  the 
Buchanan  campaign  of  1856  and  the  Douglas- 
Lincoln  campaign  of  1858  he  was  an  active 
worker.  The  late  Judge  Jerry  S.  Black,  who 
was  a  personal  friend  of  Major  Connelly,  and 
at  that  time  a  member  of  ilr,  Buchanan's 
Cabinet,  tendered  him  the  position  of  post- 
master of  Rock  Island.  This  appointment 
he  respectfully  declined.  He  was  a  firm 
friend  of  Senator  Douglas,  and  considered  it 
inconsistent  for  him  to  accept  office  from 
President  Buchanan,  w-hile  he  was  using  the 
power  of  his  administration  in  the  state 
(though  unsuccessfully),  to  defeat  Senator 
Douglas.     President  Johnson    appointed  him 


HISTORIC    ROCK    I  SL  A  N  D    CO  U  .V  T  Y 


37 


postmaster  of  Rock  Island,  but  a  Repulilican 
Senate  failed  to  confirm  tiie  nomination. 

In  1882,  the  late  P.  L.  Cable,  at  the  Demo- 
cratic Congressional  Convention  at  Mon- 
mouth, placed  in  nomination  Ma.jor  Council}' 
for  Congress.  The  Democratic  State  Con- 
vention, which  convened  at  Peoria  in  1884, 
elected  him  temporary  chairman.  On  the 
money  question  he  voted  for  President 
McKinley,  and  has  since  supported  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Republican  Party. 

He  was  a  tireless  worker  for,  and  visited 
Washington  to  aid  in  the  passage  of  the  Hen- 
nepin Canal  Bill.  For  many  years  he  served 
as  member  and  president  of  the  school  board, 
as  well  as  a  member,  president  and  secretary 
of  the  library  board.  On  his  seventieth  birth- 
day the  bar  of  Rock  Island  County  presented 
Major  Connelly  with  a  gold  mounted  cane. 

On  May  12,  lSo7,  Major  Connelly  married 
Miss  Adalaide  McCall,  daughter  of  Clark  and 
Hannah  (Hanford')  McCall.  She  is  a  native 
of  New  York.  Her  earlier  ancestors  did 
duty  in  the  Colonial  and  Revolutionary  Wars. 
Of  their  children  Clark  H.  and  Ahin  H.  are 
manufacturers  of  and  dealers  in  hardwood 
lumber  at  Kansas  City,  Missouri;  Mabel  is  the 
wife  of  Dr.  C.  W.  McGavren.  of  ilissouri  Y al- 
ley. Iowa;  Bernard  D.  is  in  partnership  with 
his  father,  and  Miss  Lucia  is  deceased. 

Bernard  D.  Connelly  is  a  Rock  Islander  by 
birth,  being  born  October  19,  1866.  He  is  a 
graduate  of  the  High  School  of  Rock  Island. 
and  the  State  University  of  Iowa,  where  he 
acquitted  himself  with  honor.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1891,  at  the  time  being 
associated  with  the  law  firm  of  Douthitt, 
Jones  &  ]\Iason,  of  Topeka,  Kansas.  Since 
January,  1894,  he  has  been  associated  with 
his  father  in  the  practice  of  law  under  the 
firm  name  of  Connelly  &  Connelly.  On  De- 
cember 22,  1903,  he  married  Miss  Elizabeth 
Chamberlin.  Mr.  Connelly  is  a  member  of  the 
Phi  Delta  Theta  college  fraternity  and  is  a  Son 
of  the  American  Revolution.  He  is  the  present 
Master  In  Chancery  of  Rock  Island  County. 


COLONEL  HENRY  CURTIS. 

OXE  of  the  prominent   citizens    of    Rock 
Island,  and  a  man  of  high  standing  in 
the  legal  profession,  was  Colonel  Henry 
Curtis,  deceased. 

He  was  born  at  Boston,  Massachusetts, 
August  13,  1834,  the  home  of  his  parents. 
Henry  and  Rebecca  L.  (Everett)  Curtis,  and 
in  that  city  he  spent  his  boyhood  and  re- 
ceived his  preliminary  education.  This  was 
finished  by  a  course  in  the  English  High 
School  of  his  native  city,  which  fitted  him  for 
entrance  into  the  Rensselaer  Polytechnic 
Institute  at  Troy,  New  York,  where  he  pur- 
sued an  engineering  course,  and  graduated 
in  1855  as  a  civil  engineer. 

In  1856  Mr.  Ciu-tis  came  to  Rock  Island, 
where,  one  year  later,  December  15,  1857, 
he  married  Lucy  R.  Osborn.  the  daughter  of 
Marcus  B.  Osborn. 

He  continued  his  practice  as  a  civil  engi- 
neer in  Rock  Island  until  October  8,  1860, 
when,  having  fitted  himself  for  the  legal 
jirofession,  he  was  admitted  to  the  Rock 
Island  County  Bar.  Upon  taking  up  the 
practice  of  his  new  profession,  Mr.  Curtis 
entered  into  partnership  with  his  brother- 
in-law,  Charles  M.  Osborn,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Osborn  &  Curtis,  and  this  partner- 
ship continued  until  1880,  when  it  was  dis- 
solved, Mr.  Osborn  removing  to  Chicago 
and  Mr.  Curtis  continuing  in  the  practice 
alone  until  his  death.  During  the  contin- 
uance of  the  firm  they  were  attorneys  for  the 
Rock  Island  Road.  In  1887  Mr.  Curtis  was 
appointed  master  in  chancery  for  Rock 
Island  County  by  Judge  George  W.  Pleasants, 
which  office  he  held  continuously  for  nearly 
twenty-five  years.  A  staunch  Republican, 
Mr.  Curtis  never  aspired  to  an  active  career 
in  political  life,  and  the  office  of  master  in 
chancery  was  the  only  one  he  ever  held  dur- 
ing his  long  and  honored  career  in  Rock 
Island. 

Soon  after  Mr.  Curtis  came  to  Rock  Island 


38 


HISTORIC    liO  C  K    I  S  L  A  A'  D    CO  U  \  T  Y 


the  Civil  War  broke  out,  and  he,  together 
with  Major  Charles  W.  Hawes  and  others, 
organized  a  company  of  volunteers,  consist- 
ing of  one  hundred  and  sixteen  men.  Dur- 
ing the  first  j-car  of  the  war  this  company 
was  mustered  into  the  Thirty-seventh  Illi- 
nois Volunteer  Infantry,  Mr.  Curtis  bearing 
the  rank  of  lieutenant,  M.  S.  Barnes  of  Rock 
Island  being  captain  of  the  company,  which 
was  known  as  Company  A.  This  company 
was  mustered  into  service  at  Camp  Webb, 
in  Chicago;  Julius  White  of  that  city  being 
the  first  colonel  of  the  regiment  to  which 
they  were  assigned.  M.  S.  Barnes,  the  cap- 
tain of  Company  A,  was  made  lieutenant- 
colonel,  and  this  created  a  vacant  captaincy 
to  which  John  A.  Jordan  was  elected.  He 
served  for  three  months  and  was  then  suc- 
ceeded by  Lieutenant  Curtis,  who  continued 
as  captain  of  the  company  until  March  7, 
1862,  when  he  was  severely  wounded  at  the 
battle  of  Pea  Ridge,  Arkansas.  He  was 
granted  leave  of  absence,  and  upon  his  recov- 
ery again  rejoined  his  company  and  shortly 
afterward  was  chosen  assistant  adjutant- 
general  by  the  former  colonel  of  his  regiment, 
who  had  meanwhile  been  appointed  briga- 
dier-general. 

The  remainder  of  Colonel  Curtis'  military 
service  was  in  the  Eastern  Army.  One 
notable  incident  in  this  service  was  the  siege 
and  surrender  of  Harper's  Ferry,  in  which 
he  took  a  very  prominent  part.  His  war 
record  througliout  was  distinguished  by 
bravery  and  loyalty.  At  the  end  of  the  war 
he  was  brevetted  a  lieutenant-colonel. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Colonel  Curtis  re- 
turned to  Rock  Island  and  again  resumed  the 
practice  of  law  together  with  his  partner,  Mr. 
Osborn.  As  has  been  stated,  his  career  as  a 
lawyer  was  a  long  and  honorable  one.  He 
achieved  and  nuuntained  an  exalted  position 
in  the  forefront  of  his  profession,  and  was 
held  in  confidence  and  high  esteem  by  all 
wiio  knew  him.  After  the  firm  of  Osborn 
c^c  Ciu'tis  was  dissolved,  ilr.  Curtis  formed  a 


partnership  with  his  son,  Hugh  E.  Curtis, 
for  the  purpose  of  drawing  abstracts  of  title, 
and  this  firm,  under  the  active  management 
of  Hugh  E.  Curtis,  continued  until  the  death 
of  Colonel  Curtis,  when  the  son  assumed  full 
charge    of   the   business. 

On  November  17,  1902,  Colonel  Curtis  was 
bereaved  by  the  death  of  his  wife.  Of  this 
marriage  four  children  were  born:  Henry  R. 
Curtis,  St.  Paul,  Minnesota;  Osborn  M.  Cur- 
tis, New  York  City;  Hope  G.  C.  Jones,  wife 
of  Commodore  H.  W.  Jones,  United  States 
Navy,  residing  at  Washington,  District  of 
Columbia,  and  Hugh  E.  Curtis,  of  Rock 
Island. 

On  September  12,  190.5,  death  brought  to 
a  close  the  long  and  useful  life  of  Colonel 
Henry  Curtis,  his  demise  occurring  at  Mar- 
blehead,  Massachusetts.  He  had  been  in 
failing  health  for  some  years  and  had  retired 
from  active  professional  and  business  life. 
His  death  was  a  distinct  loss  to  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  had  spent  the  best  years 
of  his  manhood,  and  in  the  tributes  paid  to 
his  memory  by  his  fellow  members  of  the 
bar  and  others  who  were  intimately  asso- 
ciated with  him  the  sentiment  was  general 
and  profound  that  Colonel  Henry  Curtis  was 
a  character  above  reproach,  an  honorble, 
sincere    and     u])right    gentleman. 

m  m  <» 
ELMORE  W.  HURST. 

AN   ABLE  lawyer,  a  successful  financier, 
and  a  man  recognized  as  a  state  leader 
in    Illinois    Democracy,    is    Elmore   W. 
Hurst,  of  Rock  Island,  one  of  the  senior  mem- 
bers of  the  legal   firm  of  Jackson,   Hurst   & 
Stafford. 

Mr.  Hurst  was  born  December  6,  1851,  in 
Rock  Island,  which  city  has  ever  since  been 
his  home.  His  parents  were  William  and 
.\nna  (Hurlock)  Hurst,  both  natives  of  the 
State  of  Delaware.  The  father,  who  was  of 
English  descent,  came  to  Rock  Ishuid  in  1837, 
and  here  he  was  engaged  in  mercantile  pur- 


ELMORE  W.  HURST. 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    C  0  U  N  T  Y 


39 


suits.  Coming  to  Kock  Island  when  wliat  is 
now  a  city,  was  but  a  mere  handful  of  people 
gathered  together  in  a  little  village,  he  saw 
the  town  gradually  increase  in  size  and  im- 
portance as  new  business  enterprises  were 
added  from  time  to  time,  and  in  that  growth 
and  progress  he,  himself,  was  prominently 
identified.  Both  the  elder  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hurst  were  among  the  early  members  of  the 
First  Methodist  Church  of  Rock  Island,  and 
were  unswerving  and  untiring  in  their  loyal- 
ty and  devotion  to  the  church  of  their  choice. 
To  this  couple  were  born  five  childi-en,  three 
of  whom  are  still  living:  Miss  Mary  Hurst, 
Mrs.  Julia  Stafford,  and  Elmore  W.  Hurst, 
the  siibject  of  this  review. 

After  completing  a  course  of  study  in  the 
public  schools  of  Rock  Island,  Elmore  W. 
Hurst  decided  upon  a  business  career,  be- 
giiming  as  bookkeeper,  and  later  being  pro- 
moted to  the  position  of  assistant  cashier 
in  the  Rock  I.^^land  National  Bank.  His 
connection  with  that  institution  continued 
for  eight  years.  M'-.  Hurst  had  for  some 
considerable  time  cherished  an  ambition  to 
become  a  lawyer,  and  at  the  end  of  his  eight 
years  of  service  in  the  banking  house  in  which 
he  was  employed,  he  had  formed  a  definite 
determination  to  fit  himself  for  membership 
in  the  legal  profession.  With  that  end  in 
view  he  took  up  the  study  of  law  in  the  office 
of  the  Hon.  W.  H,  Gest,  who  was  then  a 
practicing  attorney  in  Rock  Island,  and  in 
1883  Mr.  Hurst  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
Immediately  upon  his  admission  as  an  attor- 
ney he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession. 
A  man  of  great  natural  ability  and  of  close 
application  his  rise  in  the  profession  has  been 
a  steady  one,  and  today  both  he.  himself, 
and  the  firm  of  which  he  is  a  member,  are 
recognized  as  leaders  at  the  Rock  Island 
County  Bar.  In  1891  Mr.  Hurst  formed  a 
partnership  with  the  Hon.  William  Jackson, 
the  style  of  the  firm  being  Jackson  it  Hurst. 
This  partnership  continued  until  1902  when 
the  firm  was  enlarged  by  the  admission  into 


it  of  ;Mr.  Hurst's  two  nephews,  John  T.  and 
Elmore  H.  Stafford.  This  firm's  offices  in  the 
Masonic  Temple  are  the  most  commodious 
and  well  arranged  in  the  city,  the  volume  of 
their  business  requiring  the  employment  of 
several  assistants. 

On  May  29,  1873,  occurred  the  marriage 
of  Mr.  Hurst  and  Miss  Harriet  M.  Field.  For 
years  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hurst  made  their  home 
on  the  corner  of  Nineteenth  Street  and  Sixth 
Avenue  in  Rock  Island,  but  in  1906  Mr. 
Hurst  purchased  the  old  Buford  residence 
at  the  head  of  Eighteenth  Street,  a  large  and 
handsome  edifice  built  in  the  old  Southern 
style  of  architecture.  This  he  has  thoroughly 
remodeled  and  modernized,  and  there  he 
now  resides. 

He  is  a  large  owner  of  farm  lands  in  the 
north  and  west  and  has  extensive  holdings 
in  business  realty  in  Rock  Island,  also  being 
interested  as  a  stock  holder  in  several  banks, 
both  in  Rock  Island  and  in  western  cities. 
Mr.  Hurst  is  a  man  of  business  sagacity  and 
financial  acumen,  and  the  modest  fortune 
which  he  has  accumulated  is  an  honest  one, 
the  result  of  prudent  and  careful  investment 
in  real  estate  that  has  increased  greatly  in 
value  and  which  now  vields  handsome  re- 
turns. 

As  has  been  stated,  Mr.  Hurst  is  a  promi- 
nent Democrat.  He  was  elected  on  that 
ticket  to  the  Illinois  Legislature  in  1888  and 
1900.  His  name  has  been  several  times 
mentioned  as  a  possible  candidate  for  Gov- 
ernor of  Illinois  upon  the  Democratic  ticket, 
and  it  is  certain  that  he  could  have  received 
the  honor  of  a  nomination  to  that  office  at 
the  hands  of  his  party  had  he  so  desired. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  First  Methodist 
Church,  the  church  of  his  parents,  where, 
for  several  years,  he  filled  the  office  of  one  of 
the  trustees.  Fraternally,  he  is  identified 
with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Ancient  Order 
of  United  Workmen. 

Durinn-  the  vears  190.5  and  1906  Mr.  Hurst 


40 


HISTORIC    ROC  K    ISLAND    CO  [J  N  T  Y 


was  elected  president  of  the  Rock  Island  Coiin- 
ty  Bar  Association,  his  successor  in  that  ottiec 
being  Hon.  Chas.  J.  Searle,  the  present  incum- 
bent. 

A  man  of  stronr;  personality,  Mr.  Hurst 
commands  the  admiration  and  respect,  not 
only  of  his  fellow  members  of  the  bar,  but  of 
the  body  of  Rock  Island's  citizenship.  He  is 
honoral)le,  ujiright  and  conscientious  in  his 
dealings,  and  always  ab.solutely  fair  and 
sincere.  He  is  a  man  who  believes  in  the 
future  of  his  native  city  and  he  has  proved 
that  his  belief  is  a  sincere  one  by  investing 
many  thousands  of  dollars  in  Rock  Island 
real"  estate,  and  by  improving  property  that 
he  owns.  Such  men  are  invaluable  to  any 
city  in  which  they  exert  their  ability  and 
expend  large  sums  of  money  in  its  improve- 
ment. 

5S  5i  5« 

REV.  CHRISTOPHER  A.  MENNICKE. 

ONE  of  Rock  Island's  most    revered    and 
honored  ministers  of  the  gospel,  a  man 
who  has  grown  old  in  the  service  of  his 
God  and  his  church,  is  Rev.  C.  A.  Mennicke, 
pastor  of  the  German  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Immanuels  Congregation. 

He  was  born  September  17,  1834,  at  Fried- 
richsschwerz,  a  small  place  near  Halle,  in 
Prussia,  his  parents  being  Andreas  and  Caro- 
lina (Winter)  Mennicke.  He  received  his 
early  education  in  the  institutions  of  Halle, 
Germany.  An  uncle,  Professor  F.  Winter 
whose  home  was  in  America,  wrote  to  the 
young  student  and  urged  him  to  come  to  this 
country.  He  left  Germany  in  1854  and  came 
to  America,  locating  at  St.  Louis.  The  main 
purpose  of  his  coming  was  to  prepare  for  the 
ministry  of  the  German  Evangelical  Luth- 
eran Church  in  America,  a  hope  and  aspira- 
tion that  he  had  cherished  from  early  boy- 
hood. Soon  after  reaching  St.  Louis  our 
subject  entered  Concordia  Seminary  in  that 
city,  and  here  he  pursued  a  foiu*  years'  classi- 
cal course,  upon  the  completion  of  which  he 


entered  upon  and  finished  a  theological  course 
of  three  years  at  the  same  institution,  grad- 
vuiting  in  May,  1861.  Shortly  after  his  grad- 
uation he  received  and  accepted  a  call  as  pas- 
tor of  the  (lerman  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Immanuels  Chiu'ch  at  Rock  Island,  a  pastor- 
ate that  he  has  held  ever  since.  The  first 
parsonage  in  which  Rev.  Mennicke  dwelt  was 
located  on  what  is  now  Thirteenth  Street  and 
Sixth  Avenue,  but  which  was  then  known  as 
Beaver  and  Pleasant  Streets.  Here  he  m.ade 
his  home  until  1869,  since  which  time  he  has 
resided  at  the  present  parsonage  located  at 
1923  Fifth  Avenue. 

On  October  20,  1861,  shortly  after  taking 
up  his  pastorate  in  Rock  Island,  Rev.  Men- 
nicke was  joined  in  marriage  to  Miss  Anna 
D.  Mangelsdorf,  a  young  lady  of  St.  Louis. 
The  marriage  ceremony  was  performed  by 
Rev.  F.  Doescher,  of  Iowa  City,  Iowa,  the 
marriage  taking  place  at  Rock  Island.  Four- 
teen children  were  born  of  this  union,  four  of 
whom  died  in  their  early  youth.  Those  liv- 
ing are:  Mrs.  Anna  Hohenstein,  wife  of  Rev. 
O.  L.  Hohenstein,  of  Bloomington,  Illinois; 
Mrs.  Amalie  Streckfus,  widow  of  Rev.  J.  A. 
Streckfus,  residing  at  home;  Rev.  August  C. 
Mennicke,  of  Edford  Township,  Henrj^  County, 
Illinois;  Mrs.  Maria  Kroeger,  wife  of  Rev.  F. 
Kroeger,  of  Hinckley,  Illinois;  Rev.  Ernest 
D.  Mennicke,  assistant  pastor  of  German 
Evangelical  Lutheran  Immanuels  Church,  of 
Rock  Island;  Mrs.  Caroline  Schmidt,  wife  of 
Rev.  H.  Schmidt,  of  Galesburg,  Illinois;  Rev. 
Charles  G.  Mennicke,  of  Four  Corners,  Iowa, 
and  the  Misses  Clara,  Justine  and  Frieda 
Mennicke,  at  home. 

From  1861  to  1862  Rev.  Mennicke  in  addi- 
tion to  his  pastoral  duties  acted  as  teacher  of 
the  parochial  school  established  in  connection 
with  his  church.  At  times  he  was  assisted 
in  this  work  by  his  wife,  and  the  duty  of 
developing  the  minds  of  the  children  of  the 
church  and  of  establishing  their  feet  in  the 
paths  of  religion  was  faithfully  performed  by 
this  devoted  couple. 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


41 


In  1886  was  celebrated  the  twenty-fifth 
anniversary  of  Rev.  Mennicke's  pastorate  at 
Rock  Ishind.  On  the  same  day  his  son, 
August  C.  Mennicke,  was  ordained  as  a  min- 
ister of  the  Lutheran  denomination,  and  was 
installed  as  assistant  pastor  of  the  church  at 
Rock  Island,  thus  being  enabled  to  relieve  his 
father  of  some  of  the  more  arduous  duties  in 
connection  with  the  extensive  work  of  the 
church. 

Rev.  Mennicke  is  a  member  of  the  German 
Evangelical  Lutheran  Synod  of  Missouri, 
Ohio  and  other  states.  For  years  he  has  been 
an  officer  of  the  Illinois  District  of  the  Synod 
for  Central  Illinois,  and  chairman  of  the 
Central  Illinois  Conference. 

For  almost  fifty  years  this  good  man  has 
labored  assiduously  in  Rock  Island  for  the 
uplifting  of  mankind  and  the  salvation  of 
souls.  He  has  grown  old  in  the  service  of 
Christ  and  the  church,  l)ut  who  can  measure 
the  good  that  he  has  accomplished  in  the  la- 
bors of  a  lifetime.  Such  lives  as  his  have  a 
benign  influence  upon  mankind.  And  in  his 
latter  years  as  he  looks  backward  upon  his  life's 
work,  although  his  labor  has  not  brought  to 
him  a  liberal  financial  reward,  still  he  has 
love,  reverence  and  regard  of  all  who  have 
ever  come  within  the  circle  of  his  acquaint- 
ance. 

m  m  '^ 
HENRY  J.  FRICK. 

THE  life  record  of  Henry  J.  Frick,  the 
subject  of  our  present  sketch,  is  that  of  a 
self-made  man;  a  man  who  through  his 
unflagging  industry  and  undaunted  persever- 
ance has  achieved  for  himself  not  only  a  com- 
fortable competence,  but  an  enviable  reputa- 
tion for  unswerving  integrity  and  uncompro- 
mising honor. 

He  was  born  August  31,  1858,  at  Rock 
Island,  and  this  city  has  been  his  home  ever 
since,  with  the  exception  of  one  and  one-half 
years  spent  in  Scott  County,  Iowa.     His  par- 


ents were  William  and  Caroline  (Dietrich) 
Frick.  Both  were  natives  of  Germany. 
They  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1851. 
The  first  four  years  after  coming  to  their  new 
home  they  spent  in  Utica,  State  of  New  York. 
They  moved  to  Rock  Island  in  1855  where  his 
father  took  out  his  papers  in  1856.  Here  the 
father  was  connected  with  the  Rock  Island 
Railway,  being  in  charge  of  the  local  baggage 
and  freight  department.  The  death  of  the 
mother  occurred  in  1878,  and  that  of  tlie  fa- 
ther in  1882. 

Their  son  received  a  common  school  educa- 
tion in  the  Rock  Island  public  schools.  At 
the  age  of  fifteen  years  he  decided  to  follow 
the  plumbing  trade  and  with  that  end  in  view 
he  entered  the  employ  of  Fred  Hass  as  an 
apprentice  for  a  year  and  one-half,  after  which 
he  abandoned  his  intention  of  becoming  a 
plumber,  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Rock 
Island  Railway  as  a  locomotive  fireman  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  years.  This  occupation  he  fol- 
lowed for  eight  years,  residing  part  of  the  time 
in  Buffalo,  Scott  County,  Iowa,  where  he  serv- 
ed one  year  as  a  township  officer.  He  then 
decided  to  embark  in  the  livery  business  and 
together  with  Gottliel?  Zwicker  formed  the 
firm  known  as  Zwicker  &  Frick  at  Rock  Island. 
Their  partnership  continued  for  seven  months, 
when  Mr.  Zwicker  disposed  of  his  interest  in 
the  business  to  Chas.  Hansgen.  Upon  this 
business  change  the  firm  was  known  as  Frick 
&  Hansgen.  Mr.  Frick  and  Mr.  Hansgen 
continued  the  partnership  for  about  three 
years.  Then  Frank  Kautz  purchased  Mr. 
Hansgen's  share  in  the  enterprise,  and  the 
firm  name  was  changed  to  Frick  &  Kautz. 
The  business  association  of  Mr.  Frick  and  Mr. 
Kautz  continued  for  more  than  ten  years. 
Then  Mr.  Frick  ptu'chased  his  partner's  inter- 
est, and  has  since  continued  the  business 
alone.  Largely  through  Mr.  Frick's  indi- 
vidual efforts  the  business  has  constantly 
grown  in  size  and  importance,  and  today  Mr. 
Frick  possesses  one  of  the  largest  and  most 


42 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


completely    equipped    livery    establishments 
in  the  Tri-Cities. 

On  February  21,  1SS4.  Mr.  Frick  was  uni- 
ted in  marriage  to  Miss  Susanna  Kautz,  a 
daughter  of  Fritz  and  Barbara  Kautz,  of  Buf- 
falo, Iowa.  Two  children,  both  daughters, 
were  born  of  this  union,  Adelia  E.  and  Ber- 
tha C.  Mr.  Frick  was  deprived  of  a  devoted 
wife  and  his  daughters  of  a  loving  mother  by 
the  death  of  Mrs.  Frick,  which  occurred  De- 
cember 26,  ISSS.  May  16,  1S91,  occurred  the 
marriage  of  jMr.  Frick  and  Miss  Mary  E.  Kautz, 
daughter  of  Christian  and  Christina  Kautz. 
also  of  Buffalo,  Iowa,  she  being  a  cousin  of 
Mr.  Frick's  first  wife.  To  them  three  daugh- 
ters have  been  born,  Marie  J.,  Edith  M.  and 
Henrietta  N. 

In  political  affiliation  Mr.  Frick  is  a  Demo- 
crat. In  the  April  election,  1907,  he  was 
chosen  as  alderman  of  the  Fourth  Ward  upon 
the  ticket  of  the  Citizens' Non-Partisan  Asso- 
ciation. The  contest  in  election  was  not  won 
without  a  struggle,  as  both  the  Republican 
and  Democratic  parties  had  placed  strong  men 
in  nomination.  Mr.  Frick's  popularity  with 
men  in  both  of  the  old  parties  was  so  clearly 
demonstrated  by  the  election,  that  upon  the 
sending  in  of  the  returns  it  was  shown  that  he 
had  been  elected  by  a  handsome  majority 
over  both  opponents.  The  Fourth  Ward, 
which  Mr.  Frick  now  represents  as  alderman, 
is  the  ward  in  which  he  was  born,  and  in 
which  his  business  has  been  located  for  many 
years. 

In  religious  conviction  Mr.  Frick  is  a  con- 
sistent member  of  the  German  Catholic 
Church  of  Rock  Island.  Fraternally  he  is 
connected  with  the  Elks,  the  ^^■estern  Catho- 
lic Union  and  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 

From  what  has  already  been  said  of  the 
life  of  Mr.  Frick,  and  from  the  personal  knowl- 
edge which  almost  every  one  residing  in  Rock 
Island  or  vicinity  has  of  the  man,  it  is  a  fact 
beyond  dispute  that  he  is  one  of  Rock  Island's 
best  citizens  who  is  constantlj^  working  ft)r 
the  advancement  of  his  native  city. 


IGNATZ  HUBER. 

THE  City  of  Rock  Island  is  indebted  for 
its  present  prosperity  and  commercial 
activity  to  many  men  whose  capital  and 
intellect  have  been  instrumental  in  pro- 
moting its  growth:  but  one  of  the  men  to 
whom  it  is  chiefly  indebted  for  his  activity 
in  promoting  those  industries  and  measures 
which  are  the  life  of  a  city  is  Ignatz  Htiber, 
one  of  Rock  Island's  pioneer  brewers  and 
financiers. 

ilr.  Huber  is  a  native  of  Bavaria,  Germany. 
He  was  born  February  1,  1S26.  His  boy- 
hood and  youth  were  spent  in  his  native 
Bavaria,  and  after  his  school  days  were  fin- 
ished, learned  the  brewer's  trade  under  the 
instruction  of  his  fatlier.  Like  many  others 
of  foreign  birth  who  have  emigrated  to  the 
United  States,  Mr.  Huber  saw  in  America  a 
land  of  promise  where  individual  abilitv 
counted  for  much  more  and  brought  much 
better  returns  than  in  the  old  world.  He 
took  passage  for  America  on  a  sailing  vessel 
leaving  the  Port  of  Rotterdam,  and  after  a 
vo}-age  of  forty-two  days  on  the  ocean,  ar- 
rived at  New  York  on  June  16,  1849.  Push- 
ing westward  he  stopped  at  Canton,  Ohio, 
where  he  spent  two  months,  and  then  re- 
moved to  Columbus  in  the  same  state,  where 
he  found  employment  in  a  brewer}-.  Leav- 
ing Columbus  he  went  to  Cincinnati,  where 
he  again  followed  that  line  of  business  in 
which  he  had  received  such  thorough  train- 
ing. ^Ir.  Huber  remained  in  Cincinnati  until 
1851,  when  he  came  to  Rock  Island,  which 
has  ever  since  been  his  home. 

In  Rock  Island  he  again  obtained  employ- 
ment in  a  brewery,  and  after  his  first  month's 
employment  he  purchased  an  interest  in  the 
concern,  of  which  three  3'ears  later  he  became 
the  sole  owner.  From  a  small  beginning  Mr. 
Huber's  business  grew  and  his  patronage 
increased  until  it  became  one  of  the  cit3-'s 
principal  industries,  emplo3dng  many  men. 
He  continued  in  business  alone  until  the  for- 


J^^'^^^J^^^  ^e/^ 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


43 


mation  of  the  Rock  Island  Brewing  Company, 
whereby  Rock  Island's  three  brewing  plants 
were  consolidated  and  a  stock  company  or- 
ganized. Then  Mr.  Huber  turned  over  active 
management  of  the  new  enterprise  to  his  son, 
Otto,  pursuing  the  same  course  as  his  former 
competitor,  George  Wagner,  who  had  turned 
over  the  management  of  his  part  in  the  busi- 
ness to  his  son,  Robert,  the  elders  practically 
retiring  and  placing  the  responsibility  of  ac- 
tive management  of  this  large  concern  upon 
the  shoulders  of  the  junior  members  of  their 
respective  households. 

Mr.  Huber  was  married  in  October,  1854, 
to  Miss  Catherine  Koehler,  a  young  lady  of 
German  birth  and  rearing,  but  who  had  come 
to  .\nierica  in  her  youth.  To  this  couple  have 
been  born  six  children,  three  of  whom  have 
attained  manhood  and  womanhood  and  are 
living  at  home  with  their  parents,  and  three 
of  whom  died  in  early  childhood.  Those  liv- 
ing are  the  Misses  Amelia  and  lallie  Huber 
and  Otto  Huber. 

In  religious  faith  Mr.  Huber  is  a  Catholic, 
while  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
denomination.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat, 
and  although  never  an  office-seeker,  he  was 
once  elected  alderman  of  his  home  ward,  and 
proved  so  thoroughly  acceptable  to  his  con- 
stituents that  he  was  twice  re-elected  to  that 
office.  From  1858  to  1861  he  was  captain  of 
the  Rock  Island  Rifle  Company,  a  military 
organization  formed  here  at  that  time. 

Mr.  Huber  has  valuable  real  estate  holdings 
in  Rock  Island,  Moline  and  Geneseo,  Illinois, 
and  in  Davenport,  Iowa.  He  is  also  a  stock 
holder  in  the  Peoples'  National  Bank,  and  for 
many  years  was  its  vice  president.  In  the 
spring  of  1906  Mr.  Huber  purchased  twenty- 
five  acres  of  valuable  land  lying  between  Twen- 
ty-seventh and  Thirtieth  Streets,  and  be- 
ginning on  Ninth  Avenue  extending  to  the 
bluff  in  Rock  Island.  From  the  summit  of 
this  land  a  magnificent  view  of  the  entire  City 
of  Rock  Island  may  be  obtained.  One-half 
of  this  land  is  to  be  plotted  into  lots  which  will 


be  sold  and  the  other  half  Mr.  Huber  will 
retain  for  a  home,  where  he  will  shortly  erect 
a  residence.  In  fact  Mr.  Huber  has  been  a 
pioneer  in  the  laying  out  and  platting  of  addi- 
tions; the  Huber  and  Peetz  addition,  in  which 
he  was  interested,  being  the  real  beginning 
of  Rock  Island's  real  estate  boom. 

For  all  the  years  that  Ignatz  Huber  has 
lived  in  Rock  Island  his  life  has  been  an  open 
one.  his  every  deed  being  actuated  by  honest 
motives.  He  has  conscientiously  endeavored 
to  fulfill  the  duties  that  devolved  upon  him 
both  in  public  and  in  private  life,  and  how 
well  he  has  succeeded  is  thoroughly  demon- 
strated by  the  universal  esteem  in  which  he 
is  held  bv  his  fellow  citizens. 


OTTO  HUBER. 

AMONG  the  younger  generation  of  Rock 
Island's  prominent  business  men  whose 
names  are  deserving  of  special  mention 
for  what  they  have  achieved  in  their  chosen 
vocations  in  life,  stands  that  of  Otto  Huber, 
who  is  the  present  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
the  Rock  Island  Brewing  Company,  a  Rock 
Island  industry  whose  formation,  growth  and 
present  scope,  has  been  related  elsewhere  in 
this  book. 

Mr.  Huber  was  born  in  Rock  Island  January 
19,  1866,  and  attended  schools  in  that  city 
until  he  was  ready  to  enter  the  Illinois  State 
University  at  Champaign,  where  he  spent 
three  years.  Afterward  he  studied  two  years 
abroad  and  graduated  from  the  Institute  of 
Technology  at  Weihenstephan,  near  Munich, 
Bavaria,  which  country  had  been  the  birth 
place  of  his  father,  Ignatz  Huber.  After 
completing  his  education  he  entered  his  fa- 
ther's business  in  1889,  but  he  was  also  a  pro- 
moter of  brewing  enterprises  in  other  cities, 
notable  among  which  is  the  organization  of 
the  Seattle  Brewing  &  Malting  Company  in 
1 893.  This  was  a  consolidation  of  four  of  Seat- 
tle's brewing  plants  and  was  brought   about 


44 


//  /  .S  r  0  HI  C    RO  C  K    ISLAND    COUNTY 


by  Otto  Hubcr.  The  company  today  is  the 
largest  and  most  prominent  brewing  concern 
in  the  United  States  west  of  Milwaukee  and 
St.  Louis.  He  organized  the  Des  Moines 
Brewing  Company  in  1907,  of  which  he  is  the 
president. 

In  1893  when  the  Rock  Island  Brewing 
Company  was  formed,  Mr.  Huber  was  one  of 
the  chief  promoters  of  that  organization,  and 
it  was  largely  through  his  activity  that  the 
organization  was  brought  into  being.  Upon 
its  formation  he  was  elected  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  new  company,  positions  which 
has  held  ever  since. 

In  1902  Mr.  Huber  was  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  Illinois  State  Brewers'  Association  and 
was  its  first  secretary. 

In  1903  Mr.  Huber  became  vice  president 
of  the  People's  National  Bank  of  Rock  Island, 
succeeding  his  father  in  that  office.  In  1904 
he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  board  of 
park  commissioners  in  the  City  of  Rock  Island 
and  it  was  this  board  that  inaugurated  the 
improvement  of  Long  View  Park,  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  in  the  state.  He  is  at  present 
treasurer  of  the  board. 

Mr.  Huber  is  not  allied  with  an  political 
organization,  but  gives  his  support  to  those 
men  and  measures  that  in  his  opinion  repre- 
sent the  best  principles. 

He  is  a  member  of  several  social  and  fra- 
ternal organizations,  among  them  being  the 
Rock  Island  Club,  the  Davenport  Commercial 
Club,  Chicago  Athletic  Association,  is  a  life 
member  of  the  Rock  Island  Arsenal  Golf 
Club,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Elks. 

He  is  a  man  who  is  fond  of  all  varities  of 
clean  athletic  sports,  being  an  enthusiastic 
equiestrian  and  golf  player. 

Mr.  Huber  is  unmarried.  He  takes  an  ac- 
tive and  prominent  part  in  the  social  life  of 
the  three  cities  and  Chicago,  his  genial  quali- 
ties and  liberality  making  him  a  general  fav- 
orite. Although  a  young  man  possessed  of 
wealth  and  one  who  has  received  many  ad- 
vantages he  is  unspoiled  by  prosperity    and 


is  of  a  very  unassuming  nature  without  the 
slightest  trace  of  arrogance.  Warm  hearted 
and  sympathetic  he  is  ever  ready  to  extend 
a  hel])ing  hand  to  those  less  fortunate  than 
himself  and  to  devote  his  time  and  money  to 
the  upbuilding  of  his  native  city. 
m  ^  iS 

HON.  WILLIAM  McENIRY, 

tN  considering  the  prominent  legal 
I    firms  in  Rock   Island   County   one's   mind 

instinctively  turns  to  the  firm  of  McEniry  & 
McEniry,  a  firm  composed  of  the  two  brothers, 
Hon.  William  McEnirj^  and  Matthew  J.  Mc- 
Eniry, having  offices  both  in  Rock  Island  and 
Moline.  It  is  the  life  and  character  of  the 
former  of  these  two  gentlemen  that  we  pro- 
pose to  depict  in  the  sketch  that  is  to  follow. 
The  life  and  character  of  Matthew  J.  McEniry 
will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  work  treated  at 
length. 

William  McEniry  was  born  in  Rock  Island 
County,  Illinois,  May  9,  1860,  his  parents  be- 
ing William  and  Elizabeth  (Coughlin)  Mc- 
Eniry. William  McEniry,  Sr.,  who  was  a 
farmer,  came  to  Illinois  in  1841  and  settled  in 
Moline,  making  his  home  there  until  1852, 
when  he  took  up  his  residence  on  a  farm  in 
this  county.  In  1840  occurred  his  marriage 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  Coughlin.  To  this  couple 
eight  children  were  born,  six  sons  and  two 
daughters.  Two  of  the  sons,  however,  died 
in  infancy.  The  death  of  the  father  occurred 
February  18.  1874.  His  widow  survived  him 
luitil  May  30,  1907,  when  she  passed  away. 
Both  were  devout  members  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church.  In  a  panegyric  at  the  time 
of  Mrs.  McEniry's  death  one  of  the  Moline 
daily  newspapers  spoke  of  her  life  as  follows: 
"Mrs.  McEniry  was  identified  with  the  his- 
tory of  Rock  Island  County.  She  was  the 
first  Catholic  woman  to  reside  in  what  is  now 
the  City  of  Moline,  and  the  first  mass  of  the 
church  ever  said  in  that  city,  was  celebrated 
in  her  house  by  a  Davenport  priest.  She 
was  a  remarkable   character  in   many  ways. 


HISTORIC    RO  C  K    ISLAND    COUNT Y 


45 


Her  life  was  as  calm  and  gentle  as  its  close 
and  3'et  it  was  active.  She  was  of  firm  faith 
and  resolute  purpose  and  courage." 

William  McEniry,  the  son,  whose  life  we 
will  now  discuss,  received  his  preliminary  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  Hock  Island 
County.  I.ater  he  pursued  a  commercial 
course  in  Prairie  du  Chien,  Wisconsin.  Upon 
the  completion  of  this  he  entered  upon  a  lit- 
erary course  in  the  University  of  Notre  Dame, 
at  Notre  Dame,  Indiana.  Then  he  chose  the 
profession  of  law  as  his  life's  vocation,  and  in 
order  to  fit  himself  for  the  practice  of  that 
science  he  entered  the  law  department  of  the 
University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor  in  that 
state.     Here  he  graduated  in  1SS.5. 

Soon  after  his  graduation  the  young  bar- 
rister opened  a  law  office  in  Rock  Island,  and 
liis  immediate  success  proved  him  to  lie  an 
able  lawyer.  He  possesses  a  keen  and  ana- 
lytical mind,  and  a  broad  and  comprehensive 
mental  vision,  enabling  him  to  assimilate  the 
correlation  of  ideas  and  to  instinctively  grasp 
the  fundamental  and  basic  elements  of  the 
subject  under  consideration.  Added  to  this 
he  is  a  logical  reasoner  and  an  eloquent  and 
forceful  public  speaker.  These  attributes 
and  accomplishments  are  essential  in  a  suc- 
cessful legal  career,  and  by  the  possession  of 
these  superior  qualities,  which  in  themselves 
are  marks  of  distinction,  Mr.  McEniry  has 
attained  an  enviable  station  in  his  profession. 
He  has  served  as  counsel  in  some  very  impor- 
tant litigation  that  has  attracted  widespread 
interest.  In  legal  ability  he  is  one  of  the 
foremost  lawyers  in  Western  Illinois,  and  his 
superior  merit  has  obtained  the  recognition 
that  it  deserves. 

Ever  since  entering  upon  the  practice  of 
law  in  Rock  Island  and  taking  up  his  residence 
here,  Mr.  McEniry  has  been  constant  and 
untiring  in  his  endeavor  to  promote  that 
city's  best  interests  and  has  given  his  sup- 
port to  all  measures  for  the  public  benefit. 
He  was, actively  instrumental  in  the  work  of  se- 
curing  a  new  court  house   and   was    also    a 


potent  factor  in  determining  the  location  of 
the  Western  Illinois  Hospital  for  the  Insane 
at  Watertown,  and  was  asked  by  Governor 
Altgeld  to  act  as  a  member  of  the  board,  but 
declined.  He  secured  the  passage  of  the  bill 
making  possible  to  remove  the  Woodmen 
office   to   Rock  Island. 

On  October  1.5,  1S90,  Mr.  McEniry  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Alice  Cleary,  a 
young  lady  of  New  Orleans,  a  daughter  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  .lohn  Cleary  of  that  city.  To 
them  four  children  have  been  born,  John, 
Elizabeth,  William  and  Katherine.  Both 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  McEniry  are  members  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church.  Their  many  excel- 
lent qualities  and  bountiful  hospitality  have 
made  them  favorites  in  the  best  social  circles 
of  the  Tri-Cities. 

In  political  faith  Mr.  McEniry  has  always 
been  a  staunch  Democrat,  and  he  is  one  of  the 
acknowledged  leaders  of  that  party  in  Rock 
Island  County.  Although  zealous  in  striving 
for  the  success  of  his  party  at  the  poles,  Mr. 
McEniry  has  never  been  a  bitter  or  a  narrow 
partizan,  and  as  a  leader  in  his  party  his  con- 
duct of  campaigns,  although  vigorous,  has 
been  such  as  to  insure  him  the  respect  and 
friendly  regard  of  his  political  opponents. 

In  1887  Mr.  McEniry  was  nominated  by 
his  party,  and  was  elected  city  attorney  of 
Rock  Island.  He  filled  that  office  with  abil- 
ity and  distinction.  In  the  autumn  of  1896 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  in  the  Illinois  State  Legis- 
lature, running  far  ahead  of  his  party  ticket. 
In  this  capacity  he  served  upon  several  very 
important  committees,  and  although  his  po- 
litical party  was  the  minority  party  never- 
theless every  one  of  the  five  bills  introduced 
by  Mr.  McEniry  passed  both  the  House  and 
the  Senate,  and  became  laws  of  the  state. 
Of  his  ability  as  a  legislator  the  Inter-Ocean, 
of  Chicago,  spoke  in  the  highest  terms  of 
praise. 

No  words  of  fulsome  praise  are  necessary 
to  embellish  the  life  and  character  of  William 


46 


HISTORIC    RO  C  K    I SL A  X  D    CO U X T Y 


McEniry.  He  is  a  patriotic  citizen,  a  schol- 
arly and  able  lawyer  and  a  Christian  gentle- 
man. No  higher  encomium  can  be  bestowed 
upon  any  man. 

ii  «  « 

MATTHEW  J.  McENlRY. 

IT  IS  said  that  the  legal  profession  is  one  of 
the  most  difficult  in  which  to  achieve  suc- 
cess. It  is  doubtless  true  that  to  be  a  truly 
successful  attorney  requires  ability  of  a  high 
order.  We  have  spoken  elsewhere  in  this 
work  ofrthe  success  achieved  by  the  legal 
firm  of  McEnir}^  &  McEniry,  and  one  of  the 
fruits  of  that  success  is  a  renown  that  is  not 
merely  local  but  that  has  spread  throughout 
the  northwest.  In  the  article  mentioned  the 
life  and  character  of  one  of  the  members  of  the 
firm,  William  McEnirj',  was  taken  up  and 
discussed  at  length.  His  strength  and  ability 
were  depicted.  The  present  article  is  to  be 
devoted  to  a  discussion  of  the  salient  points 
in  the  life  of  the  other  member  of  the  firm, 
Matthew  J.  McEniry,  a  man,  who  like  his 
brother,  is  possessed  of  brilliant  talents  and 
real  genius. 

He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Zuma  Township, 
this  county.  The  lives  and  characters  of  the 
elder  McEnirys,  the  parents  of  Matthew  J. 
and  William,  are  recorded  at  length  in  the 
sketch  previously  spoken  of.  to  which  the 
reader  is  referred.  As  a  lad  Matthew  J. 
McEniry  received  his  early  education  in  the 
cotnitry  schools  in  the  neighborhood  of  his 
father's  farm.  When  seventeen  jears  of  age 
he  went  to  an  academy  at  Prairie  du  Chien, 
AYisconsin,  where  he  completed  a  commercial 
course.  He  afterward  entered  the  Univer- 
sitj"^  of  Notre  Dame,  at  Notre  Dame,  Indiana, 
where  he  devoted  himself  to  scientific  studies. 
These  he  completed  in  1887,  whereupon  he 
entered  the  law  department  of  the  University 
of  Michigan,  at  Ann  Arbor,  from  which  he 
graduated  one  year  later.  After  his  gradu- 
ation the  young  attorney  was  admitted  to 


the  bar  and  opened  a  law  office  in  Moline  in 
partnership  with  his  brother,  William,  of  Rock 
Island.  The  firm  has  ever  since  retained 
offices  in  both  Rock  Island  and  Moline;  Wil- 
liam McEniry  having  charge  of  the  Rock 
Island  office  while  Matthew  J.  conducted  the 
business  at  Moline.  The  excellent  success 
and  enviable  reputation  which  the  firm  has 
achieved  are  too  well  known  to  need  repetition 
here.  Sufficient  is  it  to  say  that  they  are  one 
of  the  foremost  legal  firms  in  Rock  Island 
County.  They  possess  commodious  and  well 
appointed  offices  and  fine  law  libraries  in  both 
cities,  the  Moline  office  being  located  in  the 
Skinner  Block. 

In  politics  Matthew  J.  McEniry  has  always 
been  one  of  Moline's  leading  Democrats,  and 
has  been  ever  zealous  in  promoting  the  suc- 
cess of  the  political  party  of  his  choice.  That 
party  has  recognized  his  services  and  has  hon- 
ored him  with  offices  of  responsibility  and 
trust.  In  1884,  when  only  twenty-three 
j^ears  of  age.  Mr.  McEnirj-  was  elected  super- 
visor of  Zuma  Township,  and  held  that  office 
for  one  term.  He  was  also  appointed  deputy 
sheriff  of  Rock  Island  County,  which  office  he 
filled  for  four  years.  In  July,  1894,  he  re- 
ceived from  President  Cleveland  the  appoint- 
ment as  postmaster  of  Moline,  and  continued 
in  that  office  until  October  1. 1897.  His  poli- 
tical zeal  and  active  work  for  party  success 
has  been  manj'  times  shown  while  a  delegate 
to  his  partj-^'s  conventions,  he  having  been  a 
delegate  to  nearly  every  Democratic  State 
Convention  since  1882.  He  is  a  firm  believer 
in  the  great  principles  of  Thomas  Jefferson, 
and  is  firmly  convinced  that  the  best  inter- 
ests of  this  country  would  be  best  subserved 
by  a  strict  adherence  to  its  tenets. 

Mr.  McEniry  was  of  assistance  in  obtaining 
the  passage  of  the  law  providing  for  the  organ- 
ization and  establishment  of  the  naval  militia 
in  Illinois.  He  was  elected  and  served  as  an 
ensign  in  the  Moline  Companj-  of  the  same 
until  1897,  when  from  political  reasons,  as  he 


JOHN   A    BUVKH 


MRS.    JOHN  A.    BUYER 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


47 


himself  states,  he  was  politely  requested  to 
resign  or  the  division  would  be  mustered  out 
of  the  service  then  and  there.  There  were  at 
that  time  two  divisions  of  naval  reserves, 
and  in  fact  there  were  formerly  four  divisions 
located  at  Moline,  a  city  that  was  very  active 
in  aid  of  this  branch  of  the  state  service,  and 
who  took  pride  in  educating  her  citizens  in  the 
ways  of  naval  warfare  upon  the  great  "Fath- 
er of  Waters."  Mr.  McEniry  was  also  a 
director  of  the  Moline  Public  Library  at  the 
time  the  new  Carnegie  building  was  erected, 
and  served  as  secretary  of  the  lioard  for  two 
years. 

Matthew  J.  ^IcEniry  is  a  devoted  member 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  the  church  in 
which  be  was  born  and  reared.  He  was  con- 
firmed at  an  early  age  by  Archbishop  Foley, 
of  Chicago. 

Fraternally   Mr.   ^McEniry   is  strongly   con- 
nected, and  his  genial,  helpful  nature  makes 
him  a  most  acceptable  member  of  many  orders, 
He  has  passed  through  the  presiding  chair  of 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Camji  No. 
38,  of  Moline.     He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
North  Star  Benefit  Association,  of  which  he 
is  county  astronomer,  of  Observatory   No.    1. 
He  is  a  charter  member  of  the  lodge  of  Fra- 
ternal Tribunes  organized  at  Moline.     He  is 
also    a   member   of   Tecumseh  Tribe,  No.  24, 
Improved  Order  of  Redmen,  and  has  repre- 
sented all  these  lodges  at  their  great  councils. 
He  is  now  chairman  of  the  judiciary  commit- 
tee of  the  Great  Council  of  Illinois,  Indepen- 
dent Order  Redmen.     He  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Moline  Club  since  it  was  organized,  and 
served  two  terms  as  a  director  of  that  insti- 
tution.    He  is  now  serving  a  second  term  as 
president  of  the  Moline  Business  Men's  Asso- 
ciation, and  has  at  all  times  taken  an  active 
part  in  the  business  affairs  of  his  home  city. 
Mr.    McEniry,    together    with    his  brother, 
William,  did  loyal  work  in  helping  to  secure 
the  location  of  the  Western  Hospital  for  the 
Insane  at  Watertown,  and  through  their  un- 
tiring  efforts   in   that   behalf   much   was   ac- 


complished. Matthew  J.  McEniry  has  also 
done  most  effective  work  in  helping  obtain 
the  new  lock  upon  the  Mississippi  River  at 
Moline,  and  in  this  also  he  has  been  untiring. 
The  lock  and  harbor  appropriation  will  make 
Moline  a  port  upon  the  Mississippi  River. 
These  efforts,  which  are  all  unselfish  and  look 
only  to  the  betterment  and  increased  pros- 
perity of  his  home  city,  are  indicative  of  Mr. 
McEniry's  character.  He  is  an  enthusiast 
for  the  six-foot  channel  along  the  Upper 
Mississippi,  and  is  bending  every  effort  to 
make  it  a  reality. 

For  twelve  years  Mr.  McEniry  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Rock  Island  County  Old  Set- 
tlers'  Association. 

Matthew  J.  ;\IcEniry  is  a  man  of  deep  and 
broad  public  spirit,  a  leader  and  organizer  of 
men,  and  a  citizen  whose  constant  aim  is  to 
see  his  city  press  forward  in  prosperity  and 
success.  He  is  a  man  who  has  done  much 
for  the  community  in  which  he  lives,  and  this 
is  attested  by  the  warm  regard  and  high  es- 
teem in  which  he  is  held  Ijy  all  wiio  know  him. 
As  a  citizen,  loyal  to  the  endvu-ing  principles 
struck  from  the  highest' ideals,  Mr.  McEniry 
is  superior. 


DEACON  JOHN  A.   BOYER. 

AiMAN  remembered  only  by  the  older 
generation  of  Rock  Island  County's  citi- 
zens was  Deacon  John  A  Boyer,  deceased. 

He  was  born  at  Bedford.  Pennsylvania, 
October  16.  1809.  During  a  portion  of  his 
boyhood  his  parents  lived  at  Paris,  Kentucky, 
and  later  removed  to  Indiana. 

In  1837  he  came  to  this  county  and  settled 
in  what  was  then  the  town  of  Stephenson.  In 
1838  ^Ir.  Boyer  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mrs. 
Zeruiah  Phillips,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Zeruiah  Robbins.  The  following  year  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Boyer  moved  to  the  farm  at  the 
south  end  of  what  is  now  Thirtieth  Street, 
which  was  their  home   at  the  time  of  Mrs. 


48 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAXD    COUNTY 


Bo3'er's  death,  which  occurred  March  IG. 
1886.  closing  a  long  and  happy  married  life  of 
forty-eight  years.  No  children  blessed  this 
marriage,  but  after  some  years  of  married 
life  they  took  Thomas  Campbell  into  the  fam- 
ily and  reared  him  to  manhood.  He  and  his 
family  were  beneficiaries  from  the  estates. 
Mr.  Campbell  lived  forty  years  of  Mr.  Boyer's 
life  with  him  and  was  as  son  to  the  family  in 
every  sense  of  the  word. 

In  religious  faith  Mr.  Boj'er  and  his  devoted 
wife  were  Baptists,  and  their  fidelity  to  the 
cause  of  their  church  and  zeal  in  the  cause  of 
religion  are  demonstrated  by  the  following 
minutes  taken  from  the  records  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church  of  this  city,  under  date  of  March 
20,  1843:  "Church  called  a  session  which 
lasted  several  days.  Brethren  from  this 
church  and  our  sister  church  in  Davenport 
sat  as  a  church  and  received  the  following 
persons — ."  (Then  follows  the  names  of 
three  received  by  letter  and  nine  for  baptism. 
Among  the  latter  are  the  names  of  John  A. 
and  Zeruiah  Boyer.)  They  were  buried  in 
baptism  in  the  Mississippi  River,  at  the  foot 
of  what  is  now  Twentieth  Street,  Rock  Island. 
Brother  Boyer  and  his  wife  at  once  took 
an  active  part  in  the  work  of  the  church. 
January  21,  1845,  forty-seven  years  ago,  he 
was  elected  deacon,  and,  according  to  the 
custom  of  that  time,  was  ordained  to  that 
office  by  the  imposition  of  hands  upon  the 
sixteenth  of  the  following  February,  the  or- 
daining prayer  being  made  by  Elder  Stone- 
About  two  years  previous  to  that  time  he  had 
been  elected  as  a  trustee,  and  he  held  both  of 
these  offices  in  the  church  continuously  until 
his  death.  For  more  than  thirty  years  he 
was  among  the  most  active  workers  in  the 
church,  none  excelling  him  in  cheerfully  tak- 
ing up  and  bearing  the  burdens  of  the  work. 
He  was  on  nearly  all  the  church  committees, 
frequently  being  the  chairman  of  those  on 
which  he  was  placed.  At  times  he  acted  as 
church  se.xton,  making  the  fires,  caring  for  the 
church  building  and  its  contents  without  mon- 


ey and  without  price,  but  simply  because  of  his 
love  for  his  church  home,  and  found  no  task 
too  hard  or  work  too  irksome  when  the 
church's  welfare  was  furthered  thereby. 
When  debts  burdened  the  church,  and  seemed 
likely  to  crush  it  beneath  their  weight,  he 
either  paid  them  in  full  himself,  or  else  paid 
such  proportion  that  the  load  was  lightened 
and  others  could  complete  the  payment. 

To  John  A.  Boyer  and  his  faithful  wife,  the 
First  Baptist  Church  of  Rock  Island  is  largely 
indebted  for  its  present  fine  property,  its 
house  of  worship  and  parsonage,  the  tower  of 
the  church  building  being  entirely  his  gift,  as 
was  the  parsonage  a  gift  from  his  wife.  Dur- 
ing Mr.  Boyer's  latter  years  the  infirmities  of 
age  compelled  him  to  take  a  less  active  part 
in  the  work  of  the  church,  but  his  interest 
never  flagged.  His  fellow  church  members 
feel  that  to  Brother  and  Sister  Boyer,  and  to 
their  noble  co-worker.  Deacon  David  Hawes. 
their  church,  under  God,  owes  a  debt  of  last- 
ing gratitude. 

In  politics  Mr.  Boyer  w.as  a  Republican 
until  the  time  of  Horace  Greeley's  nomination 
for  President  of  the  United  States,  but  from 
that  time  on  he  was  a  Democrat.  He  lived 
a  quiet  and  retiring  life,  taking  little  personal 
part  in  politics  and  public  affairs,  although 
in  these  matters  he  always  manifested  a  keen 
interest.  He  was  deputy  sheriff  for  two  years 
under  Sheriff  Wells,  and  at  one  time  was  a 
member  of  the  board  of  supervisors. 

He  had  been  for  many  years  an  honored 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  of  the 
Old  Settlers'  Association,  at  one  time  being 
president  of  the  latter  organization. 

On  December  5,  1891,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of 
eighty-two  years,  John  A.  Boyer  passed  away 
at  Los  Angeles.  California.  He  survived 
most  of  the  companions  of  his  youth  and  mid- 
dle life,  but  having  traveled  far  along  life's 
pathway  the  burden  of  his  many  years  fell 
from  his  shoulders,  and  he  lay  down  to  sleep 
in  the  silent  chamljer  of  Death,  but  being 
dead  he  yet  liveth. 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


49 


SAMUEL  H.  MONTGOMERY. 

AMONCl  the  names  of  Rock  Island  County's 
citizens  none  is  better  known  and  none 
held  in  more  honor  and  respect  than  that 
of  Montgomery.  The  elder  Montgomerys  were 
among  the  oldest  settlers  of  this  county,  and 
early  acquired  large  holdings  in  farm  proper- 
ties. Their  children  have  been  prominently 
identified  with  the  business  and  farming  inter- 
ests of  Rock  Island  County  for  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century.  It  is  of  one  of  the  sons 
of  those  pioneers,  Alexander  E.  and  Margaret 
Montgomery,  the  life  history  of  the  former 
appearing  upon  another  page  of  this  work, 
that  this  sketch  is  to  treat. 

Samuel    H.    Montgomery    was    born    on    a 
farni  near  Coal  Valley  in  Roc  k  Island  County 
August  2, 1866,  his  parents,  as  has  been  stated, 
being   Alexander  E.  and  Margaret  Montgom- 
ery.    His  early  boyhood  was  spent  upon  his 
father's  farm,  and    later  lived  on  the  Arsenal 
Island  for  twenty    years   until  married.     He 
attended  the   public  schools   of   Moline,   and 
later  entered  and  graduated  from    the    high 
school     of   that    city.     After    completing   his 
studies  he  decided  to  master  the  machinists' 
trade   and  to  that  end  he  secured  a  position 
in  the  machine  shops  at  the  Rock  Island  Ar- 
senal.    After   .serving   his    apprenticeship    he 
continued  to  work  at  the  Arsenal  and  later  at 
Williams,  White   &   Company  in  Moline  until 
the  summer    of  1891,  when  with  his  brothers, 
Alexander  E.  Jr.,  James  T.  and  Robert  J.  Mon- 
gomery,    the    firm    of   Montgomery    Brothers 
was  organized  for  the  purpose  of  doing  a  gen- 
eral machine  and  repair  btisiness.     In  March, 
1893,  the  above  firm  was  merged  with  the  Mo- 
line  Elevator   Company,    and   a  few  months 
later  the  Montgomery  Brothers  bought  out 
the  other  interests  in  the  Elevator  Company 
and  have  since  that  time  been  the  principal 
owners   and   managers.     To   Mr.   .Samuel    H. 
Montgomery    was    assigned   the   direction    of 
the  manufacturing  department  of  this  manu- 
factory, and  he  is  at  the  present  time  presi- 


dent and  general  superintendent  of  this  indus- 
try which  has  become  a  large  and  prosperous 
one.  He  is  also  a  stock  holder  in  the  Deere- 
Clark  Motor  Car  Company,  the  Moline  Auto- 
mobile Company,  Root  &  Van  Dervoort  En- 
gineering Company,  the  American  Harvester 
Company  and  the  Columbia  Voting  Machine 
Company.  He  also  has  extensive  farm  inter- 
ests in  Alberta,  Canada. 

On  April  19, 1898,  Mr.  Montgomery  married. 
Miss  Emma  M.  Hartz,  a  Rock  Island  young 
lady,  the  sister  of  B.  C,  W.  T.,  A.  P.  and  G. 
C.  Hartz.  They  have  one  child,  a  daughter, 
Margaret  Dorothy,  who  at  the  time  this 
sketch  was  written  is  about  three  years  of  age. 
Since  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Montgom- 
ery have  made  their  home  in  Moline,  residing 
at  1542  Eleventh  Avenue,  in  that  city. 

Mr.  Montgomery's  life  has  been  governed 
by  Christian  principles,  and  he  has  been  ac- 
tive in  religious  work.  He  is  a  consistent 
member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church, 
which  he  joined  in  Rock  Island,  March  17, 
1883.  Seven  years  later  in  November,  1890, 
he  was  elected  and  ordained  ruling  elder  in 
the  church  with  which  he  was  affiliated,  and 
he  served  as  clerk  of  session  until  May,  1898. 
He  also  assisted  in  establishing  a  mission 
church  in  Moline,  which  work  had  been  under- 
taken by  the  Rock  Island  congregation  in 
189.5,  Mr.  Montgomery  serving  as  its  Moline 
representative  and  Sunday  School  superin- 
tendent. In  May,  1898,  together  with  sever- 
al others  of  the  same  religious  faith,  he  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  First  United 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Moline.  This  was 
the  full  fruition  of  the  hopes  and  prayers  and 
work  of  those  zealous  Christians  who  had  es- 
tablished and  fostered  the  little  mission 
church.  Upon  the  establishment  of  an  inde- 
pendent church  organization  Mr.  Montgomery 
was  elected  ruling  elder  and  clerk  of  session, 
and  also  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School, 
which  positions  he  has  held  continuously  ever 
since.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  and 
takes  a  strong  interest  in  the  success  of  the 


50 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


party  of  his  choice.  Ho  has  not  been  much 
identified  with  any  lodsjc  or  fraternal  orsjan- 
izations. 

Mr.  Montgomery  is  an  ideal  ty])e  of  the 
simple,  sincere  Christian  gentleman,  a  man 
of  exalted  thoughts  and  generous  acts,  and 
having  himself  enjoyed  material  prosperity 
he  has  been  ever  ready  to  help  his  less  for- 
tunate fellow  man  whenever  that  help  was 
needed  and  deserved. 

1^  m  ^ 
ELWIN  ELBERT  PARMENTER. 

THE  life  of  a  good  and  just  man,  and  the 
memory  of  his  noble,  kindly  deeds,  are 
in  themselves  his  true  biography.  In 
the  life  of  such  an  individual  the  observer  of 
human  character  may  find  both  precept  and 
example.  He  may  find  in  such  a  life  ser- 
mons that  speak  more  eloquently  and  leave 
a  deeper  impression  upon  the  heart  than  any 
human  words.  The  simple  goodness  and  un- 
conscious influence  of  such  a  man  is  a  bene- 
diction to  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  daily 
contact.  Such  were  the  attributes  of  the 
late  Judge  Elwin  E.  Parmenter.  a  man  highly 
esteemed  and  greatly  beloved  by  all  who 
knew  him,  a  man  of  high  integrity"  and  broad 
charity,  a  man  \\ho3e  motto  was  the  Golden 
Rule. 

He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Andalusia  Town- 
ship, Rock  Island  County,  June  24,  1843,  his 
parents  being  Lorenzo  and  Kezia  Parmenter, 
one  of  the  early  families  who  settled  in  this 
county.  He  received  his  early  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Muscatine,  and  here  he 
fitted  himself  for  entrance  to  the  University 
of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor,  where  he  gradu- 
ated from  the  law  department.  A  short  time 
after  his  graduation  he  entered  upon  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Rock  Island, 
which  city  was  his  home  until  his  death.  In 
1872  he  was  elected  state's  attorney  for  Rock 
Island  County,  and  held  this  office  for  three 
continuous  terms  of  four  years  each,  his 
third  term  ending  in  1SS4.     His  administra- 


tion of  that  office  was  forceful,  vigorous  and 
successful,  distinguished  not  only  by  the  en- 
ergy and  ability  of  his  prosecutions,  but  also 
by  the  careful  and  painstaking  manner  in 
which  he  prepared  his  cases  for  trial.  As  an 
example  of  this  latter  part  of  his  duty,  it  may 
be  stated  that  not  once  during  his  long  tenure 
of  office  did  he  ever  have  an  indictment 
quashed  because  of  error  or  carelessness  in  its 
preparation.  During  his  career  as  state's 
attorney  he  prosecuted  one  of  the  most  noted 
criminal  cases  in  the  annals  of  Rock  Island's 
court  history,  the  famous  Heilwagner  murder 
trial,  he  being  assisted  in  the  prosecution  by 
the  Hon.  William  Jackson.  The  result  was 
a  conviction  with  the  imposition  of  the  death 
penalty.  The  accused  was  ably  defended  by 
the  Hon.  Patrick  O'Mara,  deceased,  and  J.  L. 
Haas.  The  sentence  of  the  court  was  carried 
out,  it  being  the  last  execution  in  Rock  Island 
County. 

After  his  retirement  from  the  office  of 
state's  attorney.  Judge  Parmenter  returned  to 
the  general  practice  of  law,  and  in  this  he  was 
engaged  imtil  18S4,  when  he  was  appointed 
master  in  chancery  by  Judge  William  H. 
Gest,  and  this  office  he  held  for  six  years.  In 
1902  he  was  elected  coimty  judge,  and  after 
the  expiration  of  his  first  term  of  four  years- 
he  was  again  re-elected  in  November,  1906, 
and  served  until  his  sudden  and  untimely 
death  a  few  months  later.  Hi?  administra- 
tion of  this  last  office,  which  involves  the 
supervision  of  the  administration  of  a  large 
number  of  estates,  besides  various  other 
matters,  was  conducted  in  the  same  careful, 
systematic  manner  that  had  marked  his  ca- 
reer as  state's  attorney. 

On  October  3,  1872,  he  was  joined  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Anna  B.  Oloff,  and  to  them  one 
child,  a  son,  was  born,  who  died  at  the  early 
age  of  five  j'ears. 

Judge  Parmenter  was  a  zealous,  earnest 
Christian  man,  and  although  in  his  early  man- 
hood he  was  not  affiliated  with  any  church 
organization,  on  ]\Iareh  20,  1892,  he  was  ad- 


L.  S.  McCABE. 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


51 


mitted  into  full  meinbership  with  the  First 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Rock  Island, 
and  of  this  church  he  was  a  consistent  mem- 
ber throughout  the  remainder  of  his  life,  and 
served  as  one  of  its  trustees. 

He  was  a  member  of  Trio  T.odge,  No.  57, 
Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons;  Rock 
Island  Chapter,  No.  18,  Royal  .\rch  Masons; 
Rock  Island  Commandry,  No.  IS.  Knights 
Templar,  and  of  Kabba  Temple  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine.  He  held  various  honorary  offices  in 
thi^  different  degrees  of  Masonry,  where  he 
was  held,  as  he  was  everywhere,  in  the  highest 
regard  and  esteem. 

Upon  December  27,  1906,  occurred  the 
.sudden  passing  of  Judge  Parmenter  from  the 
vigor  of  life  to  the  coldness  of  death.  He  had 
returned  home  from  his  judicial  duties  feeling 
somewhat  ill.  In  a  few  brief  hours  he  died, 
having  sustained  an  attack  of  heart  failure- 
The  news  of  his  demise  caused  the  most  pro- 
found sorrow  throughout  the  entire  county 
in  all  parts  of  which  he  was  so  well  known. 
At  first  it  seemed  impossible  to  give  the  re- 
port credence,  but  when  sad  confirmation 
left  no  doubt  as  to  its  truth,  mingled  with  the 
expressions  of  sorrow  and  the  sense  of  per- 
sonal loss  to  all  who  knew  him,  there  was  the 
thought  that  a  good  man  had  gone  to  his 
reward.  No  word  of  eulogy  can  add  any 
lustre  to  the  memory  of  Judge  Parmenter. 
He  did  right  as  it  was  given  unto  him  to  see 
the  right.  He  was  faithful  in  all  of  life's 
duties.  He  did  unto  others  as  he  desired 
others  to  do  unto  him,  and  in  his  simple, 
earnest  Christian  life  he  followed  the  "  Kindly 
Light"  imtil  at  last  it  led  him  Home. 

m  m  ^ 
L.  S.  McCABE. 

LS.  McCABE  has  been  a  factor  in  the  com- 
mercial history  of  Rock   Island   County 
since  1868.     He  is  a  native  of  Delaware 
Comity,  New  York,  and  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  and  academies  of  that  local- 
ity. 


Coming  west  in  his  young  manhood,  Mr 
McCabe  took  up  his  residence  in  Rock  Island 
County.  He  taught  school  for  two  terms  in 
the  southern  part  of  this  county  during  the 
time  that  the  Hon.  W.  H.  Gest,  the  present 
circuit  judge,  was  county  superintendent 
of  schools. 

In  1870  his  business  career  as  a  Rock  Island 
merchant  was  begun,  and  his  steadily  in- 
creasing business  has  been  co-incident  with 
the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  city.  He 
possessed  a  firm  belief  that  both  Rock  Island 
and  Moline  had  bright  futures  before  them, 
and  later  his  real  estate  ventures  resulted  in 
the  platting  of  several  large  residence  addi- 
tions in  both  those  cities,  and  in  these  he  was 
either  the  principal  associate  or  sole  owner. 
He  consistently  showed  his  confidence  in  the 
future  development  of  this  locality  by  re- 
peated investments  in  the  business  district 
of  the  city,  until  he  became  the  owner  of  the 
largest  area  of  business  property  in  the  com- 
mercial center  of  Rock  Island.  His  active 
brain  has  been  influential  in  organizing  and 
developing  many  of  the  prominent  and  suc- 
cessful industries  and  business  enterprises  of 
the  county.  He  was  a  director  and  vice- 
president  of  the  Moline  Central  Street  Car 
Lines  when  they  were  being  built  and  equip- 
ped with  electricity.  This  was  one  of  the  first 
electric  street  railways  built  and  operated  in 
the  west.  He  was  also  an  owner  and  pro- 
moter of  Prospect  Park  in  Moline,  and  later 
when  his  traction  and  park  holdings  were  ab- 
sorbed by  the  newly  formed  Tri-City  Street 
Railway  Company,  he  became  a  large  stock 
holder  in  the  latter  company. 

Mr.  McCabe  was  one  of  the  promoters  and 
organizers  of  the  Central  Loan  and  Trust 
Company  of  Rock  Island,  and  upon  its  for- 
mation became  a  director  and  its  first  vice- 
president. 

In  1902  he  was  elected  by  the  Republican 
party  to  represent  the  Thirty-third  District 
in  the  State  Senate,  and  after  serving  his 
term  of  four  years,  he  declined  to  again  be- 


52 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


come  a  candidate  for  that  office,  as  his  busi- 
ness interests  demanded  so  much  of  his  per- 
sonal attention.  He  had  always  been  an 
adherent  to  Republican  principles,  but  the 
office  of  State  Senator  was  the  only  one  for 
which  he  had  ever  been  a  candidate. 

Mr.  ]\IcCabe  is  a  member  of  the  Broadway 
Presbyterian  Church.  He  is  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  the  Rock  Island  Club,  but  has  never 
been  much  identified  with  fraternal  societies 
or  lodges.  Being  for  thirty-si.x  years  at  the 
head  of  one  of  Rock  Island's  principal  mer- 
cantile institutions,  his  sj-mpathies,  advice 
and  aid  were  much  sought  and  invariabh^ 
given  to  every  important  public  undertaking 
for  municipal  improvement. 

As  a  diversion  and  pleasant  relaxation  from 
the  cares  naturally  devolving  upon  the  head 
of  a  great  mercantile  house,  ilr.  McCabe  has 
become  an  extensive  farmer  and  breeder  of 
blooded  beef  cattle  and  swine.  He  owns 
and  operates  several  farms  both  in  this  coun- 
ty and  in  Scott  County,  Iowa,  and  among  his 
chief  pleasures  are  the  entertaining  of  friends 
at  his  summer  home  on  the  bluffs  overlooking 
the  Mississippi,  the  showing  of  his  great  herds 
of  Angus  cattle,  and  the  discussion  of  his 
various  farming  projects  and  in  planning 
their  improvement   and  development. 

m  ^  ^ 
COLONEL  EDWARD  KITTILSEN. 

THE  soldier-sheriff  of  Rock  Island  County 
needs  no  introduction  to  that   county's 
people.     That  he  is  well  and  favorably 
known  is  evidenced  by  the  office  with  which 
they  have  honored  him.  and  which  he  now 
holds  and  fills  so  acceptably. 

Edward  Kittilsen  was  born  in  Moline,  July 
19,  1854,  his  parents  being  .Andrew  and  Fred- 
erika  (Johnson)  Kittilsen.  His  father  was 
a  native  of  Norway  and  his  mother  of  Sweden. 
Their  son  recei\ed  a  public  school  education 
in  Moline,  and  upon  its  completion  he  entered 
the  business  college  conducted  b}'  Mr.  Frey  in 
Rock  Island.     After  pursuing  a  commercial 


course  in  this  institution  he  served  as  clerk 
in  a  grocery  store  for  a  time,  and  later  learned 
the  molder's  trade.  At  twenty'  years  of  age 
he  engaged  in  the  ice  business,  and  in  that 
enterprise  he  was  prosperous  and  successful 
until  the  spring  of  ISSO,  when  his  winter's 
harvest  of  ice,  and  his  ice  house  as  well,  were 
destroyed  by  the  overflowing  of  the  Mississ- 
ippi, bringing  to  him  a  severe  loss.  In  that 
same  year  he  was  appointed  upon  the  Moline 
police  force,  and  two  years  later  rose  to  the 
rank  of  deputy  marshal,  and  in  1883  was 
appointed  chief  of  police,  which  office  he  held 
continuously  for  more  than  twenty-three 
j^ears,  or  until  he  resigned  to  assume  the 
office  of  sheriff  of  Rock  Island  County  to 
which  he  was  elected  in  November,  1906. 

But  Mr.  Kittilsen  has  achieved  military  as 
well  as  civil  honors.  He  joined  the  Illinois 
State  Militia  in  1875  and  was  elected  a  cor- 
poral of  his  company,  later  advancing  to  the 
rank  of  first  sergeant.  Siibsequently  he 
became  sergeant-major  of  the  Fourteenth 
Battalion,  and  after  the  consolidation  of  that 
battalion  with  the  Sixth  Regiment  he  con- 
tinued to  hold  that  same  rank.  On  April  29, 
1886,  he  was  advanced  to  the  office  of  major, 
and  in  1893  was  commissioned  lieutenant- 
colonel  of  the  Sixth  Regiment,  Colonel  D. 
Jack  Foster  being  first  in  command.  He 
held  that  office  for  ten  years,  and  on  August 
13.  1903,  was  commissioned  colonel  of  that 
regiment,  succeeding  Colonel  Foster,  and 
which  rank  he  still   holds. 

In  1898  Mr.  Kittilsen  was  prominently 
mentioned  as  a  possible  candidate  for  the 
office  of  sheriff  of  Rock  Island  County,  and 
there  is  no  doubt  but  that  he  would  have  been 
nominated  and  elected  to  that  office  at  that 
time,  but  it  was  then  that  the  call  to  arms 
came  to  the  Sixth  Regiment  to  take  its  stand 
and  enact  its  part  in  the  defense  of  the 
United  States  in  the  war  with  Spain  that  was 
then  upon  us.  In  Colonel  Kittilsen's  mind 
there  was  no  doubt  as  to  where  his  duty  lay, 
and   there    was   no   hesitancy   upon   his  part 


COLONEL  EDWARD  KITTILSEX. 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


53 


in  following  that  clearly  indicated  path  of 
duty  which  he  saw  before  him.  His  duty 
was  with  his  regiment,  and  no  matter  what 
self  sacrifice  upon  his  j^art  it  might  involve  he 
proposed  to  stay  with  his  regiment  and  to 
share  with  it  whatever  might  be  its  destiny 
in  the  war  with  the  foreign  power  that  had 
been  forced  upon  us.  .\nd  so,  without  an 
instant's  faltering,  he  laid  aside  an  attractive 
and  remunerative  civil  office  that  was  easily 
within  his  grasp  had  he  but  stretched  forth 
his  hand.  and.  turning  his  back  upon  that 
bright  political  future  that  seemed  just  about 
to  open  for  him,  he  marched  resolutely  away 
with  his  regiment  to  face  whatever  dangers 
it  might  be  called  upon  to  encounter.  The 
unselfishness  and  ]5atriotism  of  that  act 
proved  the  man  a  hero,  and  it  is  well  that  the 
people  of  Rock  Island  County  did  not  forget 
that    unselfishness  or   that   heroism. 

A  short  review  of  the  movements  of  the 
Sixth  Regiment  during  that  brief  but  deci- 
sive conflict  shows  that  although  but  limited 
opportunity  was  given  to  the  Sixth  to  dis- 
tinguish itself  in  active  service,  yet  when  the 
men  were  under  fire  at  the  battle  of  Guanica 
in  Porto  Rico  they  displayed  such  steadiness 
and  bravery  as  to  be  worthy  of  most  honorable 
mention. 

On  April  28,  1898,  the  Sixth  Regiment  went 
to  Springfield,  Illinois,  each  individual  com- 
pany going  directly  to  that  place  from  its  own 
home  city.  On  April  11th  of  that  same  year 
they  were  mustered  into  the  United  States 
volunteer  service,  and  together  with  other 
regiments  they  departed  for  Camp  Alger,  a 
receiving  camp  in  Virginia,  near  the  City  of 
Washington.  They  remained  in  Camp  Alger, 
where  other  regiments  from  different  states 
were  constantly  being  received,  and  here 
the  Sixth  remained  until  the  5th  of  July, 
when  they  were  ordered  to  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  to  take  transports  for  Cuba.  The 
expected  transports  were  somewhat  delayed, 
and  it  was  not  until  July  10th  that  the  Sixth 
finally  embarked.  The  Sixth  and  Seventh  were 


the  only  Illinois  regiments  sent  to  Camp  Alger, 
and  the  Sixth  was  one  of  the  first  to  arrive 
at  Cuba.  Upon  their  arrival  at  that  island 
they  were  under  orders  to  await  the  surrender 
of  Santiago,  which  was  then  being  successfully 
besieged,  and  while  awaiting  that  city's  sur- 
render the  transports  lay  in  Sibony  Bay. 
When  Santiago  fell  it  crushed  the  power  of 
Spain  in  the  Island  of  Cuba,  and  the  services  of 
the  waiting  regiments  were  not  needed  there. 
But  as  General  Miles  was  forming  an  expedition 
to  invest  Porto  Rico,  the  Sixth,  together  with 
other  regiments,  was  joined  to  his  command, 
proceeding  to  Porto  Rico  on  the  transports 
that  had  brought  them  to  Cuba.  They  were 
to  land  at  Ciuanica,  a  small  fortified  town 
which  the  Spaniards  were  holding  and  where 
they  had  stationed  a  considerable  force  of 
cavalry  and  infantry.  A  United  States  gun- 
boat advanced  and  covered  the  landing  of  the 
troops  by  a  sharp  bombardment  of  the  town, 
the  Spanish  force  retreating  to  the  nearby 
mountains.  An  extensive  picket  line  was 
thrown  out  about  the  troops  landed,  and  as 
nightfall  approached  the  Spaniards,  finding 
that  their  Mauser  rifles  possessed  greater 
range  than  the  antiquated  Springfield  rifles 
with  which  the  volunteers  were  armed,  be- 
gan an  intermittent,  but  galling  fire.  At 
last,  growing  more  bold,  they  made  a  charge 
and  came  swarming  down  from  the  mountain 
sides.  The  Sixth  Regiment,  with  the  exception 
of  a  few  companies  had  been  assigned  to  picket 
duty,  and  as  the  Spaniards  came  down  their 
progress  was  intercepted  by  a  hill  which  was 
held  by  Company  G,  of  Dixon,  Illinois.  Their 
advance  was  stopped  by  the  fire  of  this  com- 
pany, who  succeeded  in  doing  considerable 
execution  among  the  Dons.  This  was  the 
only  battle  in  which  the  Sixth  Regiment  par- 
ticipated, the  treaty  of  Paris  bringing  the 
war  to  a  close  soon  afterward.  From  Porto 
Rico  the  Sixth  embarked  for  the  north  upon 
the  transport  Manitoba,  leaving  the  port  of 
Ponce.  After  an  uneventful  voyage  of  a 
few   days   they    arrived   at    Weehawken,    off 


54 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


New  York,  and  from  there  they  took  train 
directly  to  Springfield  where  thej'  remained 
imtil  they  had  turned  in  their  arms  and 
equipment,  then  being  given  a  furlough  of 
sixty  days.  Upon  the  expiration  of  their 
furlough  the  companies  of  the  Sixth  again 
returned  to  Springfield,  remaining  there  until 
their  mustering  out.  which  occurred  on  Nov- 
ember 25,  189S.  This  ended  Colonel  Kittil- 
sen's  career  as  an  officer  in  the  United  States 
volunteer  service,  and  unless  occasion  should 
again  arise  to  demand  his  return  to  that  ser- 
vice, he  will  doubtless  devote  the  remainder 
of  his  life  to  the  gentle  arts  of  peace. 

On  the  17th  of  September.  1884,  in  Moline, 
occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Kittilsen  and 
Miss  Gorilla  Stewart,  who  had  been  born  and 
reared  in  Hamilton.  Canada.  Five  children 
have  been  born  to  them,  Myrt  le  L.,  Arthur  E 
William  \V.,  John  .\.  and  Helen  Shiloh.  all 
of  whom  are  now  at  home. 

Mr.  Kittilsen  has  alwaj's  been  a  loyal  Re- 
publican. He  is  a  member  of  Doric  Lodge, 
No.  .319,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons: 
Moline  Lodw,  No.  133-  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows;  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Select 
Knight.s  of  America.  Although  not  affiliated 
with  any  church  himself,  his  wife  is  a  member 
of  the  Baptist  Church  at  Moline,  and  to  this 
church   Mr.   Kittilsen  gives  his  support. 

Although  he  has,  at  the  time  of  the  writing 
of  this  sketch,  held  the  office  of  sheriff  of 
Rock  Island  County  scarce!}-  more  than  a 
month,  he  has  even  in  that  brief  time  demon- 
strated his  cap.ability  and  eflficiency  as  an  in- 
cumbent of  that  office,  just  as  he  did  for  twen- 
ty-three years  as  chief  of  police,  and  just  as 
he  did  as  colonel  of  the  Sixth  Regiment.  He 
is  courteous,  considerate  and  obliging.  It  is 
certain  that  he  will  be  one  of  the  best  and 
most  popular  sheriffs  the  county  has  ever 
had,  and  when  his  four  j'ears  incumbency  is 
at  an  end  he  will  leave  the  office  with  hosts 
upon  hosts  of  friends  in  addition  to  those  he 
already  has  at  the  present  time.     The  high- 


est compliment  that  can  be  paid  to  Edward 
Kittilsen  is  the  general  opinion  among  all  who 
know  him  that  he  is  a  man  who  does  his  duty 
as  he  sees  it,  and  that  he  is  upright,  fearless 
and  absolutely  sincere. 

m  ^  ^ 

GEORGE  WAGNER. 

A  MAN  whose  perseverance,  industry  and 
business  sagacity  has  been  largely  in- 
strumental in  the  establishment  of  one 
of  Rock  Island's  largest  industries  was  George 
Wagner,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Rock 
Island  Brew'ing  Company,  a  man  in  whom 
those  potential  elements  that  are  essential  in 
everj'    successful    career,    seemed    to    center. 

George  Wagner  was  born  in  ^^  urtemberg, 
Germany,  January  13,  1832.  He  died  Janu- 
ary 10,  1907,  in  Rock  Island.  In  his  boy- 
hood he  attended  the  common  schools  of  his 
native  land,  and  there  acquired  a  fair  educa- 
tion. After  leaving  school  he  was  appren- 
ticed to  a  baker,  and  in  this  apprenticeship 
he  remained  several  years  learning  his  trade. 

In  1853  Mr.  Wagner,  realizing  that  in  Amer- 
ica a  young  man  willing  and  able  to  work  co\ild 
achieve  more  than  he  could  possiblj-  hope  to 
in  the  older  countries,  left  Germany  and  came 
to  the  United  States,  locating  in  New  York. 
After  working  at  his  trade  for  two  years  in 
that  city,  he,  together  with  a  cousin,  came 
west,  settling  in  Rock  Island.  Here  the  two 
embarked  in  the  bakery  business,  which  they 
carried  on  for  two  j^ears,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  Mr.  Wagner  sold  out  his  interest  to  his 
cousin  who  continued  in  the  business.  Mr. 
Wagner  moved  to  Moline,  where  he  again 
established  a  bakery,  continviing  in  business 
for  eight  years.  During  these  j-ears  he  was 
successful,  so  successful  in  fact  that  he  felt 
justified  in  establishing  a  steam  cracker  bak- 
ery, the  first  in  this  part  of  the  country.  This 
venture  also  proved  a  successful  one  and 
brought  to  him  substantial  returns. 

In  1865,  having  prospered  in  whatever  he 
had  thus  far  undertaken,  Mr.  \^  agner  decided 


^/-^  /^^  ^f  ^^^ 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


55 


to  return  to  his  native  land,  and  with  that  end 
in  view  he  sold  out  his  business  interests  in 
Moline.  He  changed  his  plans,  however, 
and  looking  about  for  some  new  field  for  his 
activities  he  purchased  a  small  brewery  in 
Rock  Island,  owned  by  Mr.  Schmidt.  This 
business,  small  in  its  inception,  had  a  contin- 
uous and  steady  growth  until  it  liecame  one  of 
the  most  extensive  in  Illinois.  As  Mr.  Wag- 
ner's patronage  increased  he  enlarged  his 
plant  and  kept  abreast  of  the  times  by  adding 
modern  facilities  and  equipment.  For  thirty 
years  he  labored  in  building  up  and  enlarging 
the  scope  of  his  plant,  until  the  forming  of  the 
present  Rock  Island  Brewing  Company,  and 
amalgamation  of  the  brewing  plants  of  Mr. 
Wagner,  Ignatz  Huber  and  Raiblc  i^-  Stengel. 
Mr.  Wagner's  son,  Robert,  was  elected  presi- 
dent of  this  newly  formed  stock  company  and 
Otto  Huber,  a  son  of  Mr.  Ignatz  Iluber,  whose 
brewery  the  new  company  had  taken  over, 
became  secretary,  the  younger  men  thus  as- 
suming the  more  active  management  of  the 
new  enterprise. 

In  1853,  the  same  year  that  he  left  the 
fatherland  for  .\merica,  Mr.  Wagner  was 
married  to  Miss  Frederica  Epinger,  a  young 
lady  of  his  native  City  of  Wurtemberg.  To- 
gether they  severed  the  'ties  that  bound 
them  to  their  homeland,  and  bravely  set  out 
to  face  the  hardships  and  privations  that  they 
knew  they  must  encounter  in  a  new  country. 
Six  children  were  born  of  this  marriage,  three 
of  whom  are  living,  they  being  Robert,  who 
as  has  been  stated,  is  the  president  of  the 
Rock  Island  Brewing  Company,  and  who 
resides  in  Rock  Island;  Ernest,  one  of  the 
leading  business  men  of  St.  Paul.  Minnesota; 
and  George,  formerly  a  real  estate  dealer  in 
Rock  Island.  Mr.  Wagner  was  for  years  a 
member  of  the  Democratic  party,  but  in  1896, 
when  silver  was  the  paramount  issue  of  that 
party,  he  voted  for  William  McKinley,  as  he 
believed  in  the  maintenance  of  the  gold  stand- 
ard. He  was  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows 
and  also  of  the  Druids. 


For  fifty  years  George  Wagner  had  been  a 
citizen  of  Rock  Island.  He  was  one  of  those 
who  believed  in  the  future  of  the  city  he  had 
chosen  for  his  home,  and  by  his  active  and 
progressive  spirit  did  much  to  promote  its 
industrial  growth.  He  was  never  actuated 
by  any  narrow,  selfish  motives,  but  prosper- 
ing himself  he  rejoiced  in  the  prosperity  of 
others,  knowing  that  the  welfare  of  one  indi- 
vidual alone  never  fmthers  but  only  retards 
the  growth  of  a  community.  He  was  upright 
and  honorable  in  all  his  dealings  with  his  fel- 
low-men and  won  and  merited  the  esteem  of 
all  who  knew  him.  In  his  old  age  he  lived  a 
life  of  comparative  retirement  enjoying  the 
warm  regard  of  many,  who,  knowing  him  as 
he  was,  found  him  to  be  ])ossessed  of  those 
qualities  that  go  to  make  up  a  good  citizen 
and  an  honorable  man, 

m  m  m 
ROBERT  WAGNER. 

ONE  of  Rock  Island's  native  sons,  a  man 
upon  whom  devolves  to  a  large  extent 
the  management  and  control  of  a  great 
and  growing  industry,  is  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  Robert  Wagner,  president  of  the  Rock 
Island   Brewing  Company. 

He  is  the  son  of  George  Wagner,  the  story 
of  whose  life  and  rise  in  the  world  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  book,  and  Frederica  Wag- 
ner. He  was  born  in  Rock  Island,  June  15, 
1866.  During  his  boyhood  he  attended  the 
city's  public  schools  and  private  German 
schools,  fitting  himself  for  entrance  in  the 
University  of  Iowa,  at  Iowa  City.  After 
attending  this  institution,  he  entered  the 
United  States  Brewers'  Academy,  in  New 
York  City,  where  he  perfected  himself  in 
the  art  of  brewing  and  graduated  in  1887,  thus 
fitting  himself  to  take  charge  of  and  continue 
the  brewing  industry  which  his  father  had  build 
up.  Having  acquired  a  thorough  theoretical 
knowledge  of  the  subject,  he  returned  to  Rock 
Island,  and  being  desirous  of  a  practical  work- 
ing knowledge  as  well,  he  entered  his  father's 


56 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


brewery  as  foreman.  He  continued  in  this 
position  for  two  years,  mastering  ever}'  detail 
of  the  business,  and  then  entered  into  the 
business  with  his  father,  where  he  remained 
until  the  formation  of  the  Rock  Island  Brew- 
ing Company,  a  merger  of  the  brewing  indus- 
tries of  the  city.  He  was  elected  president 
of  this  new  stock  company,  and  has  held  that 
office  ever  since.  The  constant  expansion  of 
the  business  of  which  he  is  at  the  head  is 
largelj-  due  to  his  progressive  ideas  and  able 
management. 

Mr.  Wagner  was  married  on  November  15. 
1894,  to  Miss  Thekla  I.  Klug,  a  Davenport 
3'oung  lad}',  whose  father.  Otto  Khig,  was  a 
leading  business  man  of  that  city  and  who 
has  now  retired.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wagner  occu- 
py a  delightful  home  on  Twenty-third  Street 
in  Rock  Island,  their  new  residence  being  one 
of  the  handsomest  in  the  city.  Here  in  their 
charming  home  they  do  a  great  deal  of  enter- 
taining and  take  a  leading  part  in  the  social 
events  of  the  Tri-Cities. 

In  politics  Mr.  Wagner  is  a  Democrat,  em- 
bracing the  political  allegiance  of  his  father. 
He  has,  however,  never  sought  office  him- 
self. He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  and  is  a  director  of  the  Peoples  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Rock  Island,  in  which  both  he 
and  his  father  own  a  large  amount  of  stock. 

Like  his  father,  Robert  Wagner  is  an  hon- 
orable and  upright  man,  scrupulously  con- 
scientious in  every  business  and  financial 
transaction,  and  it  follows  that  he  has  that 
large  number  of  warm  friends  and  well- 
wishers  that  such  conduct  always  begets. 
He  is  a  man  of  whom  his  native  city  may  well 
be  proud. 

RUFUS  WALKER. 

RI'FUS  WALKER,  one  of  the  most  exten- 
sive fuel  dealers  in  Moline,  was  born  in 
Williamstown,  Orange  County,  Vermont, 
December  10,  1839,  his  parents  being  Rufus 
and  Susan   Walker.     Eleven   children,  seven 


boys  and  four  girls,  were  born  to  this  couple. 
The  father,  who  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade, 
died  December  22,  1839,  when  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  the  youngest  of  the  large  family, 
was  only  twelve  days  old.  The  seven  sons 
all  learned  the  same  trade  as  the  father,  that 
of  shoemaking. 

Rufus  Walker  obtained  a  common  school 
education  in  Williamstown,  and  in  November 
1860,  he  left  his  native  state  and  came  west, 
settling  in  Rock  Island  County,  where  he 
obtained  a  clerkship  in  the  general  store  of 
Ainsworth  &  Walker  at  Edgington.  He  was 
employed  in  this  store  until  July,  1864,  when 
he  purchased  the  business  and  conducted  it 
until  February,  1873,  when  he  removed  to 
Rock  Island,  and  in  company  with  C.  E. 
Dodge  purchased  the  business  of  E.  H. 
Smyth,  which  they  conducted  for  three  years 
under  the  firm  name  of  Walker  d-  Dodge.  In 
the  .spring  of  1876,  together  with  Mr.  Meigs 
Wait,  he  secured  the  right  of  way  and  about 
5^22,000  in  money  for  the  fiercer  County 
Railroad  Company,  ilr.  Walker  ran  a  gener- 
al store  furnishing  supplies  during  that  same 
year.  They  also  purchased  the  land  where 
the  village  of  Reynolds  now  stands,  and  laid 
out  that  town,  later  going  into  the  lumber 
business  there,  and  continuing  in  that  busi- 
ness until  the  winter  of  1887.  In  February, 
1882,  Mr.  Walker  moved  from  Rock  Island  to 
Reynolds.  When  the  firm  discontinued  the 
lumber  business  in  1887,  Mr.  Walker  moved 
from  Reynolds  to  Moline,  where  for  the  past 
eighteen  years  he  has  been  engaged  in  the 
coal   and  fuel  business. 

On  August  19,  LS62,  Mr.  \^■alker  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Jane  Edgington,  the  daughter  of 
John  and  Susan  Edgington  of  Buffalo  Prairie 
Township  in  this  county.  A  biographical 
sketch  of  Mr.  John  Edgington  appears  else- 
where in  this  volume.  Four  children  have 
been  born  of  this  wedlock,  they  being  John, 
deceased;  Frank  B.;  Rufus,  Jr.,  who  is  now 
in  partnership  with  his  father,  and  Susan  E. 

Mr.  Walker  is  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


57 


tional  Church  of  MoUne.  He  has  never 
affiliated  himself  with  any  fraternal  organi- 
zations. In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  but 
has  never  been  an  aspirant  for  party  office. 
The  life  of  Rufus  Walker  is  the  life  of  the 
average  plain,  unostentatious  business  man. 
He  has  been  successful  in  the  things  that  he 
has  undertaken.  He  is  a  man  highly  honor- 
able and  with  a  scrupulous  regard  for  his 
word.  He  enjoys  a  reputation  of  being  a 
business  man  of  great  ability  and  of  high 
integrity. 


JUDGE  J.  n.  GOULD. 

IN  THE  early  days  of  the  west  the  more  fa- 
vored districts  naturally  drew  to  them- 
selves the  men  of  greatest  ambition,  fore- 
sight, and  business  sagacity.  These  sought 
the  fields  that  held  out  the  most  to  them  in  the 
way  of  promise  for  the  future,  and  settling 
there,  bent  their  energies  to  laying  the  foun- 
dation of  prosperity  for  themselves  and  their 
jjosterity. 

Thus  it  is  that  Rock  Island  County  has  been 
fortunate  in  the  character  of  its  pioneers. 
They  were  not  only  of  sturdy  stock  fit  to 
endow  their  descendants  with  the  physical 
strength  to  build  up  a  great  community  but 
they  were  also  above  the  average  in  mental 
grasp  and  moral  fibre.  They  were  able  to 
discern  the  opportunities  which  the  region 
held  forth  for  agriculture,  manufacturing, 
and  commerce,  and  possessed  the  sound 
judgment,  executive  ability,  courage  and 
perseverance  to  organize  and  direct  these  to 
their  full  fruition. 

Of  this  sort  was  Hon.  John  M.  Gould,  mer- 
chant, lumberman,  banker  and  manufacturer. 
Few  men  have  had  so  large  a  share  in  the  up- 
building of  any  city  as  Judge  Gould  has  had 
in  making  Moline  what  it  is  and  rarely,  indeed, 
has  any  one  lived  to  see  the  changes  wrought  in 
any  community  that  he  has  seen  take  place 
in  this  thriving  manufacturing  center.  His 
activities  have  extended  into  many  fields  and 


in  all  of  them  he  has  left  a  permanent  impress. 
Probably  no  other  American  of  English 
descent  can  boast,  of  an  ancestry  inhabiting 
American  soil  longer  than  that  of  Judge 
Gould.  Zacheus  Gould  came  to  what  later 
became  Massachusetts  from  England  in  1634, 
fourteen  years  later  the  Pilgrim  fathers  lauded 
from  the  Mayflower  at  Plymouth,  and  our 
subject  is  of  the  eighth  generation  descending 
from  him.  The  original  home  of  Zacheus 
Gould  still  remains  in  the  hands  of  the  family. 
Amos  Gould,  grandfather  of  Judge  Gould, 
was  also  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and 
fought  for  freedom  in  the  war  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. Soon  after  the  close  of  that  conflict  he 
removed  to  New  Hampshire,  where  his  son, 
Amos,  Jr.,  father  of  Judge  Gould,  was  born. 

John  Maxficld  CJould  first  opened  his  eyes 
upon  this  world  at  Piermont,  New  Hampshire, 
February  24.  1822.  He  was  the  oldest  of  a 
family  of  ten  children.  His  mother  was  Nancy 
Bartlett,  a  native  of  the  Granite  State,  and  a 
daughter  of  Nathaniel  Bartlett,  himself  a 
soldier  in  the  Revolution.  Amos  Gould,  Jr. 
learned  the  tanner's  trade  but  subsequently 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  and  it  was  on 
the  farm  that  his  children  were  reared.  Nine 
of  the  latter  removed  to  the  west  after  they 
reached  manhood  and  womanhood,  and  six  are 
still  living.  The  parents  came  to  make  their 
home  in  Illinois  in  1S5S.  The  father  died  in 
lSfi4  and  the  mother  in  1884. 

Our  subject  availed  himself  of  such  advan- 
tages as  the  common  schools  of  that  day 
afforded,  supplementing  them  with  two  years, 
attendance  at  academies  at  Canaan  and  Lyme, 
New  Hampshire.  For  three  years  after  com- 
pleting his  studies  he  taught  school,  working 
on  his  father's  farm  in  the  summer  season. 
Then,  attracted  by  the  opportunities  the  west 
afforded,  and  without  capital  other  than  will- 
ing hands  and  a  stout  heart,  he  left  hi.s  native 
state  and  made  his  way  by  the  tedious  methods 
of  travel  of  those  days  to  Grand  Detour, 
Ogle  County,  Illinois,  a  place  that  gave 
promise    of   becoming    an    important    center- 


58 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


Here  he  found  work  in  a  general  store  and 
served  as  salesman  three  years.  Having  in 
this  time  demonstrated  his- worth  to  his  em- 
ployer he  was  admitted  to  partnership.  One 
year  later,  in  1848,  he  disposed  of  his  business 
interests  in  Grand  Detour  and  removed  to 
Moline  to  become  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Deere,  Tate  &  Gould,  the  senior  partner,  John 
Deere,  afterward  the  famous  plow  manxi- 
facturer,  having  previously  also  engaged  in 
business  in  a  small  way  at  Grand  Detour. 
Mr.  Gould  acted  as  financial  manager  of  the 
new  concern  at  Moline  for  four  j^ears,  when 
the  partnership  was  dissolved,  Mr.  Deere  be- 
coming sole  owner.  The  junior  member 
formed  a  partnership  with  Dewitt  C.  Dimoek 
for  the  manufacture  of  wooden  ware,  the  es- 
tablishment being  the  first  of  that  nature  in 
the  west.  A  site  for  a  factory  wns  leased 
from  the  government  on  the  Island  of  Rock 
Island  and  business  was  carried  on  with  great 
success  for  many  j-ears.  In  1867  at  the  re- 
quest of  the  government,  the  plant  was  re- 
moved to  the  mainland  and  a  lumber  mill 
was  erected  the  following  year,  a  stock  com- 
pany being  formed  at  this  time.  Mr.  Dim- 
oek was  chosen  president  and  Mr.  Gould  vice 
president.  The  latter  succeeded  as  head  of 
the  company  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Dimoek  in 
1886.  In  1890  the  wooden  ware  branch  was 
sold  to  a  syndicate  and  from  that  time  on 
exclusive  attentioil  was  given  to  lumbering 
and  the  manufacture  of  wooden  pails.  The 
company  owned  extensive  timber  lands  in 
Wisconsin  and  rafted  the  logs  to  Moline. 
Twice  the  plant  of  the  company  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  first  in  1856  and  again  in  1875, 
lightning  being  the  cause  in  the  second  in- 
stance. Each  time  it  was  rebuilt  on  a  larger 
scale  than  before  and  the  business  grew  with- 
out interruption. 

In  1857  Mr.  Gould,  in  company  with  D.  C. 
Dimoek  and  C.  P.  Ryder,  established  a  bank 
in  Moline  under  the  firm  name  of  Gould, 
Dimoek  &  Company.  Mr.  Gould  had  personal 
charge  of  this  institution  and  it  was  successful. 


In  1863  it  was  chartered  as  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Moline  with  a  paid  up  capital  of 
$50,000.  Mr.  Gould  was  cashier  four  years, 
when  he  was  elected  president. 

Among  the  other  institutions  in  which  Mr. 
Gould  was  actively  interested  was  the  Moline 
Water  Power  Company  which  he  helped  to 
organize  and  of  which  he  was  elected  treas- 
urer and  director.  He  was  also  a  director 
and  treasurer  in  1876  of  the  St.  Louis,  Rock 
Island  and  Chicago  Railroad  Company,  which 
is  now  the  St.  Louis  division  of  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  and  Quincy  Railroad. 

The  title  by  which  he  is  generally  known 
came  to  Mr.  Gould  through  his  election  as 
county  judge  for  a  term  shortly  after  he  came 
to  Moline.  Opposition  to  slaverj'  caused  him 
to  leave  the  Democratic  party  of  which  he  was 
a  member  in  early  life,  and  he  became  a  Re- 
publican when  that  party  was  organized. 
He  served  sixteen  years  as  member  of  the 
state  board  of  charities,  and  was  treasurer  of 
the  township  of  Moline  for  thirty-three  years, 
during  which  time  he  donated  to  the  public 
schools  the  sum  of  $2,400  in  fees  to  which  he 
was  legfilly  entitled. 

It  is  to  Judge  Gould's  public  spirit  that  Mo 
line  owes  its  first  direct  telegraph  service. 
On  his  personal  guarantee  against  loss  an 
office  was  established  there  and  the  sum  of 
$112  was  paid  upon  his  pledge  before  the 
establishment  became  self-sustaining. 

Judge  Gould  is  the  father  of  the  Moline  City 
Hospital.  He  it  was  who  drew  up  the  char- 
ter which  requires  the  city  to  levy  a  two-mill 
tax  annually  for  its  support.  He  has  also 
contributed  liberally  for  its  maintenance  from 
his  private  funds.  While  not  a  member  of 
any  church,.  Mr.  Gould  has  contributed  largely 
to  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Moline. 

Mr.  Gould  has  been  twice  married.  He 
was  united  .\ugust  1.3,  1848.  with  Miss  Alice 
Moulton,  daughter  of  AN  illiam  iloulton  of 
Randolph,  Vermont,  and  a  second  cousin  of 
Secretary  Chase  of  Ohio.  Her  death  oc- 
curred when  she  was  a  bride  of  but  a  few  weeks. 


WILLIAM   McCUNOCHIE. 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAN  D    COUNTY 


59 


At  Moline  August  9.  1850,  Mr.  Gould  married 
Miss  Hannah  M.  Dimoclc,  a  native  of  Connec- 
ticut and  a  sister  of  Dewitt  A.  Dimock,  who 
U\ter  became  Mr.  Gould's  .partner.  To  this 
union  five  children  were  horn:  .^lice  May  and 
John,  who  died  in  infancy:  Frank  W.,  of  Mo- 
line. Fred  G.,  and  Grace  Eliza,  wife  of  S.  M. 
Hill  of  Cleburne,  Texas. 

iS   35    S5 

WILLIAM  McCONOCHIE. 

A  MAN  who  both  as  a  public    official    and 
as  a  prominent  citizen  has  been  an  im- 
portant   factor    in    motilding    Rock    Is- 
land's municipal  history  is  William  McCono- 
chie. 

The  son  of  John  and  Annie  (Campbell) 
McConochie,  he  was  born  at  Gatehotise,  a 
little  village  on  the  southwest  coast  of  Scot- 
land, January  11,  1847.  His  father's  ances- 
tors had  lived  in  that  part  of  Scotland  since 
.  the  days  of  Wallace  and  Bruce.  His  mother's 
family  were  Highlanders,  and  were  of  the 
house  of  Argyle. 

The  elder  McConochies,  with  their  family, 
emigrated  to  America  in  the  spring  of  1853. 
Coming  westward  they  settled  at  Joliet, 
Illinois,  where  on  August  11th,  but  a  few 
brief  weeks  after  locating  in  their  newly 
adopted  home,  the  father  died  from  the 
effects  of  a  stmstroke,  leaving  his  wife  and 
little  ones  alone  among  a  strange  people  and 
in  a  strange  land.  On  exactly  the  same  date 
(Atigust  11th)  twenty  years  later,  his  wife 
followed  him  to  the  grave.  Both  are  interred 
at  Joliet. 

William  ^IcConochie  attended  the  public 
schools  of  Joliet  and  tho  Scotch  lad  was  an 
apt  and  proficient  ptipil.  During  the  winter 
of  lSGl-1862,  when  the  South  had  seceded 
from  the  Union,  when  both  sides  were  acti^•e 
in  their  preparation  for  the  death  struggle; 
when  the  martial  spirit  prevailed  and  pre- 
dominated above  all  else,  when  the  soimd  of 
fife  and  drum  were  heard  throughout  the 
length  and  breadth  of  the  land;  when  youth, 


rugged  manhood  and  old  age  vied  with  each 
other   in   their   efforts   to   join   those   rapidly 
swelling  ranks  that  were  so  soon  to  meet  in 
desperate    conflict,    the    fire    of    patriotism, 
fanned    into    a    fierce    blaze    by    the    stirring 
times    and    scenes,    filled    the    breast    of    our 
young   Scot    and   he   determined   to    have    a 
part  in  fighting  the  battles  of  the  country  of 
his     adoption.     But     an     apparently     insur- 
mountable difficttlty  presented  itself — he  was 
too  young.     Probably  no  one  felt  more  keenly 
than  he  the  handicap  of  youth  at  that  time, 
j'et    nothing    daunted,    he    determined    that 
willy-nilly  he  would  be  a  soldier,  and  to  such 
determination  as  his  no  barrier  could  success- 
fully   be    interposed.     He    had    saved    some 
money  by  selling  old  iron  and  rags,  and  by 
sawing  wood  for  the  neighbors,  for  in  those 
days  wood  was  the  common  fuel,  and  there 
was  plenty  of  demand  for  a  pair  of  strong 
arms  and  a  saw.     With  the  few  dollars  that 
he  had  accumulated  he  ran  away  from  home 
and  followed  some  regiments  that  were  going 
to    Cairo.    Illinois.     After   a  good    many   re- 
buffs,  he  succeeded   at  last  in  being  taken 
along  as  a  drummer  boy  in  one  of  the  com- 
panies.    His     ambition     was     attained.     He 
was  a  real  soldier  on  his  way  to  the  front. 
All  this  time  he  had  been  traveling,  and  had 
entered  his  regiment,  under  an  assumed  name 
so  that  his  mother  could  not  find  him  and 
have    him    brought     unceremoniously    back 
home.     He  soon  learned  from  stern  realiza- 
tion that  the  life  of  a  soldier  was  not  as  bright 
and  alluring  as  his  young  fancy  had  pictured 
it  in  the  beginning,  but  unflinching  and  un- 
daunted   he    struck    resolutely    to    the    self- 
imposed  life  of  hardship,  enduring  its  hard- 
ships and  privations  until  after  the  Chatta- 
nooga campaign,  when  the  regiment  to  which 
he  was  attached  came  North  with  a  lot  of 
Rebel  prisoners  who  were  to  be  taken  to  Rock 
Island  Arsenal,  where  a  Union  Military  Prison 
was  located.     But   William   McConochie  did 
not  reach  Rock  Island  that  time,  for  passing 
through   Joliet   from    Chicago    at    midnight 


60 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


the  thermometer  down  below  zero,  the  sol- 
dier lad  htingry,  cold  and  scantily  clad,  the 
spirit  of  homesickness  and  the  spirit  of  war 
had  a  little  battle  between  themselves,  and 
the  spirit  of  homesickness  conquered,  and 
the  boy  stopped  at  Joliet  to  see  his  mother. 
After  a  few  days  \-iKit  he  again  enlisted,  this 
time  with  a  Chicago  regiment  at  the  front; 
this  time,  in  his  own  name.  The  officers 
thought  him  an  unusually  bright  recruit  to 
master  the  tactics  so  quickly.  They  did  not 
know,  and  never  knew  that  the  stipposed 
recruit,  still  less  than  eighteen  years  of  age, 
was  in  fact  a  veteran  who  had  seen  two 
years  of  hard  militar}-  service,  and  had  par- 
ticipated in  some  of  the  greatest  and  most 
sanguinary  battles  in  the  sotithwest.  Mr. 
McConochie  served  as  a  soldier  until  some 
months  after  the  close  of  the  war,  always 
being  a  private. 

After  his  return  to  civil  life  in  1865,  he 
learned  the  trade  of  stone  cutting.  In  1S67 
he  crossed  the  plains,  but  soon  rettu'ned  to 
this  part  of  the  country,  living  at  Rock 
Island,  Anamosa,  Cedar  Rapids,  Nativoo, 
or  wherever  his  ^\■ork  as  a  stonecutter  might 
ake  him  in  quest  of  employment. 

In  1868  at  Rock  Island  he  married  Miss 
Isabel  Kitson,  a  young  lady  of  that  city.  Six 
children  blessed  this  union,  three  sons  and 
three  daughters.  The  oldest  son,  Captain 
John  McConochie,  died  in  1896  at  the  age  of 
twenty-seven.  The  other  two  sons.  Cap- 
tain W.  H.  McConochie  and  Robert  F. 
McConochie,  both  of  Rock  Island,  are  mem- 
bers of  the  contracting  firm  of  \Vm.  McCono- 
chie &  Sons.  The  daughters  are  Isabel, 
now  Mrs.  Hollingsworth;  Mary,  iu)w  Mrs. 
Dade,    and    Maggie    McConochie,    at    home. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  McConochie  spent 
most  of  his  time  in  Rock  Island.  In  the 
early  seventies  thei'e  was  begun  the  work  of 
improvement  at  Government  Island,  the 
plans  requiring  the  construction  of  many 
new  buildings  which  were  to  be  built  of  stone. 
This,  of  course,  required  the  services  of  stone- 


cutters,  and  here  Mr.  ^IcConochie  found  em- 
ployment. He  continued  in  that  employ- 
ment for  about  twenty  years.  There  were 
times  and  seasons  when  the  work  at  the  Ar- 
senal was  slack  and  his  services  were  not  re- 
quired. At  such  times  he  would  go  else- 
where in  search  of  work,  his  journej-s  in  quest 
of  an  oi)])ortunity  to  ply  his  trade  some- 
times carrying  him  far  down  into  the  south- 
west. 

For  several  years  past  Mr.  McConochie  has 
been  a  contractor,  and  most  of  his  time  has 
been  spent  at  home  except  the  year  1898. 
During  that  year  the  firm  of  Wm.  McCono- 
chie &  Sons  had  a  large  contract  in  Oklahoma, 
and  as  the  two  junior  members  of  the  firm, 
William  H.  and  Robert  F.  McConochie,  were 
engaged  in  the  war  w-ith  Spain,  the  former  as 
captain  of  Company  A,  of  Rock  Island,  and 
the  latter  as  sergeant  of  that  company,  the 
ftill  burden  of  supervising  and  taking  charge 
of  the  work  fell  upon  Mr.  McConochie,  and  he 
was  obliged  to  spend  most  of  that  year  upon 
the  scene  of  the  contract,  attending  to  duties 
that  would  otherwise  have  been  assumed  by 
his  sons.  William  H.  McConochie.  then 
captain  of  Company  A,  as  has  been  stated, 
succeeded  his  brother  John  in  that  office,  the 
death  of  the  latter  having  occurred  two  years 
before  the  outbreak  of  the  Spanish  War. 

But  Mr.  McConochie's  active  life  has  not 
been  devoted  exclusively  to  commercial, pur- 
suits. Upon  the  panorama  of  politics  he  has 
been  one  of  the  city's  striking  figures.  A 
staunch  Republican,  he  has  been  repeatedly 
honored  by  his  party  with  municipal  offices, 
the  only  ones  to  which  he  ever  aspired.  In 
1887  he  was  elected  alderman  from  the 
Sixth  Ward,  and  in  1889  was  for  the  first  time 
elected  mayor  of  Rock  Island.  He  was  re- 
elected in  1891.  In  1899  he  was  again  a 
candidate  for  mayor  and  was  elected.  Once 
more  in  1903  he  was  a  candidate  for  that 
office  and  was  elected,  making  eight  years 
in  all  that  he  has  served  Rock  Island  as  its 
chief  executive,   one  year   longer  than   any 


HISTORIC    ROCK-    ISLAND    COUNTY 


61 


other    individual    had    previously    held    that 
office. 

His  administrations  were  exceptionally  pros- 
perous ones  for  the  city,  and  he  was  largely 
instrumental  in  inaugurating  and  carrying  for- 
ward public  improvement  by  special  taxa- 
tion. He  laid  the  first  paving  brick  ever  put 
down  in  Rock  Island,  organized  the  paid  fire 
department,  and  was  mayor  when  the  vari- 
ous fire  stations  were  built.  He  was  a  firm 
friend  of  the  park  system  which  the  city  was 
endeavoring  to  establish  and  e.xerted  all  his 
influence  toward  aiding  in  the  improvement 
of  Spencer  and  Garnsey  Squares,  and  co- 
operating with  him  the  public-spirted  citi- 
zens of  Rock  Island  were  liberal  in  their 
contributions  of  statuarv,  fountains  and  or- 
naments for  the  beautification  of  these  bright 
oases  in  the  districts  of  factories  and  business 
houses.  He  extended  Rock  Island's  sewer 
and  water-main  systems,  and  aided  in  the 
building  of  the  electric  street  railway  system, 
which  has  done  much  to  change  Rock  Island 
from  a  village  to  a  metropolis.  He  rebuilt 
the  reservoir  system,  and  constantly  urged 
the  erection  of  a  public  library  building  at  a 
time  when  the  city's  public  library  was 
housed  in  rented  quarters.  Although  the 
librar\-  was  not  built  during  his  administra- 
tion, 3'et  when  the  contract  was  finally 
awarded  his  firm  were  the  successful  bidders, 
so  that  he  had  an  active  part  in  the  erection 
of  an  edifice  of  which  the  city  may  well  be 
proud.  The  building  of  the  two  new  iron 
and  steel  bridges  which  span  Rock  River  and 
connect  Rock  Island  with  that  part  of  the 
county  lying  south  of  the  city  was  done  under 
his  administration,  and  thus  the  inducement 
was  laid  for  interu.rban  service  to  seek  en- 
trance into  Rock  Island. 

Although  a  firm  Republican  and  stead- 
fast in  loyalty  to  his  party,  Mr.  McConochie 
has  never  been  animated  by  any  controver- 
sial spirit  that  would  antagonize  t'hose  of 
opposite  political  belief.  Consequently,  he 
has   hosts    of   warm   friends    and   supporters 


among  his  political  opponents,  and  their 
votes  have  been  freely  given  him  whenever  he 
has  been  a  candidate  for  office. 

Mr.  McConochie  is  a  member  of  the  First 
Methodist  Episcopal  Chiu'ch  of  Rock  Island 
and  has  been  a  member  of  the  official  board 
of  that  church  for  ten  years.  He  is  also  one 
of  the  trustees.  In  his  fraternal  affiliations 
he  is  a  member  of  Trio  Lodge  No.  57,  Ancient 
Fee  and  Accepted  Masons, and  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  that  lodge  for  more  than  thirty-five 
years,  and  a  member  of  Barrett  Chapter 
almost  as  long.  For  nearly  thirty  years  he 
has  been  a  member  of  Rock  Island  Command- 
er}' of  Knights  Templar.  He  is  a  member  of 
no  other  societies  with  the  exception  of  the 
two  military  organizations.  ,Iohn  Buford  Post, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  Shiloh  Com- 
mand, Union  Veterans'  Union. 

Such  is  the  life  history  of  William  I\IcCon- 
ochie,  a  man  possessed  of  great  executive 
al)ility  and  keen  business  and  financial  fore- 
sight. Through  hard  work  and  diligent  appli- 
cation to  his  business  he  has  acquired  a  mod- 
est fortune,  and  that  fort\me  is  an  honest  one. 
Kindly  in  disposition,  gentle  in  speech,  yet 
unswerving  in  purpose  he  commands  at  once 
the  admiration  and  respect  of  those  who 
know  him.  As  mayor  of  Rock  Island  he  held 
the  reins  of  government  in  a  firm  grasp,  but 
he  ruled  more  through  persuasion  and  argu- 
ment than  through  the  assumption  of  mere 
arbitrary  power.  Conscientious  in  his  deal- 
ings with  the  world,  upright  and  honorable 
in  every  relation  in  life,  he  is  one  of  Rock 
Island's    best    citizens. 

m  n  '^ 
MORRIS  GEISMAR. 

K/[ ORRIS  GEISMAR  was  born  April  7, 
I  I  1S6S,  at  Freiburg,  Baden,  Germany, 
his  parents  being  Nathan  and  Freder- 
ika  Geismar.  In  1885  he  came  to  America 
and  immediately  located  in  Rock  Island, 
which  city  has  ever  since  been  his  home.  In 
1886   he  entered  the  employ   of  the   Moline 


62 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


Wagon  Company,  taking  a  position  in  the 
collection  department  of  that  concern.  Ten 
years  later  he  was  elected  secretary'  and 
treasurer  of  that  company,  a  position  which 
he  now  holds.  As  a  part  of  his  duties  Mr. 
Geismar  has  assumed  what  may  be  called 
the  publicity  dc]iartment  of  the  Moline 
Wagon  Company.  Hy  systems  of  judicioiis 
and  well  selected  advertising  he  keeps  the 
name  and  the  virtues  of  the  Moline  wagon 
prominently  before  the  eyes  of  the  entire 
world's  farming  interests,  these  advertise- 
ments appearing  in  many  languages  and  in 
many  lands. 

Mr.  Geismar  was  married  June  26,  1905,  to 
Miss  Carrie  Goldsmith,  a  yoimg  lady  born 
and  reared  in  Rock  Island.  They  have  one 
child,  a  son,  Nathaniel  E.  Geismar. 

In  politics  Mr.  Geismar  is  a  Republican, 
and  although  he  has  never  been  a  candidate 
for  office,  yet  he  has  been  repeatedly  selected 
as  a  delegate  at  different  conventions  of  his 
party. 

Mr.  Geismar  and  his  wife  occupy  a  promi- 
nent place  in  the  social  life  of  the  Tri-Cities. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Moline  Lodge  of  Elks, 
and  belongs  to  both  the  Rock  Island  and  the 
Moline  Clubs. 

His  conscientious  devotion  to  the  duties 
entrusted  to  him  has  resulted  in  his  steady 
promotion,  until  he  now  holds  an  enviable 
position  in  one  of  Moline's  greatest  indus- 
tries. 

jiK     jj!l     5>J 

JOHN  W.  POTTER.. 

NEWSPAPER  work  is  essentially  transi- 
tory in  its  nature.  The  newspai)er 
article  that  may  be  read  with  the  most 
absorbing  interest  today  by  thousands  is 
tomorrow  forgotten  by  the  eager  public  as  it  is 
then  no  longer  "news"  and  some  more  recent 
event  has  occurred  upon  which  public  atten- 
tion is  centered  for  a  few  brief  hom-s.  Conse- 
quently the  newspaper  article  possesses  none 
of  the  stability  of  other  literary  effort.     Rare- 


ly is  it  kept  for  general  reference  except  in  the 
files  of  the  newspaper  office  itself.  It  is  read, 
makes  more  or  less  of  an  impression  for  a 
time  and  is  superseded  by  the  next  day's 
issue  and  tossed  aside.  To  make  a  permanent 
impression  upon  this  particularly  kaleido- 
scopic field  of  the  world's  work  requires 
something  more  than  mere  talent;  it  requires 
absolute  genius,  and  the  fact  that  a  publisher 
and  editor  can  make  a  deep  and  lasting 
imprint  upon  the  public  conscience — an  im- 
print that  remains  unobliterated  for  years 
after  his  decease  shows  him  to  have  possessed 
that  genius.  Such  a  man  was  John  W.  Potter 
deceased,  for  years  publisher  and  editor  of 
the  Rock  Island  Argus. 

He  was  born  August  17,  1S61,  at  Skibbereen, 
County  Cork,  Ireland,  his  parents  being  John 
W.  and  Josephine  (Ryan)  Potter.  That  in 
his  early  youth  he  should  enter  the  newspaper 
field  seemed  only  natural  as  his  environment 
tended  strongly  in  that  direction,  both  his 
father  and  grandfather  (whose  given  names 
were  also  John  W.)  were  successful  in  that 
profession  until  the  day  of  their  death. 

John  W.  Potter,  Sr.,  the  father  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  came  to  America  in 
the  year  1853,  settling  in  Buffalo,  New  York- 
Here  in  1856  occurred  his  marriage  to  Miss 
Josephine  Ryan,  a  young  lady  born  and 
reared  in  that  city.  Soon  after  his  marriage 
he  returned  to  Ireland  with  his  young  wife 
and  there  our  subject  was  born,  as  has  been 
stated,,  in  1861.  The  Potters  continued  to 
make  their  home  in  Ireland  until  1865,  when 
the  father  again  returned  to  America,  bring- 
ing his  family  with  him.  For  a  short  time 
he  again  made  his  home  in  Buffalo,  and  then 
went  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  Four  years 
later  he  removed  to  Bolivar,  inthe  same  state, 
where  he  established  and  published  for  several 
years  a  newspaper  known  as  the  Bolivar 
Herald.  Visiting  Freeport,  Illinois,  he  dis- 
posed of  his  newspaper  plant  at  Bolivar,  and 
afterward  made  tlie  former  city  his  home. 
In  Freeport  he  purchased  an  interest  in  the 


J     W     PUTTKR 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


63 


Freeport  Bulletin,  and  later  became  its  sole  • 
owner.     In    1882    he    purchased    the     Rock 
Island  Argus  from  Richardson  and    Powers, 
then   its   proprietors.     Under   their   manage- 
ment  the   paper   had   not    been    particularly 
successful.     After  his  purchase  of  the  Argus 
he  placed  his  son,  John  W.,  Jr.   in   control   as 
managing   editor,    he    ha^•ing    prior    to    that 
time   resided    with    his   parents   in   Freeport. 
Upon  the  death  of  his  father,  which  occurred 
at  Freeport  in  1885,  John  W.,  the  son,  was 
left    sole    proprietor    of    the    Argus.     He    re- 
mained   its   proprietor    and    editor    until    his 
death,,  which-  occurred    January    11,    1898. 
When  he  took  charge  of  the  Argus,  he  brought 
to  it  the  enthusiasm  of  young  manhood,  tem- 
pered by  experience.     He  set  for  himself  and 
for  his  paper  a  high  standard  and  that  stand- 
ard   was    maintained     throughout     his     life- 
The   Argus   was   a   Democratic  party   organ, 
and   as   its   editor    Mr.    Potter    accomplished 
more  for  his  party  diiring  the  seventeen  years 
that  he  edited  the  paper  than  any  other  Demo- 
cratic newspaper  between  Omaha  and  Chicago. 
March    5,    1889,    occurred   the   nuptials   of 
John  W.  Potter  and  Miss  Minnie  E.  Abbott, 
daughter   of   the   late    Mr.    and    Mrs.    Fisher 
Abbott,    one   of   the   best    known    and    most 
highly    respected    families    in    Rock    Island, 
Their    married    life    together    was     a     most 
happy  one.  and  to  them  three  children  were 
born,  a  daughter.  Marguerite,  and  two  sons, 
John  W.  and  Ben  H.     He  is  sm'vived  by  his 
wife    and    children.     One    brother.    Osier    F. 
Potter,    resides    at    Freeport,    and    a    sister. 
Marian  E.  Potter,  in  Minneapulis. 

Mr.  Potter  during  his  lifetime  was  a  mem- 
ber of  St.  Paul  Lodge,  No.  107,  Knights  of 
Pythias,  and  of  C.  W.  Hawes  Camp,  No.  1550, 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  He  was  a 
most  delightful  man  to  meet  socially;  a  most 
genial  and  polished  gentleman. 

In  1893  Mr.  Potter  was  appointed  postmas- 
ter of  Rock  Island  by  President  Cleveland, 
and  it  was  during  his  tenure  of  the  office  that 
the  present  postoffice  was  erected  upon  the 


site  at  the  corner  of  Sixteenth  Street  and 
Second  Avenue,  and  the  office  removed  to  its 
new  location.  In  the  year  1890  when  Ben  T- 
Cable  was  nominated  and  elected  as  Congress- 
man from  this  congressional  district,  Mr. 
Potter  was  chairman  of  the  Democratic  Con- 
gressional Committee.  In  politics  Mr.  Potter 
was  keen  and  far-sighted. 

In  conclusion  it  may  be  truthfully  said  of 
John  W\  Potter  that  he  was  a  splendid  type 
of  manhood,  a  man  of  keen  natvu-e,  broad 
mind  and  liberal  in  his  dealings  with  his  fel- 
low-men; a  man  generous  of .  impulse  and  a 
doer  of  kindly  nets;  a  man  of  strong  will  and 
tenacious  of  purpose,  yet  always  open  to  con- 
viction. His  death  was  a  permanent  loss  to 
the  community  in  which  he  lived  and  toiled 
and  to  the  newspaper  which  through  his 
efforts  became  a  power  throughout  Rock 
Island  Count}\ 

5g    Jg    S§ 

J.  SILAS  LEAS. 

ONE  of  the  old  and  respected  citizen 
of  Rock  Island  County,  a  man  who 
stands  high  in  the  estimation  of  all  who 
know  him,  is  J.  Silas  Leas,  who  although  now 
spending  the  closing  years  of  his  life  in  re- 
tirement, was  at  one  time  engaged  in  some  of 
Rock  Island  County's  principal  manufacturies. 
He  was  born  October  31,  1830,  in  Cumber- 
land County,  Pennsylvania,  his  parents  being 
Christian  H.  and  Julia  Ann  (Brandt)  Leas- 
both  of  whom  were  also  natives  of  that  state. 
His  mother  died  when  the  subject  of  our 
sketch  was  but  two  years  of  age.  In  his  early 
boyhood  Mr.  Leas  attended  the  public  schools 
of  his  home  county  and  also  the  private  acad- 
emjr  of  Professor  Burns.  LTpon  the  comple- 
tion of  his  course  in  the  academy  Mr.  Leas 
entered  the  employ  of  his  father  who  was  a 
merchant,  and  served  as  his  clerk  for  a  num- 
ber of  years. 

In  1850  the  family  decided  to  come  west, 
and  on  the  2d  day  of  May  in  that  year  they 
arrived    in    Rock    Island,    their    new    home- 


64 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


Here  the  father  again  opened  a  general  mer- 
chandise business,  and  his  son  was  again  for  a 
short  time  employed  as  his  clerk.  Later  he 
was  taken  into  partnership,  the  firm  name 
being-  C.  H.  Leas  &  Son.  In  1854  this  firm 
built  the  first  flour  mill  in  Rock  Island,  and 
later  disposed  of  their  store  in  order  to  devote 
all   their   attention   to   the    milling   business. 

In  1861  they  disposed  of  the  mill,  and  the 
subject  of  our  sketch  purchased  an  interest  in 
the  manufacturing  firm  of  Wj-cofT  &  Barnard 
of  Moline,  a  firm  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
mill  machinery..  The  firm  name  was  changed 
from  Wj'cofT  &  Barnjjrd  to  Wycoff,  Barnard 
&  Company  and  then  changed  to  Barnard 
&  Leas  ^lanufacturing  Company  and  incorpo- 
rated under  the  same  name.  For  nineteen 
years  Mr.  Leas  traveled  for  his  firm  and  after 
that  time  he  devoted  his  special  attention  to 
the  securing  of  patents  on  his  partner's  inven- 
tions. The  business  prospered,  and  from  a 
small  beginning  the  plant  was  enlarged  until 
today  it  is  one  of  Moline's  chief  industries. 
In  1898  Mr.  Leas  sold  his  stock  in  the  concern 
to  Charles  A.  Barnard,  and  since  that  time, 
as  has  been  said,  he  has  lived  a  life  of  retire- 
ment. In  addition  to  his  interest  in  this  firm 
Mr.  Leas  was  also  for  a  number  of  years  one 
of  the  directors  of  the  Moline  National  Bank. 

On  Jtme  29,  1903,  Mr.  Leas  was  married  to 
Mrs.  Emily  Francis  (Hersey')  Lambert,  the 
daughter  of  Elijah  and  Emiline  Hersey,  who 
lived  in  Rock  Island  for  many  years.  Their 
happ3'  married  life  was  of  short  duration,  ilrs. 
Leas  dying  on  Janiuiry  29,  1907. 

Mr.  Leas  has  always  been  a  Republican, 
and  in  the  early  days  of  Rock  Island  he  served 
two  terms  as  assessor,  being  elected  upon  the 
Republican  ticket. 

He  has  since  his  majority  been  prominently 
connected  with  the  Masons,  being  a  member 
of  Trio  Lodge  n'hich  he  joined  when  twenty- 
one  years  of  age.  Later  when  Rock  Island 
Lodge  was  formed  he  was  one  of  the  charter 
members,  and  served  three  terms  as  ma-ster. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  Barrett  Chapter,  No- 


IS,  Rock  Island  Council,  No.  20,  and  of  Rock 
Island  Commandery,  of  which  latter  organiza- 
tion he  is  past  emminent   commander. 

During  Mr.  Leas'  lifetime  he  has  accumu- 
lated considerable  Rock  Island  real  estate > 
the  rise  in  value  of  which  has  brought  him 
handsome  profits. 

In  his  long  and  active  business  career  he  had 
a  reputation  of  highest  integrity  and  of  busi- 
ness ability,  a  man  of  extraordinary  foresight 
in  placing  investments  and  a  good  and  public 
spirited  citizen  of  Rock  IslancL 
m  ^  ^ 

DAVID  HA¥ES. 

D.W'ID  HAWES.  the  subject  of  this  biog- 
raph}',  father  of  Major  Chas.  W.  and  Frank 
B.  Hawes,  was  born  in  Belchertown,  ilass- 
achusetts,  October  19,  1809,  and  died  in  Rock 
Island,  Illinois,  April  20,  1900,  aged  ninety 
years  six  months  and  one  day.  In  all  that 
makes  for  good  citizenship,  it  may  be  truly 
said  that  David  Hawes  was  a  model.  He 
was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Rock  Island. 
His  grandfather,  John  Hawes,  was  a  Revolu- 
tionary soldier,  fighting  with  the  American 
patriots  at  Lexin,2:ton  and  Bunker  Hill,  and 
later  participating  in  the  capture  of  Ticonder- 
oga,  being  wounded  in  this  latter  engagement. 
David  Hawes  resided  in  ^lassachusetts  un- 
til 1835,  when,  in  company  with  Lemuel  An- 
drews, his  brother-in-law,  he  set  his  face  west- 
ward. He  reached  St.  Louis  a  month  later, 
and  in  October  of  1835,  arrived  in  Rock  Island- 
Rock  Island,  at  the  time  of  his  arrival  here, 
was  a  trading  post  for  the  Sac  and  Fox 
Indians.  There  were  but  ten  houses  in  the 
village  inhabited  by  white  men.  In  Decem- 
ber of  1835,  Mr.  Hawes  returned  to  St.  Louis, 
overland,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Andrews- 
They  followed  the  old  Indian  or  "Cow"  trail- 
Thc  trip  was  one  filled  with  hardships.  Lost 
in  a  blizzard,  Mr.  Andrews  almost  succumbed 
and  Mr.  Hawes  struggled  through  the  storm 
to  the  nearest  settlement.  Mr.  Andrews  was 
rescued  in  the  nick  of  time. 


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HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     CO  U  N  T  Y 


65 


In  January  of  1S36.  .Mr.  Hawe.s  rctiu-ned 
to  Massachusetts  from  St.  Louis,  and  returned 
to  Illinois,  accompanied  1\v  his  wife,  who  was 
Miss  Julia  M.  Babcock,  of  Ware,  Massa- 
chusetts, locating  at  Naples.  He  engaged  in 
the  hotel  business  at  that  point  for  a  short 
time,  but  in  vSeptember,  1857,  again  located 
in  Rock  Island.  Vqy  a  time  he  conducted 
the  old  Rock  Island  House.  On  September 
15,  1870,  Mrs.  Hawes  passed  away.  Two 
years  later  Mr.  Hawes  was  united  in  wedlock 
to  Mrs.  Susan  B.  Arnold,  who  siu'vives. 

Always  of  a  devout  turn  of  mind,  due,  no 
doubt  to  his  Puritan  ancestry,  it  was  not 
mitil  1850  that  Jlr.  Hawes  united  with  the 
Baptist  Church  of  Rock  Island.  On  March 
27th  of  that  same  year  he  was  elected  a 
deacon,  and  remained  a  member  of  that 
church  and  an  ordained  deacon  to  the  day  of 
his  death.  His  conspicuous  Christian  life, 
indeed,  won  the  distinction  of  ordination. 
It  is  stated  that  he  was  the  only  deacon  ever 
ordained  by  the  Baptist  Church  in  Rock 
Island. 

From  the  date  of  his  location  here,  Mr. 
Hawes  took  a  leading  and  active  part  in 
every  movement  designed  for  the  growth 
and  betterment  of  Rock  Island.  He  was 
instrumental  in  the  construction  of  the  first 
sewer  in  Rock  Island.  He  served  the  city 
as  aldernum  and  later  as  acting  mayor,  and 
in  1860-1862  was  sheriff  of  Rock  Island 
County.  He  also  held  the  office  of  United 
States  Ganger  at  this  point  for  a  number  of 
years,  held  the  office  of  coroner  for  twelve 
years,  and  for  many  years  prior  to  and  at 
the  time  of  his  death  was  a  justice  of  the 
peace. 

At  the  time  of  his  decease,  in  1900,  besides 
being  the  oldest  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  he  was  a  member  of  the  Old  Settlers' 
Association,  with  which  he  affiliated  as  a 
charter  member,  and  had  held  continuous 
membership  in  the  Independen-t  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  joining  in  1848.  His  funeral 
attested  the  love  and  esteem  in  which  he  was 


held  by  the  peo]jle  of  Rock  Island  generally. 
The  services  were  held  at  the  First  Baptist 
Church,  the  ceremony  being  conducted  by 
the  pastor,  Reverend  G.  B.  Simons,  assisted 
by  Reverend  H.  C.  Leland,  pastor  of  the 
Orion  Ba]itist  Church.  Rock  Island  Lodge 
No.  IS,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
conducted  the  services  at  the  grave. 

David  Hawes  was  an  earnest  Christian,  a 
conscientious  public  servant,  devoted  to  his 
family  and  ardent  in  his  patriotism.  He 
li\ed  the  ])erfect  Christian  life. 

!g    JK    !^ 

JAMES  FRANKLIN  ROBINSON. 

A  MAN  of  prominence  and  wealth,  yet 
unspoiled  liy  his  position  and  pros- 
perity; a  man  whose  life  was  filled 
with  kindly  thoughts  and  generous  deeds; 
a  man  of  sterling  integrity,  who  typified  in 
his  everyday  life  the  highest  type  of  Christian 
character,  was  James  Franklin  Robinson,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch. 

He  was  born  in  Rock  Island  County  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1849,  and  died  May  23,  1902,  at 
his  home  in  the  city  of  Rock  Island.  He 
was  the  son  of  those  well  known  Rock  Island 
County  pioneers,  a  sketch  of  whose  lives  is 
written  elsewhere  in  this  book.  Captain  and 
Mrs.  Thomas  J.  Robinson. 

As  a  boy,  Frank  Robinson,  as  he  was 
known  throughout  his  life  in  Rock  Island, 
was  of  a  thoughtful  and  studious  bent  of 
mind,  and  of  a  deeply  religious  nature. 
Unlike  many  other  sons  of  wealthy  parents, 
he  had  no  inclination  toward  frivolity  and 
dissipation.  His  early  education  was  re- 
ceived in  the  jnililic  schools  and  later  he 
entered  an  academy  and  prepared  himself 
for  entrance  to  Northwestern  University, 
where  he  later  graduated  in  the  classical 
course. 

Upon  the  conijiletion  of  his  collegiate 
studies  Mr.  Robinson  returned  home  and 
entered  the  bank  which  his  father  had  estab- 
lished,   holding    the    responsible    position    of 


66 


11 1  ST  U  Rl  C     H  O  C  K     J  .S  L  A  N  D     COUNT  Y 


cashier,  a  position  which  he  held  to  tlie  date 
of  his  father's  death,  April  12.  1S99 — a  period 
of  twenty-five  years.  I'lion  the  death  of 
Captain  Robinson,  his  son  succeeded  him  as 
President  of  the  hank,  and  was  also  made 
President  of  the  Central  Trust  and  Savings 
Bank  of  Rock  Island,  closel}-  allied  to  the 
Rock  Island  National  Bank.  Mr.  Robinson 
was  a  tireless  and  indefatigable  worker.  He 
gave  the  most  profound  attention  to  every 
duty,  bringing  to  each  task  the  utmost  pre- 
cision and  accuracy. 

On  October  29.  1S79.  occurred  the  marriage 
of  ilr.  Robinson  and  Miss  Mary  Roades.  a 
yoimg  lady  of  Pekin,  Illinois.  Of  this 
marriage  two  daughters  were  born.  l)oth  of 
whom  died  in  infancy.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Robinson  were  members  of  the  Methoilist 
Chiu-ch.  the  church  with  which  Mr.  Robin- 
son's father  and  mother  had  been  affiliated 
throughout  their  lives,  and  in  fact  which  they 
were  instrumental  in  establishing  in  Hock 
Island.  Jlr.  Robinson  and  his  accomplished 
wife  lived  unostentatious  lives.  Their  gener- 
osity was  not  confined  to  public  benefactions, 
but  in  many  instances  their  presence  in  the 
sick  room  of  someone  less  fortunate  than 
them.selves,  their  active  assistance  in  the 
relief  of  suffering  and  want,  has  been  sjioken 
of  by  others,  although  they  themselves  never 
alluded  to  these  incidents.  Mr.  Hobinson 
was  a  num  of  fine  apj^reciation;  of  cultivated 
literary  tastes,  a  lover  of  home  and  of  home 
life.  Jlrs.  Robinson  is  a  singularly  accomp- 
lished woman,  a  musician  of  great  talent. 
Their  married  life  was  ideal.  Each  was  a 
most  fitting  companion  for  the  other.  Their 
tastes  were  similar,  and  their  am])le  fortune 
enabled  them  to  enjoy  the  best  in  travel, 
music,  literature  aiui  art. 

In  addition  to  the  many  secret  lienefactions 
of  Mr.  Robinson  during  his  lifetime,  he  was 
generous  in  his  aid  to  educational  institutions. 
To  the  American  University  at  Washington, 
D.  C,  he  gave  S25,()()():  to  Denver  University, 
Denver,  Colo..  $10, ()()() :  to  Augustaua   College 


of  this  city.  So, (MM):  and  to  McKendree  Col- 
lege,  Lebanon,  111..  .So. (MM). 

The  real  magnanimity  of  the  man  is  fully 
shown  by  the  provisions  of  his  will,  an  instru- 
ment dis]K)sing  of  his  entire  fortune  of  several 
hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  distributing 
it  amongst  church  and  educational  institu- 
tions. This  will  was  made  after  the  fullest 
conference  with  his  wife,  who  gave  its  every 
jirovision  her  heartiest  approval,  and  who 
h*is  not  only  cheerfully  and  devotedly  given 
her  liest  energies  toward  carrying  out  its  pro- 
visions, but  who  has  actually  increased  and 
added  to  the  fund  to  be  distributed.  By  the 
provisions  of  this  will  his  wife,  during  her 
lifetime,  is  to  enjoy  the  income  from  the 
entire  fortune  and  afterward  the  followina; 
objects  are  named  as  l.ieneficiaries: 

The  family  homestead,  a  magnificent  estate 
occupying  an  entire  block  in  the  best  resi- 
dence district  in  Rock  Island,  is  to  be  dedi- 
cated to  the  uses  of  a  Deaconess  Home  and 
Oriihanage,  to  be  held  in  trust  by  the  First 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Rock  Island. 

Mr.  Robinson  always  felt  the  most  lively 
interest  in  the  growth  and  welfare  of  religious 
and  educational  institutions.  During  his  life- 
time he  was  a  liberal  contributor  to  these 
institutions  which  he  felt  were  so  essential  in 
the  ])rogress  and  development  of  Christian 
civilization,  and  at  his  death  he  left  practi- 
cally his  entire  fortune  to  their  furtherance 
and  upbuilding. 

In  a  former  paragraph  the  fact  of  Mr. 
Robinson's  gift  of  So, (MM)  to  McKendree 
College  was  mentioned.  This  gift  has  recently 
been  supplemented  l)y  Mrs.  Robinson,  who 
from  her  own  income,  has  given  another 
So, 000  to  the  same  college,  thus  enabling  that 
institution  to  close  an  offer  whereby  it  secured 
a  permanent  endowment  fund  of  $100,000. 

Mr.  Robinson's  last  illness  was  a  lingering 
one,  which  baffled  medical  skill.  His  death 
brought  to  an  untimely  close  a  full  and  active 
life,  that  was  ]iroving  a  blessing  to  humanity. 
Throughout  the  city  there  were  nuuiy.  many 


The  Lcw-13  fc; 


HISTORIC    ROC  K    ISLAND     COUNTY 


67 


expres.sidiis  of  fjrief,  ami  of  personal  loss  to 
those  who  had  known  him,  and  it  was  the 
general  sentiment  that  a  good  man  had  gone 
to  his  reward. 

m  <^  m 
CAPTAIN  THOMAS  J.  ROBINSON. 

Till]  municipal  history  of  Rock  Lsland 
contains  some  illustrious  names.  It  is 
a  city  that  has  been  slow  in  attaining 
its  present  proportions,  but  its  growth  has 
been  steady  and  constant.  To  those  hardy 
and  adventurous  men  who  in  an  early  day 
saw  Rock  Island's  possibilities  and  expended 
strength,  time  and  money  in  laboring  to 
build  up  what  was  then  a  mere  handful  of 
people  gathered  together,  great  credit  must 
be  given.  They  had  faith  in  Rock  Island's 
future.  They  labored  to  make  that  future  a 
reality,  and  in  their  hihors  they  were  suc- 
cessful. 

One  of  those  men  who  had  a  most  jiromi- 
nent  part  in  the  develo]iment  of  Rock  Island, 
and  who  in  his  long  and  hapjiy  lifetime  saw 
the  city  grow  from  a  small  hamlet  to  a  thriv- 
ing municipality,  and  who  ciudd  well  feel  that 
his  faith  in  that  city  he  had  chosen  as  his 
home  had  not  been  misplaced,  was  Captain 
Thomas  J.  Robinson, 

He  was  born  in  Appleton,  Maine,  July  28, 
1818.  His  father  was  of  English,  and  hi.s 
mother  of  German  extraction,  though  both 
were  natives  of  the  State  of  Maine.  The 
early  youth  of  their  son  was  spent  on  the 
parental  farm.  Farm  life,  however,  proved 
most  uncongenial  to  the  lad,  and  he  decided 
to  abandon  it  at  the  earliest  opportunity. 
While  still  a  mere  boy  he  learned  the  cooper's 
trade,  and  by  this  means  he  earned  sufficient 
money  to  complete  a  course  of  study  at  Kents 
Hill  Academy,  and  upon  the  completion  of 
his  course  he  began  teaching  school  in  his 
home  neighborhood. 

In  1838  he  came  to  Illinois.  The  journey 
was  a  long  and  tedious  one,  recjuiring  more 
than  thirty  days  for  its  completion,     Upon 


his  arrival  in  this  State  he  first  settled  at 
White  Hall,  where  he  secured  a  school  and 
taught  for  three  years. 

During  this  time  he  was  ajjpointed  assessor 
for  Greene  County  by  Governor  Carlin.  He 
entered  ujion  this  work  with  the  same 
thoroughness  that  characterized  his  every  act 
throughout  his  life,  and  made  the  first  perfect 
list  of  property  that  Greene  County  had  ever 
had.  Upon  his  journey  to  Illinois  the  young 
man  had  discovered  that  the  subject  of  water 
transportation  was  a  most  important  one, 
and  that  it  was  destined  to  take  a  leading 
part  in  the  development  of  the  new  country. 
He  engaged  as  clerk  on  a  Mississi])])!  packet 
jilying  lietween  New  Orleans  and  Memphis, 
and  for  two  seasons  he  continued  in  this  posi- 
tion. Upon  a!)andoning  this  work  he  made 
a  visit  to  his  home  in  Maine  where  he  re- 
mained for  a  year. 

But  Thomas  .1.  Roliinson  knew  that  the 
west  was  the  land  of  ])romise  for  a  yoimg  man, 
aiul  at  the  expiration  of  the  year  spent  at 
his  home  he  again  returned  to  Whitehall, 
coming  by  way  of  Chicago.  The  city  was 
tlien  in  its  infancy,  and  Captain  Robins'}!!  in 
his  later  years  related  that  for  $.50  he  could 
have  bought  the  plat  of  groimd  at  the  corner 
of  Jackson  and  Clark  Streets,  now  occupied 
liy  the  Grand  Pacific  Hotel.  Upon  his  return 
to  White  Hall  he  again  resumed  his  post  as  a 
school  teacher,  and  continued  in  that  voca- 
tion for  another  two  years.  Then  he  secured 
a  position  as  a  deputy  in  the  Treastu-er's  and 
County  Clerk's  office,  and  in  this  position  he 
remained  four  years. 

On  January  15,  1846,  occurred  the  marriage 
of  Thomas  J.  Robinson  and  Miss  Amy  Ann 
Henderson,  a  young  lady  of  White  Hall. 
Together  with  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Perry 
Henderson,  he  purchased  a  farm  in  Rock 
Island  County,  near  Hillsdale,  where  he  re- 
nuuned  for  three  years.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  he  sold  his  interest  in  the  farm,  and 
formed  a  parternership  with  Temple,  Dicker- 
son  and  Company,  with  whom  for  a  period  of 


68 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAXD     COUNTY 


five  years  he  was  engaged  in  tlie  mercantile 
and  milling  business  at  Port  Byron. 

As  has  been  said  in  the  opening  of  this 
sketch,  Captain  Roi)ins(iii  was  one  of  those 
who  saw  and  had  faith  in  the  futvu'e  of  Rock 
Island,  and  in  1853,  upon  the  dissolution  of 
the  partnership  above  referred  to,  he  removed 
to  this  city  and  purchased  of  Judge  John  W. 
Spencer  a  partnership  interest  in  the  Rock- 
Island-Daven;)ort  ferry.  He  at  once  assumed 
control  of  the  active  management  of  this 
enterprise  and  his  progressive  nature  imme- 
diately put  into  effect  manj^  improvements, 
the  principal  of  which  was  the  substitution  of 
steam  for  the  horse  as  a  means  of  motive 
power.  He  also  added  a  second  boat  to  the 
Company's  equipment,  thus  greatly  facilitat- 
ing and  expediting  business,  to  such  a  degree 
that  Rock  Island  became  one  of  most  noted, 
as  well  as  one  of  the  most  profitable  trans- 
river  locations  on  the  U])per  iMississi]i]ii. 

During  his  entire  lifetime  Captain  Robinson 
was  one  of  the  most  pow^erful  factors  in  pro- 
moting the  interests  of  tl'.e  city,  and  always 
maintained  that  it,  together  with  Moline  and 
Davenport,  would  eventually  become  the 
leading  manufacturing  center  of  the  west. 
He  was  one  of  t'  e  most  prominent  figures  in 
R(.ck  Island's  industrial  progress,  and  was  a 
pnjmcter  cf  manj'  new  manufacturing  enter- 
prises. He  was  one  of  tlie  organizers  of  tlie 
Rock  I.'^land  (!lass  Com])any.  tl.e  Illinois 
^^'atc]l  Company,  the  Rock  Island  (Juilt 
Company,  and  the  Black  I)iam!.iid  Coal 
Company.  V\  hilo  <  n  a  liusiness  trip  to  an 
eastern  citj*  in  an  early  dux  he  saw  for  the 
first  tinie  a  street  railway  in  operation.  Upon 
his  return  to  Rock  Islanil  be  at  once  aihocated 
the  organization  of  a  c<  iiipany  for  the  i)urposc 
of  connecting  Rock  Islaml  and  lloline  by  a 
street  railway.  The  company  was  organized 
and  the  |)roject  was  carried  out.  That  small 
system  was  the  nucleous  of  that  splendid 
system  which  today  connects  and  raniilies 
throughout  the  tri-cities.  Captain  Robinson 
was  conspicuous  on  his  labors  to  secure  the 


location  of  the  Government  Arsenal  on  Rock 
Island.  He  gave  active  assistance  in  pro- 
moting the  construction  of  a  railroad  between 
Rock  Island  and  St.  Louis,  and  the  line  con- 
structed is  today  the  St.  Louis  Division  of  the 
C.  B.  &  Q.  He  was  also  identified  with  .Mr. 
Frederick  Weyerhaeuser,  the  lumber  king,  in 
the  development  of  the  lumber  industry  in 
Wisconsin. 

In  the  location  and  construction  of  the 
Hennepin  Canal  Captain  Robinson  was  par- 
ticularly active,  and  besides  his  individual 
effort  he  expended  a  large  amount  of  money 
in  furtherance  of  those  efforts.  From  the 
beginning  Captain  Robinson  had  advocated 
the  idea  that  the  Hennepin  Canal  should  be  of 
sufficient  size  to  admit  the  largest  inland 
vessels,  and  it  was  a  great  disappointment  to 
him  that  it  was  not  built  upon  a  larger  scale. 

In  the  financial  field  Captain  Robinson  was 
conspicuous  by  his  success.  In  1871  he 
founded  the  Rock  Island  National  Bank,  an 
institiition  which  still  exists  in  handsomely 
remodeled  quarters,  and  which,  since  its  organ- 
ization, has  held  rank  as  one  of  the  strongest 
and  safest  financial  institutions  in  \^'estern 
Illinois.  Captain  Robinson  was  its  president 
from  the  date  of  its  organization  to  the  time 
of  his  death,  and  so  closely  and  thoroughly 
was  he  identified  with  the  institution  that  it 
was  known  by  nearh'  e\eryone  in  Rock  Island 
as  the  "Robinson  Bank."  rather  than  by  its 
regular  corporate  name. 

In  his  political  affiliation  Captain  Robinson 
was,  in  his  early  life,  a  Henry  Clay  Whig. 
Upon  the  disintergratif)n  of  the  Whig  partv 
he  gave  his  allegiance  and  support  to  the 
Republican  party,  which  had  i)Ut  recently 
been  organized.  In  his  sentiments  Captain 
Robinson  was  always  a  jironounced  anti- 
slavery  ad\-ocate.  He  possessed  a  very  ex- 
tensive accpiaintance  with  the  leading  men  of 
the  country  in  both  church  and  state.  He 
was  a  sincere  personal  friend  of  Abraham 
Lincoln;  Richard  Yates.  Sr.,  the  war  governor 
of    Illinois;   Governor    Richard    Oglesby    and 


C^i-i//     cy  ^^^<^yyt'■>'>^l^^t,^-2■''>^^ 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


69 


others.  During  the  trouhUnl  time  of  the 
Civil  War  he  was  frequently  calletl  in  council 
by  Governor  Yates,  and  in  such  high  esteem 
was  he  held  by  that  great  executive  that  he 
could  have  had  any  ap|)ointive  office  within 
his  gift,  but  he  steadfastly  refused  political 
preferment.  He  did,  however,  accept  the 
office  of  associate  judge  of  Rock  Island  County 
and  ])resident  of  its  board  of  supervisors 
during  the  war,  but  these  offices  were  urged 
upon  him  and  he  entered  upon  their  duties  at 
a  personal  expense  and  inconvenience  to 
himself,  but  he  cheerfully  gave  ])oth  of  his 
time  and  his  talents  in  the  performance  of 
the  duties  that  were  entailed. 

Both  Captain  and  Mrs.  Robinson  through- 
out their  lives  were  devoted  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcoiial  Church,  and  were  chief 
among  its  influential  and  generous  members. 
They  lived  simiile,  unostentatious  lives.  They 
were  generous  to  those  less  fortunate  than 
themselves,  and  their  generosity  consisteil  not 
in  the  mere  gi-ving  of  money  but  of  personal 
service  in  relieving  the  condition  of  the 
unfortimate.  Of  their  marriage  two  sons 
were  born,  James  Franklin  and  ,Iohii.  A 
sketch  of  the  former  ai)]3ears  upon  another 
page  of  this  work.  The  latter  son  died  in 
infancy. 

The  death  of  Mrs.  Robinson  occurred  June 
18,  1S95,  and  that  of  Cajitain  Robinson, 
April  12,  1899.  In  their  death  Rock  Island 
lost  a  man  and  woman  who  lived  the  finest, 
highest  type  of  Christian  life,  and  who 
exemplified,  by  their  kindly,  genercuis  acts, 
the  tenets  they  professed. 

m  i>s  m 
FREDERICK  C.  A.  DENKMANN. 

VWTHEN  on  March  2,  1905,  the  spirit  of 
\^  Frederick  C.  A.  Denkmann  passed 
from  earth  there  was  completed  and 
rounded  out  a  life  that  may  well  serve  as  an 
inspiration  for  American  boys  of  this  and 
succeeding  generations,  through  its  disregard 
of  difficulties,  steadfastness  of  jnirpose,  energy 


and  accomplishment,  sterling  worth  and  help- 
fulness. In  such  a  life  there  is  encourage- 
ment for  every  yotmg  man  who  is  constrained 
to  be  the  architect  and  builder  of  his  own 
fortunes,  even  as  this  necessity  was  laid  upon 
Frederick  C.  A.  Denkmann. 

He  sprang  from  sturdy  German  stock,  did 
this  great  Amerit'an  l-,iinl)evm:in,  an  1  that  his 
sole  inheritance  fram  his  ancestors  was  a 
clear  head  reinforce  1  by  rugge  1  strength  w-as 
not  the  faidt  of  his  forbears,  but  so  events 
were  shaped  Ijy  the  fortunes  of  war.  Fre  1- 
erick,  mostly  called  Carl,  was  born  April  8, 
1822,  at  Salzwedel,  the  ancient  capital  of 
Prussia,  the  youngest  son  of  his  father, 
Diedrich  Denkmann.  This  father  had  been 
a  successful  manufactui-er,  a  iii:in  of  ])roperty 
and  standing  in  the  (ierman  city.  The 
Na]3oleonic  wars  destroyed  his  business  and 
swept  away  his  iidicritcd  and  accumulated 
wealth.  Disheartened  and  feeling  that  the 
lost  ground  could  not  be  regained,  Diedrich 
Denkmann  died,  and  llic  little  Cai'l  was  left 
to  the  care  of  the  motliei-,  upon  whom  great 
responsibilities  de\'ol ved . 

Circumstances  forbade  Carl  the  enjoyment 
of  ;idvantages  that  his  widowed  mother  would 
gladly  have  given  him.  She  was  al)le  to 
])rovide  him  with  the  mere  rudiments  of  an 
etlucation  and  coulil  only  hope  that  his  native 
strength  of  character  would  make  valuable 
his  tutelage  in  the  school  of  exjjerience.  His 
days  in  the  school  room  endeil  at  fourteen, 
and  he  was  placed  as  apprentice  in  a  machine 
shop  as  a  preparation  for  bread  winning  by 
hard  work  which  circumstances  made  imper- 
ative. With  German  thoroughness  and  an 
ambition  to  succeed  which  was  native  and 
individual,  Carl  mastered  his  trade.  He  was 
in  after  life  such  a  machinist  as  any  employer 
is  delighted  to  have  upon  his  payroll.  He 
was  grounded  in  the  pi-iuciples  of  mechanics 
to  such  a  degree  that  no  peculiarity  of  ma- 
terial was  puzzling,  no  nicety  of  touch  too 
deft  for  his  resourcefulness,  hi  after  years 
when  his  name  ajjpeared  upon  the  roll  of  shop 


HISTORIC     ROCK    ISLAND    CO  U  N  T  Y 


employes,  this  inachinist  freiiuently  drew 
equal  pay  with  the  supervising  foreman  as 
the  expert  workman  of  the  shop.  In  the 
years  of  his  youth  and  early  manhood  this 
strong  and  steady  _voung  artisan  was  uncon- 
sciously Living  in  preparedness  the  founda- 
tions of  the  great  fortune  which  was  to  l)e 
his  across  the  ocean. 

In  the  troublous  days  of  184S  the  thoughts 
of  numy  in  Mr.  Denkmann's  home  city  were 
turned  to  America  It  was  the  land  of  elbow 
room,  of  rich  reward,  of  freedom.  Those  who 
journeyed  to  this  land  of  promise  acrofss  the 
Atlantic  wrote  of  the  opportunities  this 
coimtry  held  for  those  trained  in  careful  ways 
in  thrifty  German  homes.  With  his  small 
savings  and  something  more  valuable,  a 
knowledge  of  his  craft,  Mr.  Denkmann  joinetl, 
in  1849,  the  tide  of  those  seeking  homes  in 
the  new  world.  Little  had  he  to  bring  beside 
health  and  strength,  the  desire  for  political 
liberty  and  better  industrial  conditions. 

Mr.  Denkmann's  first  abiding  place  in 
America  was  Erie,  Pennsylvania.  Here  he 
speedily  found  employment,  adapted  himself 
to  the  conditions  of  American  citizenship  and 
set  up  his  own  fireside,  December  9,  1849,  .by 
wooing  and  marrying  Miss  Catherine  Bloedel, 
who  had  also  come  from  Germany,  being  a 
native  of  Niedersaulheim.  a  village  in  the 
valley  of  the  Rhine. 

If  is  related  of  him  that  when  he  first 
applied  for  work  in  Erie,  the  foreman  of  the 
plant  asked  him  what  he  could  do,  and  with 
characteristic  frankness  he  replied,  "What 
those  three  men  over  there  are  doing." 

With  his  steady  income  as  a  machinist  of 
high  rank  these  young  people  were  content  in 
their  new  home  for  two  years  after  their 
marriage,  and  then  the  advantages  of  the 
West  called  tlioni  to  the  l)anks  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi. 

Mr.  Dcnkiuann  had  a  brother  living  in 
Walcott,  Iowa,  and  there  the  young  j)air 
journcyetl.  After  a  short  visit  of  reunion 
the   iiulustrious  guest   looked   almut    for   cni- 


]jloyment.  This  offered  in  ^loliiie,  one  of  the 
trinity  of  cities  near  to  Walcott,  and  there 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Denkmann  settled.  For  a  time 
they  lived  in  Moline  and  then  moved  to  Rock 
Island,  which  was  tlioir  homo  for  more  than 
fifty  years,  even  up  to  the  death  of  Mr. 
Denkmann  in  190").  .And  in  that  long-time 
home  Mrs.  Denkmann  died  .January  lo. 
1907. 

On  December  9,  1S99,  Mr.  and  :\Irs.  Denk- 
mann celebrated  their  golden  wedding  anni- 
versary. In  accordance  with  their  usual 
custom,  this  was  celebrated  quietly  in  the 
home  with  a  family  dinner.  It  was  made  the 
occasion  of  a  very  happy  reunion,  however, 
and  all  of  the  immediate  family,  children  and 
grandchildren,  and  other  near  relatives  to  the 
number  of  about  si.xty  were  present. 

During  the  first  years  of  his  stay  in  Rock 
Island  Mr.  Denkmann  worked  at  his  trade 
and  allowed  his  savings  to  accumulate  in  the 
thrifty  German  manner.  Then  he  estab- 
lished himself  in  the  grocery  business.  This 
was  an  incident  in  his  life  which  seems  apart 
from  his  steady  and  consistent  climb  from 
the  position  of  a  journeyman  machinist  to 
that  of  one  of  the  most  prominent  lumber- 
men in  the  workl.  But  the  grocer}^  business 
served  its  purpose.  A  small  ca])ital  was 
gotten  together  which  made  a  sawmill  owner- 
ship possible.  When  he  placed  his  name 
above  his  modest  grocery  store  the  same 
thorough  attention  to  details  and  pervading 
and  compelling  energy  that  had  made  him 
superior  in  his  old  line  showed  in  the  new 
business.  Those  who  knew  him  in  those 
days  recall  that  he  was  not  content  to  wait, 
as  other  grocers  did,  until  the  farmers  should 
bring  in  their  product  in  order  to  secure  sup- 
plies for  his  customers.  Those  who  patron- 
ized the  Denkmann  grocery  had  the  freshest 
and  best  of  everything  grown  on  the  farms 
in  a  wide  circuit  ijrought  to  them  by  the  pro- 
prietor and  securetl  by  him  on  an  extended 
triji  in  the  early  morning  hours  while  com- 
]ietit(U-s  were  taking  one  more  naj). 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


71 


It  was  in  1860  that  Mr.  Denkmann  formed 
with  his  brother-in-law,  Frederick  Weyer- 
haeuser, the  partnership  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness that  achieved  such  monumental  success 
that  their  names  became  known  wherever  in 
this  country  logs  and  lumber  were  bought  and 
sold.  Up  to  the  time  that  the  firm  of  Weyer- 
haeuser &  Denkmann  began  operations  upon 
a  scale  that  made  them  famous  in  the  lumber 
world,  Mr.  Denkmann 's  life  had  been  a  quiet 
one,  unmarked  by  incidents  that  would 
attract  attention.  He  had  lived  a  peaceful 
home  life,  working  with  energy  and  intelli- 
gence, l)ut  in  lines  which  do  not  ordinarily 
lead  to  wealth  and  influence.  His  sphere  of 
action  had  lieen  circumscribed.  He  was 
scarcely  known  l>eyond  the  confines  of  the 
home  town  where  he  lived  for  and  with  his 
family,  and  enjoyed  the  res|icct  of  his  circle 
of  friends.  With  tlie  founding  of  the  lumber 
firm  his  manner  of  life  was  changed,  his 
opportunities  and  responsibilities  broadened. 
He  seemed  to  have  become  a  favorite  of  fickle 
Fortune,  and  upon  him  were  showered  her 
blessings  in  golden  profusion.  When  the  tide 
of  prosperity  did  set  in,  it  found  him  ready. 
He  had  been  seasoned  Ijy  poverty  in  l)oy- 
hood;  he  had  his  unfulfilled  dreams  of  early 
manhood  to  bring  true.  He  was  almost 
forty  years  old  when  he  took  hokl  of  lumlier 
making,  and  the  path  to  greater  accomplish- 
ment, wider  influence  and  deeper  usefulness 
to  the  community  opened  before  him. 

Frederick  Weyerhaeuser,  his  partner,  had 
been  in  the  employ  of  Mead,  Smith  iV:  Marsh, 
and  in  charge  of  a  retail  yard  at  Coal  Valley, 
Illinois.  This  lumber  firm  had  been  com- 
pelled to  go  out  of  business.  There  was  an 
o]5portunity  to  purchase  their  saw  mill  and 
b\isiness  at  small  cost  and  on  easy  terms. 
The  partnership  of  Weyerhaeuser  c*c  Denk- 
mann was  formed  after  the  members  had 
looked  over  the  property  and  talked  of  their 
chances  for  the  future.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
there  was  never  any  chance  of  failure  in  such 
a  combination.     They  were  both  remarkable 


men,  men  of  rugged  strength,  sleepless 
energy  and  great  courage.  Mr.  Denkmann's 
peculiar  abilities  were  supplemented  com- 
pletely by  those  of  Mr.  Weyerhaeuser.  The 
latter,  trained  in  the  handling  of  lumber, 
looked  after  the  sales  and  log  supply.  Mr. 
Denkmann,  the  skilled  machinist,  grounded 
in  his  line  with  old  world  thoroughness,  took 
charge  of  the  manufacture.  Under  his  skil- 
fidl  management  the  saws  hummed  a  new- 
tune.  The  new  superintendent  was  fertile  in 
devices  for  improving  the  mechanical  side  of 
the  business.  He  worked  longer  hours  than 
any  other  num  on  the  payroll.  His  employes 
used  to  say  that  he  thought  nothing  of  work- 
ing all  day  about  the  mill  looking  after  im- 
]iortant  iletails  of  manufacture  and  then 
would  put  in  half  or  all  the  night  coaxing 
some  refractory  bit  of  machinery  into  lint  for 
the  next  ilay's  run. 

The  life  of  the  mill  superintendent  of  those 
days  was  not  that  of  present  times  when 
completely  equijijied  machine  shops  ready  to 
turn  out  any  desired  bit  of  repair  are  in 
telegraphic  and  exjiress  communication.  When 
Weyerhaeuser  i.t  Denkmann  l)egan  business 
the  chief  machinist  had  to  Ije  a  man  who 
could  keep  the  mill  working  by  contrivance 
and  device  self-planned  and  self-constructed. 

The  firm  which  later  reached  such  mam- 
moth proportions  began  modestly.  A  small 
cash  payment  and  some  notes  secured  the 
mill  which  was  in  fairly  good  condition.  The 
machinery  was  got  in  shape  by  Mr.  Denk- 
mann, and  the  business  of  getting  out  lumber 
for  their  retail  trade  commenced.  The  first 
season  the  mechanical  genius  of  Mr.  Denk- 
mann. for  it  seems  noth  ng  less  than  genius 
to  work  such  wonders  under  the  circumstances 
— increased  the  capacity  of  the  mill  from 
6,000  feet  to  15,000  feet  per  day.  Mr.  Denk- 
mann's partner  looked  after  ids  end  of  the 
enterprise.  Saws  midtijilied ;  logs  climbed 
the  incline  to  tiic  mill  in  closer  procession,  the 
freshly  sawed  lumber  slid  out  upon  the 
trucks  in   an  endless  stream,     hi  two  years 


72 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


tlie  mill  driven  to  the  top  speed  of  its  pro- 
duction had  paid  for  itself  and  was  now 
the  jiroperty  of  this  new  firm  in  the  himhcr 
world. 

The  business  seemed  now  well  under  way, 
but  there  were  large  expenses  to  be  met: 
obligations  must  be  punctiliously  cared  for. 
lest  the  credit  of  the  Hrm  should  suffer,  and 
their  credit  formed  a  large  part  of  their  work- 
ing capital.  They  had  little  beside  except 
tireless  energy  and  faith  in  themselves. 
Strict  eccnomy  was  practiced  in  manufacture. 
In  many  American  mills  there  are  mechanical 
devices  in  use  that  date  from  this  mill  and 
those  days.  They  were  the  invention  of  the 
partner-manager  of  the  premier  Weyerhaeuser 
&  Denkmann  mill  and  the  result  of  his  cease- 
less planning  to  produce  lumber  as  cheaply 
as  possible,  to  establish  a  solid  business  and 
win  success.  The  output  of  this  mill  was 
increased  until  it  was  considered  one  of  the 
best  on  the  Mississiijpi  River. 

Encouraged  by  their  success  with  this 
small  sawmill  property,  which  in  these  days 
is  known  as  the  lower  mill  the  firm  considered 
broadening  their  field.  There  was  another 
Rock  Island  mill  on  the  market.  It  was 
known  as  the  Skinner  mill  and  was  located 
where  is  now  the  site  of  the  division  round- 
house of  the  Rock  Island  System.  This  mill 
was  built  in  1S5()  by  a  Mr.  Barnes.  In  this 
venture  Messrs.  Denkmann  and  Weyer- 
haeuser were  joined  by  three  other  gent  emen 
named  Anawalt,  Gray  antl  Cropper.  The 
firm  thus  formed  was  named  Anawalt,  Denk- 
mann &  Co.  This  mill  was  soon  in  successful 
operation.  Later  it  was  moved  and  consoli- 
dated with  the  plant  of  Keator.  Wils.  n  iV: 
Company,  and  a  new  company  formed  which 
bore  the  title,  the  Rock  Island  Lumber  & 
Manufacturing  Company.  Tliis  organization 
by  the  magnitude  of  its  operations  became 
famous  among  lumbermen.  Its  mills  formed 
one  of  the  greatest  hmiber  making  plants  on 
the  L'pper  Mississippi  River.  At  the  forma- 
tion  of   this    company    Air.    Denkmann    was 


elected  president,  and  this  position  of  honor 
and  responsibility  he  held  until  his  death. 

The  business  of  the  planing  mills  attached 
to  the  sawmills  of  the  Rock  Island  Lumber  & 
Manufacttu-ing  Company,  grew  to  such  an 
importance  as  to  merit  a  separate  organiza- 
tion and  a  supplemental  company  known  as 
the  Rock  Island  Sash  it  Door  Works  was 
formed.  Of  this  company  Mr.  Denkmann 
was  also  the  president.  The  latter  company 
operated  branches  in  other  cities  and  covered 
a  wide  field.  Another  outgrowth  of  the  Rock 
Island  Lumber  &  Manufacturing  Company 
was  a  string  of  retail  j-ards  located  in  import- 
ant town  of  Kansas  and  Oklahoma. 

One  of  the  later  projects  of  Mr.  Denkmann 
was  the  purchase  and  improvement  of  a  mill 
in  Davenport.  Iowa,  just  across  the  Mis- 
sissippi River  from  the  other  mills  operated 
by  his  firm.  This  mill  dated  back  to  1854-5, 
when  it  was  built  by  William  Renwick.  It 
was  ])urchased  by  Mr.  Denkmann  and  his 
partner  in  1888.  It  was  fitted  up  in  the  most 
approved  manner  of  the  modern  mill,  and 
was  in  every  respect  a  fine  double  band  and 
gang  mill.  The  product  of  this  mill  was  up 
to  Weyerhaeuser  &  Denkmann  standards  and 
the  Iowa  member  of  the  local  plant  was  giving 
good  account  of  itself  when  a  great  fire  on 
July  25,  1901  wrought  its  complete  destruc- 
tion. This  was  the  first  great  loss  the  fu-m 
had  been  called  upon  to  bear  during  its  more 
than  forty  years  of  prosperous  business.  The 
mill  was  not  rebuilt.  Its  site  is  now^  occupied 
by  a  large  retail  yard  conducted  by  the  firm. 

Cireat  local  manufacturers  of  lumber  were 
Weyerhaeuser  iV  Denkmann.  In  the  days 
when  the  Chipjiewa  valley  store  of  white  pine 
seemed  inexhaustible  and  a  fleet  of  raftboats 
was  employed  in  bringing  tows  to  the  Rock 
Island  mills,  the  output  of  lumber  took  on 
great  praporticns,  the  product  of  the  four 
mills  for  one  year  being  117,000,000  feet.  The 
average  annual  production  for  a  number  of 
years  was  over  100,000,000  feet.  In  a.Idition 
to  the  mills  in  the  cities  of  il->c'.c  Island  and 


//  I  ST  0  R  I  C     ROCK     I  S  L  A  N  D     C  0  U  N  T  Y 


73 


Davenport,  the  firm's  mills  in  other  parts  of 
the  country  were  swelling  the  countrj-'s  pro- 
duction of  lumber. 

At  Rock  Island  the  lower  mill  was  operated 
by  the  partnership  until  January  8.  1903. 
when  it  was  taken  over  by  the  cor])oration, 
Weyerhaeuser  A-  Denkmann  Company.  Of 
this  corporation  .Mr.  Denkmann  was  presi- 
dent. 

It  is  natural  when  writine;  of  Mr.  Denkmann 
to  think  of  his  firm  in  the  light  of  great  manu- 
facturers of  lumber,  for  it  was  the  manvifactur- 
ing  industry  of  the  firm  over  which  he  early 
assumed  the  direction,  and  that  oversight  he 
maintained  until  he  was  called  from  earth. 
In  that  line  he  e.xcelled  others  in  the  same 
work.  His  early  success  was  due  greatly  to 
his  marvelous  insight  where  machinery  was 
concerned.  Later,  as  the  Ijusiness  grew,  and 
mills  multiplied,  executive  ability  developed 
that  wa.s  no  less  a  mark  and  manifestation  of 
genius.  He  knew  what  a  day's  work  for  a 
man  or  a  team  or  a  steamboat  ought  to  be. 
He  was  satisfied  when  this  was  done,  and  the 
confidence  of  his  army  of  employes  was  won 
by  his  fairness  in  giving  credit  for  their  co- 
operation. Perhaps  a  man  who  has  done 
many  a  day's  work  himself  is  more  competent 
to  judge  of  that  commodity  as  it  is  bought 
and  sold  in  the  labor  market.  Mr.  Denk- 
mann's  e.xpectation  of  his  employes  \\Tis  high, 
but  not  unreasonably  so.  He  never  required 
of  them  the  hours  and  effort  that  he  himself 
put  into  his  enterprises.  He  was  a  leader  and 
not  a  driver  in  the  industrial  world. 

The  firm  of  which  ^Ir.  Denkmann  was  a 
■  member  was  a  pioneer  in  the  purchase  of  pine 
lands.  The  first  tract  secured  was  in  the 
Chippewa  valley,  and  the  [purchase  was 
made  after  due  consideration  of  its  far-reach- 
ing results.  It  was  the  precedent,  and  its 
profit  the  argument  for  the  investment  of 
great  sums  in  standing  timber.  For  many 
years  it  was  the  rule  of  the  firm  to  buy 
available  pine  lands  even  at  a  price  which 
made    the    investment    seem    undesirable    to 


other  lumbermen.  The  result  jvistified  the 
judgment  of  Mr.  Denkmann  and  his  partner. 
The  lumber  sawed  by  the  firm  was  from  logs 
cut  from  forests  owned  by  the  firm,  by  men 
employed  by  the  firm,  and  towed  to  the  mills 
by  steamboats  owned  by  the  firm.  Every 
profit  in  the  manufactiu-e  of  lumber  was 
turned  into  the  annual  dividends. 

This  purchase  of  standing  ])ine  has  gone  on 
steadily  for  years,  on  the  system  entered  upon 
years  ago.  The  transactions  have  been  of 
such  magnitude  that  the  members  of  this 
firm  are  todaj-  the  largest  owners  of  pine 
timber  in  this  country,  and  therefore  in  the 
world.  Standing  tind^er  was  bought  in  ^^'is- 
consin,  in  Michigan,  in  Minnesota.  \'ast 
forests  were  purchased  in  Oregon,  Idaho  and 
Washington,  one  tract  secured  in  the  latter 
state  l>y  themselves  and  friends  comprising 
I,0()(),0()0  acres.  Of  late  the  firm  has  in- 
vestigated, at  the  re(piest  of  large  transpor- 
tation companies  and  others  interested  in 
the  development  of  the  South,  the  lumber 
prospects  of  that  region  and  has  added 
largely  to  its  lantl  holdings  in  that  section. 
They  are  now  heavy  operators  in  the  South. 
It  is  probable  that  a  list  of  all  the  timl:)er 
holdings  in  which  Jlr.  Denkmann  was  inter-' 
ested  could  be  compiled  from  the  records  of 
the  firm.  If  so,  it  would  fill  ])ages  of  this 
woi'k. 

.Mr.  Denkmann  lived  to  see  his  early  hopes 
more  than  fulfilled.  At  82  he  laid  down  the 
responsibilities  and  pleasures  of  a  long  and 
busy  life.  The  cares  of  his  later  vears  were 
lightened  l)y  his  sons,  Frederick  C,  Denk- 
mann and  Edward  P.  Denkmann.  who  had 
mastered  through  early  apjirenticeship  the 
incidents  and  intricacies  of  the  lumber  busi- 
ness. They  have  shown  adaptability  to  their 
work  and  the  initiative  and  executive  neces- 
sary in  th')se  who  control  such  great  interests. 
Oversight  and  manage.Tient  were  s)  gradually 
shifted  from  the  aging  father  ti  the  s  ms  that 
the  business  world  was  n  )t  affe.-tj  1  by  the 
passing  of  the  inheritance. 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


Mrs.  Catherine  iJenkmann,  wlio  survived 
her  husband  until  January  15,  1907,  was  to 
him  always  his  greatest  incentive  t(i  success. 
He  sought  her  advice  and  found  her  judgment 
sound  on  all  business  matters.  She  kept  in 
touch  with  his  business.  Their  home  life 
was  ideal.  Mr.  Denkmann,  after  business 
cares  were  over,  delighted  to  spend  his  time 
at  home  with  his  family.  He  was  a  great 
reader  and  would  read  aloud  to  his  wife  in 
their  hapjiy  evenings  together.  Her  pleasure 
in  having  at  hand  means  with  which  to 
gratify  her  benevolent  impulse^  was  a  con- 
stant gratification  to  him  after  the  Denknuum 
home  was  fairly  in  the  sunshine  of  prosperity. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Denkmann  were  the  parents 
of  five  daughters  and  two  sons.  They  are: 
Marie  Antoinette,  wife  of  John  J.  Reimers,  of 
Fort  Worth,  Te.xas,  a  newspaper  man;  Ap- 
polonia  Adelaide,  wife  of  Thomas  B.  Davis, 
of  Rock  Island;  Frederick  C.  Denkmann,  of 
Rock  Island;  Elise  Augusta,  wife  of  Wm.  H. 
Marshall,  of  Rock  Island;  Catherine,  wife  of 
Edward  S.  Wentworth,  an  artist,  of  New 
York;  Edward  P.  Denkmann,  of  Rock  Island, 
Illinois,  and  Susanne  C.  Denkmann,  who 
lives  in  the  old  homestead  in  Rock  Island. 

Those  who  associated  with  Frederick  C.  A. 
Denkmann  and  knew  him  well  tell  of  his 
forceful  but  unobtrusive  life,  his  active 
interest  in  matters  of  which  he  said  but 
little.  He  was  not  given  to  taking  counsel  of 
others  or  imparting  confidences.  His  was 
ever  a  strong  individvudity.  He  took  his 
own  means  of  broadening  and  enriching  his 
life.  His  kindness  was  often  felt  by  those 
who  did  not  know  who  had  befriended  them. 
Mr.  Denkmann  preferred  to  have  it  so.  He 
was  a  man  of  deeds,  a  tireless  worker,  a  man 
of  quiet  habits  and  modest  demeanor.  He 
bore  his  part  in  building  his  city  and  making 
it  beautiful.  His  wealth  was  fairly  won  in 
the  open  field  of  business  competition,  anil 
he  deserved  whatever  rewards  it  brought. 
All  in  all  he  was  a  type  of  man  it  is  good  for 
young  Americans  to  know  about. 


FREDERICK  WEYERHAEUSER. 

SHOri.D  a  search  be  niaile  throughout  the 
length  and  breadth  of  the  United  States, 
no  fairer  or  finer  example  of  the  self-made 
American  could  be  found  than  Frederick 
Weyerhaeuser,  hunljerman.  Brought  by 
chance,  in  early  nuinhood,  in  touch  with  the 
making  of  lumber  he  seizeil  upon  this  acci- 
dental circumstance  as  upon  an  opportunitj', 
mastered  the  rudiments  with  a  thoroughness 
that  has  characterized  his  every  action  in 
life,  and  upon  this  practical  knowledge 
budded  his  e.\ceptional  business  career.  One 
by  one  he  saw  the  possibilities  as  they  ojiened 
before  him.  Each  possiliility  became  to  him 
a  probability  and  was  nuide  a  certainty. 
He  mastered  in  turn  the  details  of  lumber 
manufacture  and  sale  of  the  purchase  and 
economical  utilization  of  pine  lands,  of  log 
supply  in  its  branches — cutting,  sorting  and 
rafting  to  the  mills,  details  of  the  building  and 
maintenance  of  railroads  for  logging  and 
marketing  mill  ])roducts,  of  the  operation  of 
the  various  industries  subsidiary  and  supple- 
mental to  the  ])rincipal  business  of  lumber 
manufacture.  Incidentally  he  became  a 
financier  and  has  been  chosen  for  his  udg- 
mciit  to  advise  and  direct  great  institutions 
of  the  financial  world. 

His  career  is  so  interwoven  with  the  growth 
of  the  great  white-pine  industry  of  the  North 
that  it  would  be  difficult  to  make  reference 
to  an}-  chapter  in  the  history  of  lumbering  in 
that  region  without  mentioning  his  name. 

The  story  of  Frederick  Weyerhaeuser's  life 
is  so  remarkable  in  its  incidents  and  yet  so  • 
rational  and  consistent  in  the  developmental 
sequence  of  its  events  that  its  telling  in  very 
truth  would  seem  like  the  creation  of  some 
master  mind  in  the  realm  of  fiction.  The 
story  of  his  business  career,  the  part  he  has 
taken  in  the  development  of  the  Northwest 
will  never  be  fully  known,  for  such  a  narra- 
tion would  i)e  of  necessity  an  autobiography, 
and   .Mr.   \\  everhaeuser  is  the  last  man  who 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


75 


could  lie  induced  to  tell  of  his  achievements 
in  detail.  Should  he  serve  as  his  own  his- 
torian, short  and  simple  would  be  the  annals. 
His  is  not  the  dis])osition  to  tell  of  the  pro- 
digious industry  and  unerring  discernment 
which  has  maile  it  ]iossible  to  launch  and 
build  u])  countless  industries,  amass  great 
wealth  and  extend  the  field  of  his  usefidness 
until  it  has  covered  the  entire  country. 

To  intimate  friends  ilr.  Weyerhaeuser 
sometimes  talks  of  himself,  but  the  topics  are 
apt  to  relate  to  his  boyhood  in  Clermany,  his 
emigration  to  America,  his  early  trials  and 
de]>rivations,  his  determination  to  do  every 
task  assigned  him  so  well  that  the  confidence 
of  his  employer  could  l)e  gained  and  advance- 
ment honestly  won.  More  ])articularly  woidd 
he  write,  if  his  hand  held  the  biograj)hical 
pen,  and  he  were  sure  of  friendly  interest  in 
those  who  read,  of  his  days  in  a  little  Illinois 
town  wliere  on  a  small  salary  he  and  his  liritle 
enjoyed  existence  as  ,  only  young  people 
happily  married  and  hopeful  of  the  future  can 
enjoy  it.  He  woulil  tell  of  his  beautiful  home 
life,  of  his  wife  and  family  and  cherished 
friends.  He  would  tell  of  his  desire  for  sim- 
plicity in  living  and  freedom  from  the  biuxlen 
of  social  obligation  that  wealth  often  brings. 
To  his  closest  friends  he  might  speak  of  his 
interest  in  other  men,  the  younger  ones  just 
putting  their  shoulders  to  the  wheel,  in  the 
older  ones,  those  who  have  done  their  best 
and  yet  have  failed  of  substantial  rewards 
which  have  been  his  own.  Frederick  Weyer- 
haeuser is  a  man  whose  business  success  has 
been  noteworthy  even  in  this  country  where 
a  large  measure  of  success  is  not  uncommon. 
He  has  another  side  upon  which  his  friends 
delight  to  dwell.  It  is  Frederick  Weyer- 
haeuser, the  good  citizen,  the  admirable 
neighbor,  the  kind  and  sympathizing  friend, 
that  his  old  associates  in  Rock  Island  hold  in 
high  regard. 

Frederick  Weyerhaeuser  is  a  native  of 
Niedersaulheim,  a  village  of  the  Rhine  valley, 
situated  near  the  city  of  Mainz.     Long  ago 


the  little  village  with  the  long  name  was  one 
of  the  Roman  walled  cities  that  the  world- 
concjuerors  scattered  over  Germany.  It  is 
in  the  midst  of  a  beautiful  agricultural  region. 
The  ancestors  of  Mr.  Weyerhaeuser  were 
farmers  and  vine-dressers.  Far  yonder  to- 
ward the  dark  ages,  some  four  hundred  years 
ago,  tradition  has  it  the  Weyerhaeusers  came 
from  Western  CSerniany  to  settle  in  Nieder- 
saulheim. John  Weyerhaeuser,  the  father 
of  Frederick  Weyerhaeuser,  was  one  of  the 
solid  men  of  the  village,  owning  a  fifteen  acre 
farm  and  a  three  acre  vineyard.  He  died  at 
the  age  of  fifty-two,  October  6,  1846,  when 
Frederick  was  about  twelve  years  old. 

There  were  children  in  the  Weyerhaeuser 
home  at  Niedersaulheim — eleven  of  them. 
Frederick  and  four  sisters  survived  the 
others  and  reached  maturity.  When  a  little 
fellow  of  six  he  was  sent  to  the  Protestant 
school.  The  essential  foundations  of  an 
education  were  provided  l)y  his  teachers  and 
a  pro]3er  grounding  in  religious  truths  also 
looked  after.  ^Ir.  Weyerhaeuser  remembers 
that  each  Wednesday  and  Saturday  afternoon 
was  devoted  to  the  study  of  the  Bible  and  the 
church  catechism.  At  eight  years  of  age  he 
commenced  w^ork  upon  the  farm  helping 
about  such  tasks  as  his  strength  jjermitted 
and  received  his  first  valuable  lessons  in 
responsibility.  Four  years  later  the  death  of 
his  father  made  necessary  the  shortening  of 
his  school  life  and  he  took  u]xin  himself  a 
large  part  of  the  work  of  the  farm  and  vine- 
yard. In  life's  school  the  boy  was  learning 
other  lessons  than  those  in  books,  lessons  of 
accomplishment,  of  reliability,  of  self  con- 
fidence. That  he  learned  them  well  his  sub- 
sequent success  testifies.  An  incident  of  his 
boyhood  life  was  his  confirmation  in  the 
Cierman  Reformed  Church  at  the  age  of 
fourteen.  It  might  be  remarked  in  this  con- 
nection that  after  coming  to  this  country  Mr. 
Weyerhaeuser  attended  the  Lutheran  Church 
and  that  since  his  home  has  been  in  St.  Paul  he 
has  been  allied  with  the  Presbvterian  Church. 


76 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


During  .Mr.  W  eyerhaeuser's  lioyliood  days 
the  thoughts  of  the  people  of  this  German 
viHage  were  turning  toward  .Vnierica.  In  the 
Rhine  valley  fanning  land  was  high  in  price 
and  the  chance  for  bettering  one's  condition 
small.  The  United  States  came  to  be  looketl 
upon  as  the  land  of  promise,  a  land  where 
there  were  broad  acres,  climatic  conditions 
not  unlike  those  of  Germany  and  a  chance  for 
every  man.  One  of  Mr.  Weyerhaeuser's  older 
sisters  and  an  aunt  made  a  pilgrimage  across 
the  water  in  1S49  and  settled  in  Western 
Pennsylvania.  Their  letters  turned  the  long- 
ings of  the  remainder  of  the  family  into 
determination,  and  in  1852  they  followed  to 
the  land  of  opportunity.  The  party  which 
included  Frederick,  then  a  sturdy  youth  of 
eighteen,  landed  in  Xew  York  City  in  July  of 
that  year  and  proceeded  to  Western  Penn- 
sylvania, where  settlement  was  made  at 
Northeast,  a  small  place  about  fifteen  miles 
from  Erie. 

In  this  new  land  the  strong  boy,  trained  to 
work  on  the  farm  in  the  Fatherland,  and  not 
afraid  of  responsiliility.  turned  his  attention 
to  any  task  that  offered  and  they  were  of  all 
sorts.  At  one  time  he  fancied  learning  the 
trade  of  a  brewer  and  entered  the  employ- 
ment of  a  relative  engaged  in  brewing.  The 
first  year  he  received  S4  a  month ;  the  second 
and  last.  $9  a  month.  The  employment  was 
not  congenial.  Next  he  tried  farming,  and 
hired  out  for  a  year  at  SI 3  a  month  and  board. 
Had  any  admirer  of  Frederick  Weyerhaeuser 
at  this  stage  of  his  life  predicted  the  brilliant 
future  that  he  has  since  e.xperienced,  the 
])rophecy  wovdd  have  been  considered  as  im- 
possible as  it  was  ingenious.  So  does  truth 
outfiction  fiction  in  building  the  biography  of 
a  successful  man. 

The  ancestral  farm  in  Germany  having 
been  sold,  Mr.  Weyerhaeuser,  with  his  share 
of  the  proceeds  came  to  the  West  and  to  Rock 
Island,  where  he  arrived  in  March,  1856.  If 
he  at  this  time  glimpsed  the  future,  and  saw 
how    broadlv    his    name    would    be    written 


across  tlie  conuuerciai  life  of  this  thriving 
western  town,  he  ke])t  his  fancies  to  himself. 
True  to  his  former  habits  of  industry  he  took 
the  first  worthy  occupation  that  offered  and 
went  to  work  on  the  construction  of  the  Rock 
Island  &  Peoria  Railway,  now  a  part  of  the 
Rock  Island  System.  Soon  after  he  took 
what  seemed  a  better  position,  that  of  night 
fireman  at  the  sawmill  operated  by  Mead, 
Smith  it  Marsh,  in  Rock  Island.  Here.  then, 
was  the  first  round  of  the  ladder  that  led  to 
advancement  in  the  lumber  world,  that  led 
to  wealth  and  influence  and  power.  From 
that  lowly  first  foothold  the  climli  was  steady, 
certain  and  swift. 

Two  days  after  he  took  this  position  at  the 
mill  the  night  shift  was  laid  off;  not  so  the 
new  fireman.  It  had  taken  only  two  days  to 
show  his  employers  a  touch  of  his  quality  and 
he  was  retained  and  made  tallyman.  In  this 
jiosition  his  duties  included  keeping  account 
of  the  output  of  the  one  ratory  and  one  mulay 
saw  that  formed  the  vital  equipment  of  the 
mill  and  also  loading  the  boards  upon  trucks. 
Here  he  more  than  earned  his  wages  and 
established  himself  with  his  emploj^ers.  One 
day  at  noon  some  farmers  came  to  the  mill 
to  buy  lumber.  The  salesmen  and  those  in 
charge  were  away.  The  tallyman  pushed  his 
hmch  bucket  to  one  side,  and  with  the  Weyer- 
haeuser judgment  which  has  since  stood  its 
owner  in  good  stead  filled  the  farmers'  orders 
and  turned  the  S60  in  gold  he  had  received 
over  to  the  salesman  when  he  returned  from 
dinner.  Mr.  Marsh  approved  the  sale  and 
noted  the  young  German  tallyman's  readiness 
and  judgment  in  an  emergency.  The  self- 
reliance  and  efficiency  manifested  in  this 
incident  brought  about  Mr.  Weyerhaeuser's 
being  soon  given  charge  of  the  yard  and  local 
sales. 

While  in  the  employ  of  Mead,  Smith  & 
Marsh  the  happiest  event  in  ilr.  Weyer- 
haeuser's eventful  life  occurred,  his  marriage  to 
Miss  Sarah  Elizabeth  BloeJel.  This  young  lady 
came  from  her  home  in  Erie,  Pennsvlvania. 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


1 1 


early  in  1S57.  t<>  visit  her  sister.  !Mrs.  F.  C.  A. 
Denkmann.  She  was  from  Mr.  Weyer- 
haeuser's  native  village.  The  bond  of  interest 
this  created  deepened  in  intensity  and 
ripened  into  love.  Six  months  later  her  con- 
sent to  marriage  was  won  and  the  ceremony 
took  place  October  11.  Fifty  years  later,  in 
October,  1907,  the  golden  wedding  was  cele- 
brated by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weyerhaeuser,  with 
the  loving  and  joyous  aid  of  children  and 
grandchildren  at  the  old  home,  Rock  Island. 
The  first  ceremony  was  a  simjile  one.  To  its 
golden  anniversarj^  metropolitan  news]3apers 
sent  picked  men  to  report  and  illustrate  this 
event. 

In  December  of  the  year  1857.  Mead,  Smith 
&  Marsh  opened  a  lumber  yard  in  Coal  \'alley, 
Illinois,  a  fiovirishing  town  to  which  the  new 
railroad  had  just  been  completed  and  which 
was  advantageously  located  in  a  fine  farming 
community.  Mr.  Weyerhaeuser  was  given 
charge  of  this  venture  which  proved  a  profit- 
able one.  While  he  was  gaining  valuable 
experience  and  knowledge  of  the  demands  of 
lumber  jiurchasers  his  employing  firm  were 
nearing  financial  straits  which  finally  resulteil 
in  such  embarrassment  that  their  assets  were 
purchased  liy  Mr.  Weyerhaeuser  as  he  was 
able  from  time  to  time  until  he  was  fairly 
embarked  in  the  himber  business  for  himself 
and  in  his  own  name.  This  was  a  time  of 
financial  unrest  the  country  over  antl  tlie 
modest  financial  craft  just  launched  was  in 
danger  for  some  months  with  others  that 
went  down. 

Coming  to  Rock  Island  to  secure  lumber  for 
his  Coal  'S'alley  yard  Mr.  Weyerhaeuser 
formed  the  plan  of  ojierating  the  unused  mill 
of  his  former  employers.  A  raft  was  bought 
in  Davenport  and  the  idle  saws  bit  into  Wey- 
erhaeuser logs.  The  lumber  was  laid  down 
in  Coal  Valley  at  a  cost  of  $8  [ler  thousand 
feet.  There  was  a  good  margin  in  the  sale  of 
this  lumber,  and  when  this  was  added  to  the 
profits  of  Mr.  Weyerhaeuser 's  o])erations  as  a 
building  contractor  and  grain  buyer,  the  new 


business  man  was  delighted  to  find  that  dur- 
ing the  latter  nine  months  of  1859  he  had 
cleared  S3,0()0  and  during  1860,  $5,000. 

When  the  affairs  of  Mead,  Smith  it  ^larsh 
were  closed  up  and  the  old  mill  put  upon  the 
market  at  a  modest  figure,  with  a  small  sum 
of  cash  required  to  bind  the  bargain,  a  part- 
nershij)  was  formed  Ijetween  Mr.  Weyer- 
haeuser and  his  brother-in-law,  F.  C.  A.  Denk- 
mann,  then  conducting  a  grocery  store  in 
Rock  Island.  The  mill  was  purchased  and 
the  future-great  firm  of  Wej-erhaeuser  & 
Denkmann  commenced  operations.  In  two 
years  the  mill  had  freed  itself  from  imcum- 
brance.  Its  capacity  was  steadily  increased 
and  in  a  few  years  reached  an  annual  output 
of  from  3,000,g00  feet  to  10,000,000  feet. 

The  ever  increasing  lumber  business  of  the 
firm  did  not  engross  their  entire  attention. 
Mr.  Weyerhaeuser  was  interested  in  a  numl.)er 
of  enterprises  in  the  years  succeeding  the 
purchase  of  the  mill.  He  owned  a  part  of  a 
flouring  mill  at  Coal  ^'alley.  He  and  Mr. 
Denkmann  had  an  interest  in  a  woolen  mill. 
In  1871  the  Coal  A'alley  business  was  put  in 
charge  of  an  employe  and  Mr.  Weyerhaeuser 
moved  to  Rock  Island. 

Between  the  years  1858  and  1871  the  foun- 
dations of  tlie  great  business  of  lumbering 
afterward  carried  on  by  the  firm  were  laid 
broad  and  deep.  The  personal  characteristics 
of  the  members  of  the  firm  made  their  asso- 
ciation mutually  beneficial.  Mr.  Denkmann, 
a  fine  mechanic,  took  charge  of  the  mills  and 
surmounted  all  the  mechanical  difficulties  of 
manufacture.  Like  his  partner  he  was  pos- 
sessed of  great  vigor  and  executive  ability. 
.Mr.  Weyerhaeuser's  natural  abilities  and 
training  made  him  a  great  salesman,  one  who 
knew  intimately  the  wants  of  c\istomers.  His 
genius  in  providing  a  competent  log  supply 
for  the  mills  was  also  early  apparent.  He 
was  not  content  with  the  method  of  purchase 
from  log  drivers  then  in  vogue.  He  saw  that 
a  mill  to  succeed  must  be  backed  by  adequate 
stumpage  and  took  hold  of  that  problem.     He 


78 


HISTORIC     ROCK     I  S  L  A  X  D     CO  V X T Y 


went  into  the  woods  ami  livetl  with  the 
lumberjacks.  He  learned  how  to  Imy  timber 
and  estimate  timber  lands. 

In  the  northern  woods  l^e  became  endowed 
with  prophetic  vision,  and  cast  an  anchor  to 
windward,  as  the  sailors  say.  With  the  co- 
operation of  his  partner,  the  firm  of  Weyer- 
haeuser lV-  Denkmann  inaugurated  their 
policy  of  purchasing  pine  lands.  Great  tracts 
were  bought  on  the  Chippewa  River  and  its 
tributaries.  Other  lumbermen  did  likewise. 
Logs  cut  at  the  different  camps  floated  down 
the  stream  in  confusion.  The  necessity  for 
sorting  the  logs  of  different  owners  led  to  the 
organization  of  the  Mississippi  River  Logging 
Company  at  Chicago,  following  a  meeting  of 
conference  attended  by  representative  lum- 
ber men  of  the  Northwest,  December  28,  1870. 
This  company  was  destined  to  occupy  a 
great  field  in  the  white  pine  industr}-.  The 
logs  of  stockholders  were  sorted  at  great 
logging  works  at  Beef  Slough,  Wisconsin,  and 
at  AVest  Newton.  Minnesota.  Logs  were 
purchased  by  the  company  from  the  various 
stockholders.  These  logs  naturally  varied  in 
quality  and  value.  The  task  of  grading  and 
pricing  these  logs  and  apportioning  the 
credits  to  be  given  the  different  stockholders 
was  deputed  to  a  committee  of  which  Mr. 
Weyerhaeuser  was  the  chairman  and  execu- 
tive. That  his  associates  felt  entire  confi- 
dence in  his  uprightness  and  fairness  needs  no 
other  proof.  Mr.  Weyerhaeuser  has  been  the 
president  of  the  Mississippi  River  Logging 
Company  since  September  5.  LS72. 

From  the  time  when  the  log  supply  was 
planned,  secured  and  safeguarded,  the  busi- 
ness of  Weyerhaeuser  it  Denkmann  grew 
with  its  growth  and  strengthened  with  its 
strength.  Each  gain  in  breadth  of  operation 
revealed  still  other  fields  where  development 
was  possible.  Other  mills  were  added  to  the 
equipment.  Timber  lands  were  purchased  in 
other  parts  of  the  country  and  mills  estab- 
lished to  work  the  logs  into  lumber.  A  list 
of  the  corporations  and  companies  in  which 


Mr.  Weyerhaeuser  has  held  an  interest  and 
official  position  would  be  an  astounding  revel- 
ation of  the  man's  breadth  of  executive  ability 
and  business  acumen. 

He  has  always  been  a  consistent  follower  of 
his  theory  formed  years  ago  that  the  pur- 
chase of  pine  land  was  always  the  best  thing 
a  lumberman  could  do.  This  plan  he  has 
followed  even  after  pine  land  had  gone  to  a 
figure  where  further  advancement  seemed 
unlikely.  He  is  quoted  as  saying  to  a  friend 
who  doubted  the  wisdom  of  a  purchase  where 
the  price  seemed  prohibitive  of  profit :  "I 
know  this  much:  Whenever  I  buy  timber.  I 
make  a  profit;  whenever  I  do  not  buy,  I  miss 
an  opportunity.  I  have  followed  this  practice 
for  many  years  and  have  not  lost  anything 
by  it." 

Another  notable  feature  of  Mr.  Weyer- 
haeuser's  business  policy  has  been  his  belief 
in  co-operation.  This  principle  he  has  alwa\'s 
employed.  It  has  reduced  the  cost  of  pro- 
duction by  sharing  with  competitors  any 
general  and  necessary  expense.  It  has  elim- 
inated friction  and  promoted  a  cordial  under- 
standing among  men  engaged  in  the  same  line 
of  business.  If  he  has  at  any  time  planned  a 
large  deal,  others  have  been  invited  to  share 
in  the  development  of  the  plan  and  in  the 
profits.  This  disposition  has  won  for  him  not 
only  the  respect  but  also  the  warm  regard  of 
associates  in  the  lumber  industry. 

The  habits  of  a  lifetime  of  industry  are  not 
lightly  shaken  off.  Although  the  necessity 
for  work  long  ago  disappeared.  ^Ir.  Weyer- 
haeuser is  devoted  to  his  business.  There  is 
much  in  organization  and  execution  beside 
the  piling  up  of  wealth.  There  is  a  joy  in 
accomplishment,  and  it  is  this  that  has  kept 
Mr.  Weyerhaeuser  from  seeking  a  life  of  ease 
which  to  him  would  be  not  only  inglorious  but 
distasteful.  He  is  still  Frederick  Weyer- 
haeuser, lumberman,  and  it  is  easy  to  predict 
that  he  will  never  write  "retired"  after  his 
signature.  Since  his  removal  to  St.  Paul 
from  Rock  Island,  a  step  made  desirable  by 


ROBERT  S.  MONTGOMERY. 


HISTORIC     ROC  K    ISLAND     COUNTY 


79 


the  location  of  his  newer  home  in  the  field  of 
his  operations,  he  has  become  a  member  of 
the  Town  and  Country,  the  Commercial  and 
the  Minnesota  Chibs,  but  his  time  is  spent  at 
his  oliice  or  in  the  society  of  his  wife  at 
home. 

To  Mrs.  Weyerliaeuser,  the  friends  of  the 
family  who  have  known  the  Weyerhaeu.sers 
longest  and  best  ascribe  a  splendid  share  in 
the  credit  for  the  success  which  has  crowned 
the  modest  business  beginnings  in  Rock  Island 
a  half  century  ago.  No  man  ever  had  a  more 
judicious  advisor,  say  those  who  know,  than 
this  same  wife  wlio  mingled  with  her  common 
sense  advice  at  business  crises  the  steady 
encouragement  of  love  and  thoughtfulness. 
Mr.  Weyerhaeuser  has  also  had  the  invaluable 
assistance  of  late  years  of  his  four  sons,  all 
born  and  bred  in  the  lumber  business.  When 
the  character  of  these  lieutenants  in  charge 
of  the  outposts  and  animated  by  the  same 
loyalty  to  the  Weyerhaeuser  interests  that 
has  inspired  their  founder  is  considered,  the 
credit  for  a  large  share  of  recent  success  is 
apparent. 

Seven  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Weyerhaeuser.  The  eldest  is  John  P. 
Weyerhaeuser,  now  managing  the  Neljagamon 
Lumber  Comiiany,  J>ake  Nebagamoii,  Wis- 
consin. 

A  daughter,  Elise,  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  William 
Bancroft  Hill,  a  memlier  of  the  faculty  of 
Vassar  College. 

A  daughter,  Margaret,  now  Mrs.  J.  R. 
Jewett,  lives  in  Chicago.  Her  husband  is  a 
professor  of  the  Semitic  languages  in  the 
l.Tniversity  of  Chicago. 

A  daughter,  ApoUonia,  is  Mrs.  S.  S.  Davis, 
of  Rock  Island.  Mr.  Davis  is  one  of  Rock 
Island's  successful  business  men. 

A  son,  Charles  A.  Weyerhaeuser,  made  his 
reputation  as  a  lumberman  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Pine  Tree  Lumber  Company  of 
Minnesota.  He  is  no^v  president  of  the  Pot- 
latch  Lumber  Company,  with  mills  in  Wash- 
ington. 


A  son,  Rudol]3h  M.  Weyerhaeuser,  is  in 
charge  of  the  great  interests  at  Cloquet,  Minn. 

A  son,  Frederick  E.  Weyerhaeuser,  after 
experience  at  Cloquet  and  in  the  South  in 
lumber  manufacture,  is  now  at  St.  Paul  serv- 
ing the  family  interests  as  principal  assistant 
to  his  father. 

The  greatest  tribute  paid  to  the  man,  Fred- 
erick Weyerhaeuser,  is  the  love  and  admira- 
tion of  his  old  friends  and  neighbors  at  Rock 
Island.  They  esteem  him  for  personal  qual- 
ities of  exceptional  sort,  for  his  upright 
character  and  for  his  willingness  that  all 
should  prosper,  even  as  he  has  done. 
K   iS  K 

ROBERT  S.  MONTGOMERY. 

FOR  a  jjeriod  of  over  35  years  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  one  of  the  leading 
farmers  of  Rock  Island  county.  His 
farm  was  one  of  the  largest  and  best  under 
the  highest  state  of  cultivation,  while  the 
improvements  upon  it  were  among  the  finest 
and  latest  in  design.  Not  only  was  the 
owner  a  leader  in  agricultural,  but  he  was 
likewise  foremost  among  his  fellow  men,  in 
church,  in  politics  and  in  .society.  His  sons 
and  daughters,  following  the  example  he  set 
for  them,  grew  into  useful  men  and  women 
and  went  out  to  fill  responsible  positions  in 
the  world. 

Robert  Simington  Montgomery  was  born 
March  30,  1836,  at  Danville,  Pennsylvania, 
and  died  January  6,  1900,  at  his  homestead 
on  section  26,  Edgington  Township.  He  waS 
a  son  of  Daniel  and  Margaret  (Simington) 
Montgomery,  natives  of  the  Keystone  state, 
but  residents  of  Rock  Island  County  from  the 
year  in  which  the  son  was  born.  The  father 
became  one  of  the  chief  landholders  of  the 
community,  entering  1,000  acres  from  the 
government  where  the  homestead  stood.  He 
also  acquired  a  section  of  land  lying  to  the 
south  and  several  other  farms  in  the  county, 
besides  a  considerable  tract  in  the  vicinity  of 
Joliet.     The  father  died  in  1849  at  the  age  of 


80 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAXD     COUXTY 


45  and  his  two  suns.  Holiort  ami  Daniol. 
succeeded  to  his  landerl  interests.  IJoth  im- 
proved the  opportvmity  thus  opened  to  t'em 
and  both  were  successful  in  the  highest 
degree. 

Our  subject  attended  the  ]Md)lic  schools 
and  su]ipleniented  them  with  a  collegiate 
course  at  Macomb,  Illinois,  after  which  he 
returned  to  the  farm  u]joii  which  he  had  been 
reared,  and  spent  practically  all  his  life  there. 
At  the  ojiening  of  the  civil  war  he  organized 
Company  li  of  the  65th  Illinois  \'olunteer 
Infantry  and  was  elected  captain.  In  this 
capacity  he  served  throughout  the  conflict, 
being  thrice  wounded  and  seeing  the  hardest 
sort  of  duty.  He  took  jiart  in  the  Atlanta 
campaign  and  in  that  in  Tennessee.  He  was 
in  the  siege  of  Knoxville  and  was  taken 
prisoner,  together  with  his  company,  at  Harp- 
er's Ferry,  but  was  paroled  on  the  field  and 
returned  to  Camp  Douglas,  Chicago.  On 
being  exchanged  he  rejoined  the  army  in 
Kentucky  and  remained  there  till  the  end  of 
the  war.  Wounds  were  received  at  Lexing- 
ton, in  front  of  Atlanta,  and  at  Columbus, 
Tennessee.  The  first  year  after  the  war  Mr. 
Montgomery  spent  in  the  oil  fields  of  Penn- 
sylvania. Then  he  returned  to  Illinois  and 
resumed  farming,  which  occu]iation  he  con- 
tinued to  follow  actively  till  his  death. 

Mr.  Mont.gomery  was  one  of  the  leading 
members  and  supjiorters  of  the  Edgington 
Presbvterian  chuix'h.  long  rated  as  one  of  the 
finest  country  churches  in  the  state.  He 
sup]K)rted  the  ]5rinci])les  of  the  Republican 
party  from  the  time  when  he  attained  the 
voting  age.  He  was  never  an  office  seeker, 
but  was  twice  honored  with  election  as 
member  of  the  board  of  supervisors  and  for 
a  number  of  years  was  school  director. 
Fraternally  he  affiliated  with  the  Masons. 

The  marriage  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
to  Miss  Jane  Titterington  took  place  June 
23.  1869.  His  wife,  a  daughter  of  James  and 
Eleanor  (Beall)  Titterington,  was  like  him- 
self,  one   of   the   early   settlers   of   the   com- 


nuuiity.  Nine  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and 
.Mrs.  Montgomery:  Alexander  Hoyd.  now  a 
practicing  physician  at  Checota.  Indian  Ter- 
ritory: Elizabeth  Simington,  now  Mrs. William 
McLean  Stewart,  of  Tishomingo.  Indian  Ter- 
ritory: Anne  Beall,  now  Mrs.  Frank  W. 
Hahnsen,  of  Rock  Island.  Illinois;  Margaret 
J.,  now  Mrs.  Louis  Cole  Maynard.  of  Dallas, 
Texas:  Eleanor  Ruth,  now  Mrs.  Edward  K. 
Cherrill.  of  New  York  City;  Louisa  Reed; 
Daniel  T.;  James  Howard,  now  in  the  lumber 
business  at  Belle  Fourche,  South  Dakota;  and 
Thomas  Candor.  Daniel,  who  was  a  mining 
engineer  and  a  yoimg  man  of  great  promise, 
died  October  30,  1907,  in  Ventanas,  State  of 
Durango,  ^lexico. 

m  m  m 
HON.  HENRY  C.  SCHAFFER 

ROCK  ISLAND  is  an  exceedingly  pros- 
jjerous  and  well  governed  city.  Its 
municipal  prosjierity  must  be  attri  uted 
in  a  great  degree  to  the  business  like  and 
economical  administration  of  the  city's  affairs. 
Its  good  government  must  be  attributed 
likewise  to  the  enforcement  of  law  and  the 
peservation  of  order,  so  essential  in  every 
well  regulated  community,  by  the  city's 
chief  executive.  Mayor  Henry  <?.  Schaffer.  the 
subject  of  our  present  sketch. 

Henrv  C.  Schaffer  was  born  October  16, 
1851,  at  Baltimore.  ^laryland,  his  parents 
being  Conrad  and  Mary  (Hoffmeister)  Schaffer 
Both  his  ])arents  were  natives  of  Germany. 
Their  son  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  city.  One  incident  of 
his  boyhood  is  noteworthy,  as  showing  the 
early  development  of  those  traits  of  character 
which  were  to  become  so  pronounced  in  the 
man.  When  the  Confederate  General,  Jubal 
Early,  threatened  the  City  of  Washington 
with  an  attack.  Henry  C.  Schaffer  was  a  lad 
thirteen  years  of  age.  He  was  a  drummer 
boy  in  the  Baltimore  Home  Guards,  a  comp- 
any similar  to  that  organized  in  almost  every 
citv  of  anv  size  at  that  time.     The  threatened 


HENRY  C.  SCHAFFER 


//  /  ,s'  r  0  R  1  ('     R  ()  C  K     I  S  L  A  N  D     C  O  U  N  T  Y 


81 


destruction  of  Washington  tlirew  Baltimore 
into  a  frenzy  of  excitement.  The  company 
(if  which  Henry  Sciiaffei'  was  the  drummer 
i)oy  was  mobilized,  together  with  many  other 
Maryhmd  companies  for  the  purpose  of  re- 
pelling the  threatened  Confederate  invasion. 
The  lad.  too  young  to  accom]5any  his  com- 
rades without  parental  consent,  which  it  was 
impossible  for  him  to  obtain,  ran  away  from 
home  to  enter  the  service  of  his  country. 

After  the  completion  of  his  course  in  the 
Haltimore  Puldic  Schools,  Henry  C.  Schaffer 
took  up  a  commercial  course  and  became  an 
expert  accountant.  This  profession  he  fol- 
lowed for  a  number  of  years  in  Chicago.  In 
1878  he  came  to  Rock  Island  with  O.  H. 
Watson,  the  owner  of  the  Rock  Island  Glass 
Factory.  Here  he  was  employed  as  a  book- 
kee])er  at  the  gla,ss  factory,  and  later  was 
])romoted  to  superintendent  of  that  industry. 
This  latter  position  he  held  until  the  factory 
was  purchased  by  the  CUass  Trust  and  closed. 
In  1S92  Mr.  Schaffer  entered  the  em]3loy  of 
•Idhn  \'olk  A:  Company  as  bookkeejjer  Here 
he  remained  vmtil  1899,  when  he  was  elected 
city  clerk.  From  that  time  until  the  present 
Mr.  Schaffer's  life  has  been  essentially  a 
political  one,  and  to  continue  our  sketch  in 
an  orderly  fashion  we  must  now  take  up  his 
political  career. 

Mr.  Schaffer's  political  affiliation  is  with 
the  Repid^lican  party,  in  whose  ranks  he  has 
done  nuu'h  effecti\'e  work.  His  political 
career  in  Rock  Island  began  in  1885  when  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  City  Council. 
He  served  two  terms  as  alderman,  retiring 
from  the  City  Council  in  1889.  As  has  been 
stated,  he  remained  in  the  employ  of  John 
Volk  &  Company  from  1892  until  1899,  when 
he  was  elected  city  clerk  of  Rock  Island.  To 
this  office  he  brought  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  accounting  and  an  aptitude  for  systema- 
tizing. This  latter  quality  especially  has 
saved  for  the  city  many  thousands  of  dollars. 
He  systematized  the  collection  of  water  rents, 
and  as  a  result  the  revenues  of  the  Water- 


works Department  have  been  vastly  increased. 
As  city  clerk  he  husbanded  the  city's  resources, 
insisted  strenuously  upon  economy  in  ex- 
])enditui-es  and  stood  firmly  against  the 
incurring  of  oliligations  where  the  way  to 
meet  them  did  not  seem  clear.  He  held  the 
office  of  city  clerk  from  1899  until  the  year 
1907,  when  the  jjeople  of  Rock  Island 
showed  their  confidence  in  the  unswerving 
integrity  of  the  man,  and  their  apprec  ation 
of  his  services  as  city  clerk,  by  electing  him 
mayor  of  the  city  by  a  handsome  majority. 
As  mayor,  Mr.  Schaffer  is  quietly,  and  in  his 
usual  unassuming  manner,  carrying  on  those 
same  well-founded  policies  of  systematic 
economy  through  wise  expenditure  that 
made  his  administrations  as  city  clerk  a 
success.  He  is  giving  Rock  Island  an  effec- 
tive, clean  and  sane  administration,  an 
administration  of  which  every  citizen  of  Rock 
Island,  regardless  of  politics,  may  be  jiroud. 
Mr.  Schaffer's  career  as  nuiyor  was  initiated 
by  the  bringing  about  of  some  much  needed 
reforms  in  the  municipal  government.  Those 
reforms,  however,  have  been  not  merely 
spasmodic,  but  have  been  carried  on  con- 
sistently and  conscientiously. 

On  December  26,  1878,  occurred  the 
marriage  of  Mr.  Schaffer  and  Miss  E.  F. 
Delveaux  at  Indianapolis.  Indiana.  Five 
children  were  born  of  this  marriage,  two 
daughters  and  three  sons,  Ida  Hawkins, 
Esther  Elcock,  Harley  W.,  Carl  B.,  and 
Henry  C.  Schaffer.  The  death  of  one  of  the 
sons,  Henry  C.  Schaffer,  his  father's  name- 
sake, occurred  September  30,  1891.  Mr. 
vSchaffer  was  bereaved  by  the  death  of  his 
wife  August  23,  1891.  On  September  19, 
1895.  Mr.  Schaffer  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Catherine  J.  McQuade  of  Rock  Island. 
One  child,  a  son,  C.  Harry  Schaffer,  has  been 
born  to  them. 

Mr.  Schaffer  is  an  adherent  to  the  Lutheran 
faith,  and  is  a  member  of  that  church.  In 
his  fraternal  connections  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Elks  and     f  the  Knights  of  Pvthias. 


S2 


HISTORIC     ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


Jiut  little  more  ran  he  said  of  this  man's 
honorable  career,  ^hich  is  now  in  its  zenith. 
He  has  enjoyed,  is  enjoyinu;  and  will  continue 
to  enjoy  the  confidence  and  respect  of  the 
people  of  his  city.  The  citizens  of  Rock 
Island  have  repeatedly  shown  their  sincere 
appreciation  of  Mr.  SchafTer's  untiring  in- 
dustry and  sterling  integrity.  He  was  an 
ideal  city  clerk  and  he  is  an  ideal  mayor. 
He  has  the  reins  of  city  government  firmlj- 
in  hand,  and  his  administration  so  far  has 
been  a  wise  and  just  one.  There  is  every 
reason  to  feel  assured  that  there  will  be  no 
departure  from  that  course.  His  executive 
ability  is  of  a  high  order.  '  Both  in  his  official 
and  in  his  private  life  Henry  C.  Schaffer 
deserves  and  has  the  highest  esteem  of  his 
fellow  men. 

..3P       C**      C6" 

y^     yg    >r-v 

WILLIAM  FISK  EASTMAN. 

VW-/1LJ.IA.M  FISKE  EASTMAX,  co-editor 
y(/  with  P.  S.  McGlynn,  of  the  Moline 
Daily  Dispatch  and  Weekly  Rcview- 
Dispalch,  and  postmaster  of  Moline.  was  liorn 
in  Ellisburg,  Jefferson  County,  New  York. 
November  11,  1844.  His  parents  were 
Charles  W.  Eastman,  Doctor  of  Medicine, 
and  Cynthia  (Fiske)  Eastman.  He  attended 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  village  and 
Union  Academy  in  the  neighboring  village  of 
Belleville.  Graduating  there  he  attended  Un- 
ion College  at  Schnectady,  New  York,  grathia- 
ting  in  the  scientific  course  in  1S66.  ami  taking 
first  honors  of  that  course.  In  the  meantime 
he  hail  been  teaching  in  the  district  schools, 
earning  in  this  way  and  by  conducting  a  liook 
store  in  his  room  at  college,  the  money  that 
paid  for  his  college  course. 

After  graduating  he  came  West  and  taught 
in  the  schools  of  .Maquoketa,  Iowa,  and 
.Sterling  and  Union  (irove,  Illinois,  e.\])ecting 
to  devote  his  life  to  that  work.  In  1872  his 
health  broke  down  and  he  sought  other 
business.  He  ]uucliased  the  Red  Oak  (Iowa) 
Express  and  conducted  it  a  few  months  when 


there  came  a  proposition  which  he  accepted, 
to  go  back  to  Sterling  and  purchase  a  half 
interest  in  the  Sterling  Gazette.  He  held  his 
half  interest  in  this  for  nearly  ten  years  when 
he  sold  it  because  his  health  again  broke  down. 

He  then  went  to  Huron,  South  Dakota, 
where  he  engaged  in  banking  with  a  partner, 
s]:)encling  his  own  time  on  a  farm  about 
twenty  miles  away,  his  partner  taking  charge 
of  the-  bank.  Unfortiuiately  the  business 
was  mismanaged  and  in  .June,  18S5,  he  was 
left  without  anything  he  could  call  his  own. 
After  a  few  months  spent  on  the  farm,  at  the 
same  time  being  editor  of  the  Dakota  Farmer, 
he  returned  to  Sterling  to  the  em]5loy  of  the 
Sterling  Gazette.  He  later  was  editor  of  the 
Farmer's  Budget  of  that  city  and  conducted 
a  job  printing  sho]i. 

In  April,  1889.  he  came  to  Moline  as  a 
third  owner  of  the  Western  Plowman,  which 
interest  he  held  for  twenty  months,  when  he 
became  interested  in  the  Moline  Dispatch. 
In  June.  1890,  the  :\[oline  Dispatch  Publish- 
ing Company  was  organized  with  Mr.  Mc- 
Glynn as  president  and  Jlr.  Eastman  as 
secretary  and  co-editors  of  the  paper.  To 
comply  with  the  state  laws  requiring  at  least 
three  stockholders  in  a  cor])oration.  Mrs, 
Eastman  and  Jlrs.  McGlynn  became  stock- 
holders, and  these  our  have  owned  and  con- 
trolletl  all  the  stock  from  that  time.  Under 
this  control  it  has  grown  to  be  one  of  the 
strong  pajiers  of  Northern  Illinois,  with  a 
circulation  and  advertising  ]iatronage  prob- 
ably not  exceeded  l)v  any  pa])er  in  the  State 
in  a  city  of  the  population  of  Moline.  The 
jiaper  has  been  Reptiblican  in  politics  and 
\nicom])r(Hnisingly  in  favor  of  tem])erance 
and  all  other  reforms. 

Mr.  Eastman  has  been  nuirried  twice.  His 
first  nuirriage  was  to  Miss  Frances  J.  Adams, 
of  Sterling,  June  18,  1872.  She  died  Febru- 
ary 22.  1876.  and  June  8,  1880,  he  married 
Miss  Myra  F.  Christopher,  daughter  of  John 
(iarrison  and  Chloe  Brewster  Christopher,  of 
Byron,  Illinois.  Their  only  daughter,  Louise  C, 


//  /  N  TONIC     HO  C  K     J  S  L  A  X  1)     C  0  U  .V  7'  V 


83 


was  born  October  28, 1881 ,  in  Sterling,  Illinois. 
She  graduated  at  the  Moline  High  School 
and  at  the  State  I'niver.sity  of  Nebraska. 

Mr.s.  Eastman  was  born  May  10.  18.50.  at 
Byron.  Her  father's  ancestry  reaches  back 
to  the  Dutch  merchantmen  of  New  York, 
and  her  mother's  to  Brewster  Bradford  and 
Hopkins  of  the  Mayflower  pilgrims.  She 
was  a  teacher  after  graduating  from  the  public 
schools  of  B^vron,  and  was  in  the  schools  of 
Sterling  several  years  before  her  marriage. 

Mr.  Eastman's  ancestry  is  English,  and 
comprises  such  names  among  the  early 
settlers  of  this  country  as  William  Brewster, 
John  Dwight,  Nathaniel  Fairbanks  and  Henry 
Adams.  Daniel  Fiske.  his  great  grandfather. 
was  a  surgeon  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill, 
and  a  corresponding  ancestor  on  his  father's 
side.  .Tared  Chittenden,  was  in  the  Revolu- 
tionar\-  Army  from  177.5  to  the  battle  of 
Yorktown.  His  father  was  in  the  Army  of 
the  I'nion  and  was  detailed  as  a  surgeon  at 
Camp  Dennison,  Ohio,  where  he  remained 
on  duty  some  months  after  his  term  of  enlist- 
ment expired. 

In  politics  yir.  Eastman  is  a  Republican. 
He  has  been  on  the  city  and  county  com- 
mittees of  his  party  and  was  chairman  of 
the  county  committee  in  the  strenuous  cam- 
paign of  1896.  He  became  postmaster  of 
Moline,  March  1,  1906. 

Mr.  Eastman  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Church.  He  belonged  to  the  church  at  Rock 
Island  for  many  years  after  coming  to 
Moline,  and  was  on  its  board  of  officers  for 
seventeen  years,  and  chairman  for  six  years, 
resigning  to  assist  in  the  organization  of  a 
church  of  that  faith  in  Moline. 
'SS  m  ^ 

FRANK  MIXTER. 

ONE  of  the  chief  industrial  upl)uilders  of 
Rock  Island,  a  man  who,  as  president 
of  two  of  the  City's  manufactories,  has 
proven  his  ability  both  as  an  organizer  and 
an  executive,  is  Frank  Mixter. 


He  was  born  November  7.  185.3,  at  Rock 
Island,  his  father  lieing  George  Mixter,  a 
sketch  of  whose  life  appears  upon  another 
jmge.  His  mother  was  Susan  Elizabeth 
(Gill)ert)  Mixter.  The  genealogical  record  of 
both  the  Mixter  and  the  Gilbert  families 
appears  in  the  sketch  of  our  subject's  fatlier, 
George  Mixter. 

Frank  Mixter 's  early  education  was  ob- 
tained in  the  ]3ublic  schools  of  his  native 
City,  and  after  graduating  from  the  High 
School  he  entered  the  I'niversity  of  Heidel- 
berg, at  Heidelberg.  Germany,  for  a  year. 
With  the  excejition  of  that  one  year  at 
Heidelberg,  ilr.  Mixter  has  made  his  home 
continuously  in  Rock  Island  to  the  present 
time. 

On  April  5,  1877,  he  was  married  at  South- 
port,  Connecticut,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Bradley, 
Southjiort  being  her  birthplace  and  home. 
Her  forbears  were  the  old  Colonial  family  of 
Bradleys  and  Sherwoods,  and  she  is  now 
Regent  of  Fort  Armstrong  Chapter,  Daughters 
of  the  American  Revolution.  Two  children 
have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mixter,  a 
daughter,  Florence  I>oiusa,  now  the  wife  of 
Frederick  Brown  Wells,  whose  birth[)lace  and 
early  home  was  also  Southport,  Connecticut. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wells  now  live  at  Mount  ^"ernon, 
New  York.  A  son,  William  Bradley  Mixter, 
graduated  at  Yale  Scientific  School  in  1905 
with  the  Degree  of  Bachelor  of  Philosophy, 
and  from  the  Yale  College  with  the  Degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  He  is  now  in  the 
employ  of  the  Westinghouse  Electrical  Com- 
pany at  Pittsburg,  Penn.sylvania. 

Mr.  ]\Iixter  has  been,  and  is,  a  successful 
business  man.  He  is  president  of  the  Rock 
Island  Stove  Company,  and  also  of  the  Rock 
Island  Buggy  Company.  He  is  also  a 
director  in  the  Rock  Island  Plow  Company. 
It  is  to  the  Rock  Island  Stove  Company, 
however,  that  Mr.  Mixter  devotes  the  most 
of  his  time,  an  industry  that  is  constantly 
growing  and  whose  output  is  distributed 
throughout   a  large  territory. 


84 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


He  is  II  consistent  nit'inhcr  (if  15ni;i(i\vay 
Presbyterian  Church,  tlio  chiu'ch  at  which 
his  father  was  an  attendant  throufiliont  his  life. 

In  poUtics  Mr.  Mixter  is  a  Republican, 
ah  hough  he  has  never  been  an  aspirant  fur 
])olitical  favors. 

Mr.  Mixter  is  a  nicnihor  of  such  an  olil 
Rock  IsLind  family,  and  is  so  well  l<ii()\vn 
throu.shout  liock  Island  County  that  any 
laudatory  words  would  be  superfluous.  C^^'iet 
and  unostentatious  in  manner,  in  no  way 
egotistic,  he  has  always  been  known  to  stand 
for  what  were  the  best  interests  of  the  City 
that  is  his  home.  He  is  a  good  citizen  and 
a  good  man,  and  when  that  can  be  truthfully 
said  of  any  individual  it  leaves  little  else 
unsaid. 

ig    5g    jg 

HUGH  A.  J.  McDonald. 

MR.  McDonald  was  bom  in  the  City 
of  Rock  Island,  Illinois,  November  13, 
1S62.  the  son  of  H.  A.  J.  and  Sarah  J. 
McDonald,  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  He  was 
married  to  Mary  C.  Gall  June  5,  1889,  in  Rock 
Islanil,  Illinois.  The  offspring  of  this  union 
are  Hugh  Karl  and  Tieorge  Hobart  McDonald, 
iioth  resilient   in    Rock  Island. 

Mr.  McDonald  was  a  member  of  the  State 
Infantry  of  Illinois,  Company  A,  Sixth  Regi- 
ment, from  1884  until  1893,  wheti  he  resigned 
with  the  rank  of  Captain,  which  he  had  held 
during  the  last  eighteen  months  of  his  ser\ice. 

He  was  manager  of  the  business  of  David 
Don   from   ISS'J  to   1902. 

On  November  13,  1902,  he  was  apj)ointed 
by  Governor  Yates  as  Chief  Clerk  of  Illinois 
Western  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  which 
position  he  held  till  March  1,  1906.  During 
this  period,  for  the  sjjace  of  one  year  1903 
to  1904 — he  was  Captain  and  Adjutant  of 
ills  old  Regiment,  the  Sixth  Illinois  infantry. 

For  a  period  of  two  years  .Mr.  .McDonald 
was  City  Collectoi'  (if  Hdck  Island,  resigning 
the  ])osition  in  189'),  on  accoiuil  (if  iiici'easing 
duties  in  other  directions. 


.\])l)ointed  as  postmaster  at  Rock  Island, 
by  President  Roosevelt,  on  February  1.  1906, 
he  took   charge  on   March    1. 

.Mr.  .McDonald's  education  was  accpiired  in 
the  public  schools  and  in  the  International 
Business  College,   at    Davenport,   Iowa. 

He  is  Past  Commander  of  Rock  Island 
Commandery  Knights  Templars,  member  of 
Trio  Lodge  No.  57  Ancient  Free  and  .\ccept- 
ed  Masons,  member  of  Rock  Island  Chajiter 
No.  18  Royal  Arch  Masons,  Kaaba  Temple 
Nobles  of  Mystic  Shrine,  etc. 

Mr.  McDonald  is  a  member  of  Central 
Presbyterian  Church.  In  )iolitics  he  is  a 
Republican. 

?S    Sg    Sg 

GEORGE  MIXTER. 

A    GENTLEMAN  of  education,  refinement 
and   culture,   an   Easterner   who   came 
to  Rock  Island  in  the  early  days,  and 
who  spent  a  busy  and  useful  lifetime  in  this 
community,    was    George    Mixter,    deceased, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

He  was  born  in  Hardwick.  .Massachusetts. 
April  28,  1835,  and  died  in  Rock  Island  April 
20.  1897.  He  was  of  English  extraction. 
The  first  Mixter  who  came  to  .\mei'ica  was 
an  English  sea  captain  of  that  name,  who 
came  to  this  country  ami  settled  in  Plymouth 
in  1630,  and  from  him  the  Mixter  family,  so 
well  known  throughout  Rock  Islantl  County, 
trace  their  ancestry. 

Mr.  Mixter's  education  was  obtained  in  th(> 
schools  of  his  native  State,  and  later  he 
attended  Yale  Iiiiversity,  then  Yale  College, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1836.  In  that 
same  year  he  came  \Vest  and  settled  in  Rock 
Island,  which  was  his  home  until  his  death, 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  years  spent  at 
Dixon.  Illinois.  He  li\ed  in  a  log  cabin  on 
the  north  si(_le  of  what  is  now  f^econd  .Avenue, 
iietween  Eleventh  and  Twelfth  Streets. 
Shortly  after  locating  here  he  took  up  the 
study  of  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  Illinois 
Bar,    but   was   never   engaged    in   the   active 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


85 


practice  of  his  profession,  choosing  instead  a 
commercial  career.  In  fact,  he  was  engaged 
in  the  trial  of  but  one  case.  Abandoning  his 
intention  of  engaging  in  the  practice  of  law, 
Mr.  Mixter  enibarl<efl  in  the  lumber  business 
and  this  engaged  his  attention  until  1863. 
From  an  early  da>'  until  iiis  death  Mr.  Mi.xter 
was  interested  iu  many  factories  both  here 
and  elsewhere,  liut  took  no  acti\'e  part  in 
their  management. 

On  January  1,  1S45,  Mi-.  .Mixlcr  was 
married  at  Moline,  Illinois,  to  Miss  Susan 
Elizabeth  Gilbert.  After  his  marriage  he 
removed  witli  his  wife  to  Dixon,  Illinois, 
where  he  remained  for  a  few  years  engaged 
in  a  land  office.  While  at  Dixon  their  oldest 
son,  William  Gilliert  Mixter,  was  born.  He 
is  now  professor  at  Yale.  Three  children, 
George.  Elizabeth  and  Mary  died  when  very 
young.  A  daughter,  Susan,  died  at  the  age 
of  twenty-three.  Another  daughter,  Carrie, 
is  now  the  wife  of  C.  W.  Cook.  They  reside 
at  Shawnee,  Oklahoma.  Two  sons,  Charles 
Knox  Mixter  and  Frank  Mixter,  live  in  Rock 
Island,  sketches  of  their  lives  appearing  else- 
where in  this  book. 

Mr.  Mixter  was  never  ambitious  to  hold 
political  ofKce  himself,  and  although  a  stauncii 
Republican,  the  only  office  he  ever  held  was 
an  honorary  one  as  member  of  the  Rock  Island 
School  Board,  which  position  he  filled  for 
many  years.  His  broad  education  and  com- 
prehensive knowledge  made  him  a  most 
valuable  member  of  such  a  Board,  and  his 
hand  was  potent  in  molding  the  development 
of  the  Rock  Island  Public  Schools.  Although, 
as  has  been  stated,  he  was  not  self-seeking  iu 
the  field  of  politics,  he  nevertheless  took  a 
keen  interest  in  affairs  political.  He  was  a 
forceful  public  speaker  and  made  many  politi- 
cal  speeches   during  the  Fifties  and  Sixties. 

He  was  a  man  of  deei).  religious  conviction, 
and  was  an  attendant  of  the  Broadway 
Presbyterian  Cliurch  of  Rock  Island. 

He  was  a  man  of  most  unusual  education 
and   attainments  in  that  early  dav,  when  a 


college  education  was  a  rarity  and  its  po.s- 
sessor  was  a  person  looked  up  to  and  revered 
because  of  it.  There  was  about  Mr.  Mixter, 
however,  not  the  faintest  trace  of  egotism  or 
conceit,  and  he  walked  through  the  world 
with  that  unostentatiousness  which  always 
marks  the  truly  well  educated  man.  He  was 
fond  of  literature,  a  great  reader  and  a 
delightful  com])anion,  a  man  greatly  beloved 
by  those  who  knew  him,  kindly,  considerate 
and  of  a  kindly  disjiosition.  In  short  it  may 
be  said  that  he  was  a  gentleman,  possessing 
all  the  attril)utes  which  that  term  implies. 

5i    5S    Si 

BENJAniN   HARPER. 

THE  subject  of  this  sketch  neeils  no  intro- 
duction to  the  older  generation  of  Rock 
Island  County,  the  larger  enterprises  of 
which    he    was    intimately    associated    with 
througliout  the  many  years  of  his  residence 
here. 

Benjamin  Harjier  was  l)orn  February  12, 
1S17,  in  the  City  of  Philadelphia,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  died  April  3,  1SS7,  in  the  City  of 
Rock  Island,  Illinois. 

When  about  fourteen  years  of  age  his 
parents  removed  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where 
he  served  his  apprenticeship  to  the  wagon- 
maker's  trafle,  upon  completion  of  which, 
that  s]iirit  of  bold  initiative  and  energy 
which  characterized  his  whole  after  life, 
asserted  itself  in  a  determination  to  launch 
out  upon  an  independent  business  career. 
The  story  of  his  start,  and  his  rapid  conquest 
of  fortune,  affords  an  interesting  contrast  to 
the  conditions  of  success  demanded  by  our 
modern  youth. 

Young  Benjamin's  father  was  a  small 
farmer,  on  what  was  then  the  Western  fron- 
tier. Naturally,  he  possessed  scant  means 
that  he  could  afford  to  venture  as  a  capital 
stake  for  his  young  .son,  but  the  boy  needed 
only  half  a  chance,  as  the  event  will  show. 
Mr.  Harper  happened  to  have  in  his  cellar  a 
considerable  stock  of  cider.     This  he  gave  to 


S6 


HISTORIC    HOCK    I SL A N  D    COUNTY 


Benjamin,  telling  him  to  dispose  of  it  as  he 
pleased.  Yomig  Harper  loaded  the  cider  on 
to  a  flat-boat,  floated  it  down  the  Ohio  River 
to  St.  Louis,  and  sold  it.  With  the  money 
this  gained  he  purchased  a  stock  of  general 
merchandise,  and  pushing  North  to  Piqua, 
Ohio,  there  he  set  up  in  busness,  continuing 
prosperously  until  the  year  1838,  when  he 
removed  his  stock  to  Tully,  Lewis  County, 
near  Canton.  Missouri,  where  he  added  the 
pork  packing  business  to  his  other  lines.  His 
wealth  grew  rapidly  during  the  succeeding 
twelve  years,  at  the  expiration  of  which  time, 
in  the  year  1850,  he  closed  out  his  business  in 
Tully,  and  journeyed  Westward  to  the  City 
that  was  to  be  his  home  during  the  rest  of  his 
life — Rock  Island.  Illinois. 

By  this  time  ilr.  Harper  had  accumulated 
what  was  in  verj^  fact,  in  those  days,  a  large 
fortune — seventy-five  thousand  dollars.  With 
this  capital  he  established  a  large  packing 
business  in  Rock  Island,  and  prosecuted  it 
with  such  energy  and  success,  that  five  j^ears 
later,  he  became  sole  owner  of  the  Rock 
Island  Gas  Company,  in  the  control  of  which 
he  continued  for  a  period  of  twenty  years. 

With  increasing  wealth  Mr.  Harper's  field 
of  enterprise  widened.  He  purchased,  in 
1860,  the  Island  City  Hotel,  which  occupied 
the  present  site  of  the  Harper  House.  Having 
reconstructed  the  building,  he  named  it  the 
Rodman  House. 

The  new  building  burned  down  before  it 
was  completed,  inflicting  a  heavy  loss  upon 
Mr.  Harper,  but,  with  characteristic  courage 
and  energ}%  he  at  once  began  again,  and  the 
structure  that  he  erected  still  stands,  the 
well  known  Harper  House  of  Rock  Island. 
It  was  for  many  years  the  best  hotel  in  all 
the  West,  and  it  is  today  in  the  front  rank 
of  Western  hosterlies — a  splendid  monument 
to  the  local  patriotism  and  generous  enter- 
prise of  its  projector. 

The  oj)ening  of  the  famous  Inn  marked  an 
epoch  in  the  history  of  the  City,  and  the 
citizens,  grateful  for  the  distinguished  ]iul)lic 


service,  presented  Mr.  Harper  with  a  six- 
hundred-dollar  piano,  antl  a  silver  pitcher 
costing  two  hundred  dollars.  The  house  was 
brillianth-  opened  on  Washington's  Birthday, 
February  22,  1871. 

Harper  Theatre  was  erected  in  the  year 
1878.  and  to  its  business  Mr.  Harpe  gave  his 
personal  attention  for  a  number  of  years. 

Mr.  Harper  built  more  dwelling  houses  in 
Rock  Island  during  his  life  than  any  other 
man — one  of  the  highest  and  most  public- 
spirited  forms  of  service  that  a  wealthy  man 
can  render  to  his  citv — and  to  his  initiative 
in  this  field  is  largely  due  the  rapid  growth  of 
the  City's  population.  He  built  succes.sfully 
a  number  of  residences  for  his  own  occupancy, 
the  last  of  these  being  the  stately  mansion  at 
the  head  of  Eighteenth  Street,  where  he 
passed  the  closing  years  of  his  prolonged, 
active  and  useful  life. 

Mr.  Harper's  friends  who  survive  him.  bear 
testimony  to  his  generous  public  spirit.  The 
Harper  House  alone  cost  him  more  than  a 
hundred  thousand  dollars;  and  it  has  bene- 
fited the  business  interests  of  the  City  to  the 
extent  of  many  times  that  much.  Hundreds 
of  thousands  of  dollars  beside  were  spent  by 
him  in  the  public  and  quasi-public  improve- 
ment. No  man  has  done  more  than  he  to 
make  Rock  Island  the  famed  and  prosperous 
City  that  it  is. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Harper  was  a  staunch 
Republican.  He  served  with  honor  as  Mayor 
of  Rock  Island,  to  which  office  he  was  twice 
elected.  He  was  a  charter  member  of  Rock 
Island  Lodge,  Ancient,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons. 

.\lways  alert  in  promoting  new  industries 
for  the  public  welfare,  he  enjoyed  the  con- 
fidence and  grateful  regard  of  his  fellow 
citizens.  In  his  domestic  life  he  was  quiet, 
and  of  simple  tastes,  and  lovingly  devoted  to 
his  family. 

Mr.  Harper's  marriage  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Perkins,  of  Moline,  Illinois,  was  solemnized 
April  1,   1857.     Died  August  9,   1899. 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


81 


The  members  of  liiis  family  who  survive 
them  are: 

Lucy,  widow  of  H.  J.  Lowery,  of  Chicago. 

Elizabeth,  wife  of  F.  J.  Kinney,  of  Lincoln, 
Nebraska. 

Thomas  R.,  residing  in  Rock  Island. 

Stuart,  of  Rock  Island. 

Fay  R.,  of  New  York  City. 

A  son,  Benjamin,  died  in  the  year  1S84.  in 
Rock  Island. 


LUKE  E.  HEMENWAY. 

MR.  LUKE  E.  HEMENWAY,  father  of 
Charles,  F.,  whose  biography  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  book,  was  born  in 
Shoreham,  Vermont.  August  7,  1816.  His 
father  was  Francis  S.,  born  at  Grafton, 
Massachusetts.  January  23,  1784,  and  his 
mother  was  Clara  Tiu-rill,  boi-u  in  the  year 
1 786. 

He  was  a  direct  tlescendant  of  Ralph  Hem- 
enway  and  Elizabeth  Hewes,  who  were 
married  at  Roxbury,  Massachusetts,  July  5, 
1634.  He  received  a  common  school  educa- 
tion at  Shoreham,  Vermont.  Leaving  home 
at  the  age  of  thirteen,  he  worked  in  a  store 
at  Bethel.  Vermont,  until  the  year  183S,  when 
he  removed  to  Grand  de  Tour,  Illinois,  where 
he  married  Jane  E.  Marsh,  June  23,  1842. 

On  August  7,  1855,  Mr.  Hemenway  removed 
to  Moline,  Illinois,  to  take  charge  of  the 
offices  of  the  John  Deere  Plow  Works.  In 
the  year  1860  he  became  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Hemenway,  Wyckoff  &  Company,  now 
the  Barnard  &  Leas  Manufacturing  Company, 
and  1864  the  call  of  his  country  prevailed 
against  the  demands  of  business.  He  was 
elected  Captain  of  Company  H,  One  Hundred 
and  Thirty-second  Illinois  Infantry,  and 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Then,  his 
public  duty  discharged,  he  returned  to  Moline 
and  took  charge  of  the  office  of  the  Moline 
Plow  Company,  in  which  connection  he  con- 
tinued until  failing  health  led  him  to  resign 
his  position  in  1875.    ■ 


Subsequently,  he  was  agent  for  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  and  Quincy  Railroad,  continuing 
therein  until  his  appointment  as  postmaster 
in  1877,  which  office  he  held  for  a  period  of 
nine  years,  Mr.  M.  J.  McEnery  succeeding 
him,  under  appointment  by  President  Cleve- 
land. He  served  the  City  of  Moline  as 
Trustee  for  several  terms:  also  as  .\lderman, 
and  as  City  Clerk. 

Mr.  Hemenway  died  at  Moline,  Illinois. 
April  27,  1903. 

Though  active  in  public  business,  Mr. 
Hemenway  was  of  a  quiet,  retiring  disposi- 
tion, and  of  strong  literary  tastes.  He  was 
a  great  reader,  and  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  kept  posted  in  all  important  current 
events,  and  was  familiar  with  the  latest 
literary  productions.  He  was  surpassed  by 
few,  in  private  life,  in  knowledge  of  Ancient 
History. 

Politically,  Mr.  Hemenway  was  originally 
a  Whig,  and  afterwards  a  Republican.  At 
the  time  of  his  death  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Tippecanoe  Club  of  Des  Moines,  Iowa. 

His  religious  affiliation  was,  for  a  number 
of  years,  with  the  Universalist  Church  in 
.Moline,  and  after  that  church  was  dissolved, 
he  joined  the  Congregational  Church. 

He  was  one  of  the  charter  members  of 
Doric  Lodge,  Ancient,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons;  also  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows, 
and  of  Graham  Post.  Grand  .\rmy  of  the 
Republic. 

m  m  m 
CHARLES  F.  HEMENWAY. 

A  PROMINENT  and  active  figure  in  the 
business  life  of  Moline,  Illinois,  has  been, 
and  still  is.  Mr.  Charles  F.  Hemenway, 
tlie  well  known  dealer  in  real  estate  and  loans. 
Mr.  Hemenwa\'  was  born  November  1. 
1846,  at  Grand  de  Tour,  Illinois.  His  father's 
name  was  Luke  E.  Hemenway  (to  whom  a 
special  article  is  devoted  in  this  book),  who 
married  Jane  E.  Marsh,  at  Grand  de  Tour, 
June  23,  1842. 


S8 


HISTORIC     R  0  C  K     I  S  LAND     CO  U  N  T  Y 


Tlie  Henieiiways  are  diroct  ilescendants  of 
Ralph  Hemenway  and  Klizalicth  Hewes.  who 
were  married  at  lloxbury.  M;i.ssachusetts, 
July  5,  1634.  Their  grandson,  Daniel  Hem- 
enway, was  a  delegate  to  the  convention  that 
framed  the  Constitution  of  Massachusetts. 
He  was  Treasurer  for  the  Patentees  of  the 
Town  of  Shoreham,  A'ermont,  in  the  year 
1S73.  From  him  is  descended  the  subject  of 
this  sketch. 

Mr.  Hemenway  received  a  conmion  school 
education  in  the  Schools  of  Grand  de  Tour 
and  Moline,  finishing  at  the  latter  place  at 
the  age  of  fourteen. 

He  left  home  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  to  accept 
a  position  in  the  postoffice  at  Lansing,  Iowa. 
November  1.5,  1861. 

On  August  13,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company 
H,  Twenty-seventh  Iowa  Infantry,  \'ohm- 
teers,  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  and  was 
honorably  discharged  at  Vickshurg,  Missis- 
sippi, .June  6,  1865,  with  the  rank  of  Corporal. 
Mr.  Hemenway  served  with  his  company 
during  the  campaign  in  Northern  Mississippi, 
being  present  at  the  capture  of  Holly  Springs, 
of  that  State.  He  was  detailed  as  clerk  at 
Headqiuirters  of  the  Third  Brigade.  Sixteenth 
Army  Corps,  July  11,  1863;  again  as  clerk  in 
the  Adjutant-General's  Office,  Sixteenth  Army 
Corps,  Decenilier  4,  1863,  antl  as  clerk  at 
Headquarters  of  the  Department  of  Missis- 
sippi, January  13,  186.5,  where  he  was  on  duty 
when  discharged. 

The  war  ended,  Mr.  Hemenway  returned 
home  from  the  service  of  his  ct)untry.  and  on 
June  12,  186.5.  entered  the  First  National 
liank  of  M(ilin(\  as  Ixiokkceprr.  In  April, 
1869,  he  was  elected  assistant  cashier  and 
active  manager  of  the  Manufacturers'  Hank 
of  Moline,  and  in  the  year  1871  cashier  of  the 
Moline  National  and  Moline  Savings  Hanks, 
which  olfice  he  filled  until  li)()(),  when  he 
re.signed  to  engage  in  his  |)resent  business — 
real  estate  and  loans. 

Mr.  Hemenway  served  several  terms  as 
Treasurer    of    the    City    of    .Moline.  and    two 


terms  as  .Mdcrnum.  He  was  appointed 
notary  public  when  he  was  but  twenty-one 
years  of  age,  and  has  continued  in  that  office 
up  to  the  present  time. 

In  politics  he  has  been  from  the  first  a 
Republican.  His  religious  connection  is  with 
the  First  Unitarian  Church  of  Moline. 

Mr.  Hemenway  is  a  member  of  Graliam 
Tost,  Grand  Armj^  of  the  Reput)lic. 

He  was  married  November  4,  1869,  to 
Mary  E.  Harrold,  daughter  of  Henry  D.  and 
Nancy  Harrold,  his  wife  having  been  born  in 
Rock    Island    County,    Illinois.    February    1, 

i;_,4s. 

Five  children  were  the  issue  of  this  imion. 
fo\u'  of  whom  are  now  living,  namely:  Martha 
J.,  wife  of  C.  R.  Hull,  of  Indianapolis.  Indiana: 
Harrold,  Francis  B.  and  Joseph  C,  the  three 
latter  residing  with  their  jiarents  in   Muliiie. 

m  m  -^ 
GEORGE  W.  STEPHENS. 

Gi:ORGI':  W.  STEPHENS  was  born  Feb- 
ruary  22,   1799,  in   Ligonier   Township, 
Westmoreland     County,     Pennsylvania, 
and  died  at  Moline,  Illinois,  July  12,  1892. 

He  was  christened  (!corge  Washington 
Stephens  because  of  his  bii'thday  being  the 
same  as  that  of  the  Father  of  our  Country, 
but  he  dropped  the  "Washington"  from  his 
name  because  of  a  dislike  of  seeing  the  names 
of  distinguished  men  attached  to  others. 
His  father  was  Randall  Stephens,  a  soldier 
of  the  war  of  1812  and  the  grandson  of  Cap- 
tain Alexander  Stephens  who  was  attached 
to  the  .\rmy  of  the  Second  Kdward  the  Pre- 
tender. After  the  battle  of  Culloden  in 
which  the  forces  of  Edward  were  disastrously 
defeated,  Alexander  Stephens  fled  to  this 
country,  where  he  entered  the  Army  of 
Washington  anil  fought  iiivler  him  in  the 
French  and  Indian  wars.  He  founded  what 
was  known  as  the  Penn  Colony  at  the  junc- 
tion of  the  Sus(iuelianna  and  Junniata 
Rivers  in  1 716.  Some  years  later  a  son, 
.\mos,  was  granted  llS-acr(^s  of  land  in  West- 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


89 


moreland  County  by  the  State  for  distin- 
guished service  of  his  father  in  the  Revohi- 
tion,  and  this  land  is  still  in  the  possession  of 
the  family,  the  son  of  a  sister  owning  it. 

Alexander  afterward  went  to  Georgia, 
where  his  grandson,  Alexander  Hamiltf)n 
Stephens,  became  a  United  States  Senator 
and  the  \"ice- President  of  the  Confederate 
States.  His  mother,  Martha  Boggs,  was  a 
resident  of  Pennsylvania. 

Mr.  Stephens  came  West  in  1S41  without  a 
dollar  save  what  he  had  earned.  He  had 
given  all  he  had  received  from  his  father  to 
a  brother  who  was  married,  and  whuni  ho 
thought  needed  the  family  inheritance  more 
than  he  did.  He  had  learned  the  millwright's 
trade  and  had  built  several  mills  in  Penn- 
sylvania and  Ohio,  so  that  he  was  well 
equipped  for  the  work  there  was  in  Moline. 
He  told  his  friends  when  he  went  away  that 
he  would  not  come  back  until  he  had  a 
thousand  dollars,  an  amotmt  that  among  the 
farmers  of  the  rugged  hills  of  Pennsylvania, 
was  a  large  fortune,  l^ut  on  his  way  here  he 
was  offered  the  construction  of  a  mill  in 
Northwestern  Pennsyh'ania,  and  as  he  I'dund 
no  work  awaiting  him  on  his  arrival  in 
Moline  he  returned  and  built  the  mill  in 
Pennsylvania  and  came  back  to  Moline  in 
1S43.  The  flouring  mill  of  D.  B.  Sears  was 
then  ready  for  the  machinery.  Soon  after 
this  he  built  the  sawmill  on  the  Islam!  for 
Sears,  Wood  &  Company.  He  had  charge 
of  the  machinery  of  that  mill  for  five  years. 
In  18.59,  in  company  with  .lonathan  Huntoon 
and  Timothy  Wood,  he  leased  the  null,  and 
two  years  later  the  three  men  bought  it,  the 
firm  name  being  Stephens,  Himtoon  it  Wood. 
They  made  furniture  in  addition  to  running 
a  sawmill.  Their  mill  was  a  very  large  one 
for  those  times,  having  a  capacity  of  3,000,000 
feet  annually.  In  1864  the  owners  were 
notified  by  the  Oovernment  to  leave  the 
Island,  but  an  extension  of  time  was  granted 
them  and  it  was  not  until  1866  that  they  left. 
The   Government   ])ai(l    them    $28,270.00   for 


their  projierty  in  1867.  In  1865  Henry 
Candee.  R.  K.  Swan  and  Andrew  Furberg  had 
organized  a  company  for  the  manufacture  of 
hayrakes,  fanning  mills  and  kindred  machin- 
ery, with  a  cajiital  of  .118,000.  Mr.  Swan 
believed  there  was  room  for  a  second  plow 
factory  in  Moline.  and  when  Mr.  Stephens 
was  out  of  the  sawmill  business  Mr.  Swan 
urged  him  to  come  into  their  firm  and  make 
it  a  plow  company.  The  Company  was 
formed  with  a  capital  of  $24,000.  In  1870 
it  was  incor])orated  as  the  Moline  Plow 
Company  with  a  capital  of  $2.50,000.  This 
iuis  been  increased  until  it  is  now  $6,000,000. 

^Ir.  Ste])iiens  became  its  First  Vice-Presi- 
dent, holding  that  position  until  1885  when 
he  resigned  aiul  made  a  tri].)  to  Mexico. 
Upon  the  death  of  S.  W.  Wheelock  Mr. 
Stejihens  was  made  President  and  held  that 
])osition  until  his  death,  at  which  time  tlie 
Board  of  Directors  passed  the  following  reso- 
lutions, showing  their  sincere  regard  for  him: 

"Mr.  George  Ste])hens,  our  dearly  l)el()\-ed 
President,  at  the  age  of  four  score  years  and 
three,  dejiarted  this  mortal  life  on  the  night 
of  .Inly  12tli.  (Juietly,  peacefully  and  with- 
out pain  he  passed  away,  a  gentle  and  fitting 
end  for  the  kindly  gentleman  who  by  his 
upright  and  just  nature,  his  unblemished 
rejnitation  and  his  amiable  characteristics 
endeared  himself  to  all  with  whom  he  came 
in  contact." 

"Virtue,  truth  and  sobriety  were  ever  dear 
to  him.  All  through  his  life  he  earnestly 
endeavored  to  practice  and  follow  these 
attril:)utes.  Like  the  sturdy  oak  of  the  forest 
he  was  a  moniunent  of  honor  and  strength 
among  his  fellow  men,  and  always  stood 
before  the  world  as  a  type  f>f  the  square,  just, 
upright  and  honorable  man." 

"He  was  a  plain  num.  who  lox'ed  his  home 
and  family.  He  was  a  just  num.  who  never 
consciously  wronged  a  person.  He  was  a 
kind  nuui,  whose  jjrivate  aid  to  the  distressed 
was  heartfelt  and  characteristic  of  his  noble 
spirit.     His   memory    will   long   be   cherished 


90 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


by  those  who  enjoyed  his  accnuuntaiice  and 
friendship.  As  a  tribute  to  his  memory  and 
in  commemoration  of  onr  roK^^rd.  esteem  and 
love  be  it, 

"Resolved  and  Ordered.  That  a  jiage  of  o\ir 
records  be  inscribed  with  this  memorial  and 
copies  transmitted  to  the  family  and  press." 
' '  By  Committee  of  Board  of  Direc- 
tors of  Moline  Plow  Co." 
••Moline.  Illinois.  .Inly  21.  1902." 

Mr.  Stephen's  energy  made  the  business 
grow  from  the  time  he  took  an  interest  in  it 
\mtil  the  factory  became  one  of  the  largest  in 
the  workl. 

Mr.  Stephens'  education  was  limited  to  that 
which  he  could  get  in  the  private  schools 
about  his  home,  but  he  was  a  great  reader, 
especially  on  scientific  subjects,  and  he  in- 
vestigated carefully  the  latest  scientific  theor- 
ies as  they  came  out.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
in  Moline  to  adopt  the  theory  of  evolution. 
His  mind  became  stored  with  knowledge 
acquired  in  this  way. 

In  1846  he  married  Miss  Mary  A.  Gardner 
of  Rock  Island.  She  was  born  near  Ithaca, 
New  York,  and  like  her  husband,  was  of  a 
distinguished  ancestry,  being  of  the  family  of 
Stephen  Hopkins,  one  of  the  signers  of  tlie 
Declaration  of  Independence,  and  Esek  Hop- 
kins, the  founder  of  the  American  Xavy. 
She  was  also  a  descendant  of  the  Wilkinson 
family  that  founded  the  City  of  Providence, 
Rhode  Island.  She  died  on  the  4th  of  Feli- 
ruary,  1888. 

There  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stephens 
eight  children,  six  of  whom  are  still  living. 
they  being  G.  A.  and  C.  H.  Stephens.  .Mary, 
wife  of  George  H.  Huntoon;  Minnie,  wife  of 
F.  G.  Allen;  Nellie,  wife  of  Charles  H.  Lippin- 
cott,  Hollywood,  California,  and  Ada  E.,  of 
Moline. 

Mr.  Stephens  in  his  life  was  one  of  the  most 
genial  of  men.  He  met  all  the  men  in  his 
employ  as  men,  and  they  all  entertained  the 
highest  respect  for  him  as  a  man.  .\niong 
business   men   he   was   looked    to   as   a    clear 


headed  man  whose  advice  was  always  sound. 
He  was  a  man  of  the  highest  integrity  in  all 
business  matters,  and  his  great  business 
ability  has  been  shown  in  the  growth  of  the 
great  institution  (if  which  he  was  at  the 
head. 


MAJOR  CHARLES  W.  HAWES. 


M-" 


A.IOH  ('HAHLi:s  \V.  HAWES  is  prob- 
the  oldest  male  "native"  of  Rock 
Island,  Illinois,  born  within  the  Village 
of  Stephenson,  now  embraced  in  the  city 
limits  of  Rock  Island,  prior  to  1842.  His 
father  was  David  Hawes,  a  native  of  Belcher- 
town,  Massachusetts,  and  his  mother  was 
Julia  M.  Babcoek,  a  native  of  Ware.  Massa- 
chusetts, both  of  Revolutionary  stock.  (See 
l)iogra]ihv  David  Hawes.) 

Major  Hawes's  father  arrived  in  Rock 
Island  from  Massachusetts  via  St.  Louis  and 
the  Mississippi  River  in  October,  1835,  where 
Mrs.  Hawes  joined  him  later,  and  Major 
Hawes  was  born  March  7,  1841.  He  had  the 
advantage  of  a  better  education  than  most 
frontier  boys  of  his  day.  attending  the 
Harsha  Academy  at  Di.xon.  Illinos.  after 
graduating  from  the  local  schools. 

.\t  the  outbreak  of  the  Wur  in  1861,  he 
was  serving  as  deputy  sheriff  imder  his 
father,  who  was  then  Sheriff  of  Rock  Island 
County.  On  July  20,  1861.  Major  Hawes 
enlisted  in  ComjKmy  A,  of  the  Thirty-seventh 
Illinois  Infantry.  Volunteers,  being  made 
first  sergeant  of  the  Company.  The  Com- 
panies of  the  Regiment  assembled  at  Camp 
Webli.  Chicago,  Illinois,  and  it  was  there, 
while  the  Regiment  of  raw  recruits  was  being 
whipped  into  fighting  condition,  that  Major 
Hawes  received  his  first  promotion.  He  was 
commissioned  second  Lieutenant  on  August 
10.  1861.  On  December  31,  1861,  he  was 
commissioned  as  first  Lieutenant,  and  on 
July  20,  1862,  one  year  from  the  date  of  his 
enlistment,  he  was  raised  to  the  rank  of 
Captain. 


MAJOR  CHAS.    W.    HAWES 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


91 


As  Captain  of  his  Company,  Major  Hawes 
served  with  credit  in  the  Army  of  the  Fron- 
tier, later  known  as  the  Thirteenth  Army 
Corps,  of  wh'.ch  his  Regiment  was  a  part. 
With  his  Regiment  he  ])articipated  in  the 
Battle  of  Pea  Ridge,  the  engagements  at 
Prairie  Grove  and  Cape  Clirardeau  and  in  the 
memorable  siege  of  Vicksburg. 

In  September,  1863,  Major  Hawes  was 
again  promoted  for  meritorious  service,  this 
time  to  the  rank  of  Major.  He  was  then 
transferred  to  the  Ninety-second  United 
States  Contraband  Troops,  then  being  organ- 
ized at  New  Orleans,  Louisiana,  which  Regi- 
ment he  drilled  until  orders  for  active  service 
came.  With  his  Regiment  he  participated 
in  the  Red  River  campaign,  including  the 
battles  of  Morganzie  Bend,  Yellow  Hayou 
and  Bayou  Teche. 

In  1865  Major  Hawes  was  assigned  to  duty 
as  superintendent  of  the  bureau  of  refugees, 
contrabands  and  abandoned  lands,  with  liead- 
quarters  at  New  Orleans,  Louisiana,  and  was 
not  mustered  out  of  service  until  December 
31,  1865,  having  rendered  a  continuous 
service  of  four  years  and  six  months. 

Major  Hawes  achieved  an  enviable  rejiuta- 
tion  as  a  regimental  drill  master  while  in 
active  service,  and  it  was  this  and  his  love  of 
the  soldier's  life  that  led  to  his  acceptijnce  in 
1878  of  the  captaincy  of  the  Rodman  Rifles 
of  Rock  Island,  which  he  made  the  crack 
Company  of  the  then  strong  national  guard 
of  Illinois,  composed,  as  it  was,  largely  of 
veterans  of  the  Civil  War.  In  1879  Major 
Hawes  was  commissioned  Major  of  the 
Fourteenth  Batallion,  Illinois  National  Guard, 
and  this  was  the  last  military  command  held 
by  him.  An  official  posit  on  related  to  his  war 
time  days,  however,  was  his  appointment  by 
Governor  Richard  Yates  as  a  member  of  the 
board  of  trustees  of  the  Soldiers'  and  Sailors' 
Home,  Quincy,  Illinois.  He  served  in  this 
position  during  the  years  1901-1906,  inclusive. 

In  civil  life,  as  well  as  during  war  times. 
Major    Hawes    was    a    leader.     During    the 


years  1872-1890,  inclusive,  he  served  as  chief 
of  police  of  Rock  Island,  assistant  post- 
nuister,  later  postmaster,  then  dejnity  county 
clerk. 

In  November,  1890,  at  the  Springfield, 
Illinois,  Head  Camp  meeting  of  the  Modern 
A\'oodmen  Society,  Major  Hawes  entered 
upon  what  has  proved  to  be,  in  civil  life,  his 
really  distinguished  career.  At  that  meeting 
he  participated  as  a  delegate  in  the  reorgani- 
zation of  the  society,  being  elected  head  clerk 
or  general  secretary.  Then  the  society  had 
42,642  members;  now  it  has  over  1,000,000. 
At  each  succeeding  head  camp,  or  national 
convention.  Major  Hawes  has  been  re-elected 
without  opposition,  a  fact  bearing  convincing 
testimony  to  the  ability  and  integrity  of 
his  official  course,  and  to  his  personal 
])opvdarity.  . 

Major  Hawes  enjoys  the  re]nitation  of 
having  practically  created  the  methods  now 
almost  imiversally  employed  in  the  adminis- 
tration and  accounting  of  the  fraternal  bene- 
ficiary system,  numbering  at  present  over 
7,000,000  members,  and  93,000  local  lodges. 
He  is  a  recognized  authority  in  this  great 
field  and  his  official  reports  are  regarded  as 
models.  He  at  this  date,  is  serving  his  tenth 
official  term  as  head  clerk  of  the  Woodmen 
Society.    He  is,  besides,  prominent  in  Masonry. 

Major  Hawes  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  wife  was  Josephine  B.  Saulpaugh, 
daughter  of  L.  E.  Saulphaug,  of  Rock  Island 
to  whom  he  was  married  on  December  10, 
1866.  Three  children  came  of  this  union — 
Katherine  L.  (Mrs.  James  McNamara),  Charles 
W.,  Jr.,  and  Josephine,  deceased.  His  second 
wife  was  Mary  C.  Fay,  daughter  of  J.  M.  Fay, 
of  Fulton,  Illinois.  One  son.  John  Marcus, 
is  the  fruit  of  this  union.  (See  biography  of 
Mrs.  Mary  Fay-Hawes.) 

Major  Hawes  is  a  man  of  the  people  and 
his  successful  and  active  life  is  largely  due  to 
the  fact  tha.t  he  has  kept  closely  in  touch  at 
all  times  with  his  environment.  He  is  a  type 
of  the  sturdy  i)ioneer.  whose  best  education 


92 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


and  most  valuable  asset  is  a  life  replete  with 
experience  and  accomplishments.  He  has, 
like  so  many  other  pioneer  westerners,  won 
an  honorable  place  in  history  foi-  himself  and 
family  by  serving  the  people  generally,  and 
the  society  of  which  he  has  for  years  been  an 
honored  official,  with  an  honesty  and  fidelity 
that  is  more  to  be  prized  than  great  riches. 

m  -^  'M 
JOHN  DEERE. 

No  CITIZEN  in  Rock  Island  County,  or 
throughout   the   country,  was  probably 
more  widely  known  than  John  Deere  of 
Jloline.     He  was  born  at  Rutland.  \'ermont. 
February    7,    1804.    and    died  May   17.  1S86. 
1S()5  the   family  moveil  to   Middlebury.  ^'er- 
mont,  where  the  children  attended  school  in  a 
district  schoolhouse.  which  had  a  long  fire  place 
across   the   end   of   the  room.     The   reading, 
writing   and   little  arithmetic  obtained   here, 
before    he    was    twelve    years    old,    was    the 
principal  educational  start  Mr.  Deere  had  for 
life.     He  afterwards  attended  private  school 
for  a  few  months,  but  the  inborn  inclination 
for  active  jiractical   work   must   assert   itself, 
and  the  career  began,  which,  for  unconquer- 
able energy,   determined   will,    and   selfmade 
success,    has    few    eciuals,    if    any    superiors. 
Becoming  tired  of  the  schoolroom,  he  hired 
himself  to  a  tanner  to  grind  bark,  and   the 
]iair  of  shoes  and  suit  of  clothes  jnu-chased 
with  the  wages  were  the  first  inclination  the 
mother  had  of  John's  doings.     At  the  age  of 
seventeen  he  became  an  apprentice  to  Captain 
Benjamin  Lawrence,  and  began  learning  the 
blacksmith  trade.      He  faithfully  worked  out 
his  engagement  of  four  years,  and  was  then 
employed  in  the  shop  of  William  Wells  and 
Ira  .Allen,  to  construct  iron  wagons,  buggies 
and   stagecoaches.     A  year   later   he   was   in 
liurlington.  and  did  the  entire  wrought  iron 
work  on  the  saw  and  linseed  oil  mill  built  at 
Colchester  Falls.     This  indicates  the  mechan- 
ical ability  of  the  young  man;  for  it  must  be 
rememl)ered  that  work  which  is  now  done  by 


machinery,  in  those  days  must  depend  upon 
the  skill  and  strength  of  the  common  black- 
smith. In  1S27  ilr.  Deere  went  to  Vergennes, 
Wnnont,  and  entered  into  partnership  with 
John  McVene,  to  do  general  blacksmithing. 
January  28,  1827,  he  was  married  to  Demarius 
Lamb,  who  became  his  faithful  companion 
and  helper  for  thirty-eight  years. 

A  change  was  made  in  1829  to   Leicester, 
"\'ermont.  where  a  shop  twenty-five  by  thirty- 
five  feet  was  built,  which  was  destroyed  six 
months  after,  by  fire.     It  was  rebuilt,  only 
to  be  again  burned.     A  third  one  was  built, 
in   which   business  was   carried   on   till   1831, 
when  the  family  moved  to  Hancock.  \'ermont, 
where  ,Mr.   Deere  followed  his  trade,  adding 
to  his  general  work  the  business  of  making 
forks  and  hoes.     Energy  and  diligence  were 
bringing  in  sure  but  small  returns,   but   the 
rumors  of  larger  openings  and  richer  rewards 
in  the  Great  West,  induced  Mr.  Deere  to  sell 
out  his  business,  leave  his  family  at  Hancock, 
and  come  to  Chicago.     The  town  was  small, 
unpromising,     and     ]ilanted     in     a     swamp. 
Strong    inducements    were    urged     that     he 
should   remain    and    shoe   horses    and    rejiair 
coaches,  but  he  re.iected  them,  and  came  to 
CJrand  de  Tour,  on  Rock  river.     Here  a  chop 
was   opened,    and   to   the  general    work    was 
added   the  building  of  breaking-])lows.     Mr. 
Deere  soon  began  to  see  that  his  iron  plow 
with  wooden  mold-board  could  not  lie  made 
to  do  good  wnirk  in  the  prairie  soil:  with  diffi- 
culty  they   entered   the  ground,    clogged    up 
and  failed  to  scour.     Then  began  the  experi- 
ments  and    im])rovements   which    finally   re- 
sulted   in    the    present    perfect    steel    plow. 
With  characteristic  energy  and  will,  the  battle 
was  pushed  till  success  came.     There  was  a 
demand  for  a  good  ]ilow,   and   such   a   plow 
must    be    made.     The    first    one    which    did 
satisfactory    work    was    made    in    this    way: 
Wrought-iron    landslide    and    standard    steel 
share  and  moldboard  cut  from  a  sawmill  saw. 
and  beam  and  handles  of  white  oak  rails.     In 
1838  two   of    tliese   plows    were   made,    with 


/ 


(I  tfi-'/Kt^L    ^e-c^^^ 


//  /  S  T  n  K  I  C     RO  C  K     I  S  L  A  N  D     CO  U  N  T  Y 


93 


which  the  farmers  were  much  ])leased,  and 
(lid  unusually  good  work  for  those  days. 
That  year  Mr.  Deere  built  a  dwelliiio;  house, 
eighteen  by  twenty-four  feet,  and  brought 
his  wife  and  five  children  from  the  Eixst.  It 
was  not  a  few  hours'  ride  in  a  ni(i\-ing  ])arlor, 
l)ut  a  weary  journey  of  six  weeks  by  stage, 
canal  and  lumber  wagon.  Settled  in  his 
little  home,  and  often  shaking  with  ague. 
work  was  still  jnished,  and  in  KS.':i9,  ten  ]3lows 
were  built,  the  entire  iron  work  of  a  new  saw 
and  Houring  mill  being  done,  with  no  help 
except  an  exjjerienced  man  as  blower  and 
striker.  In  1S40  a  second  anvil  was  put  in 
the  shop,  and  a  workman  employed,  and 
forty  plows  nunle.  The  following  year  sev- 
enty-five plows  were  built,  and  trade  extended 
many  miles  in  all  directions.  In  1S4'2  one 
hundred  plows  were  made.  The  following 
year  a  partnership  was  formed  with  Major 
Andrews,  a  brick  shop  two  stories  high  l)uilt, 
a  horse  power  put  in  to  turn  a  grind  stone,  a 
small  foimdry  established,  and  four  hundred 
plows  made.  Steadily  and  ra|tidly  the  busi- 
ness grew  till  in  1 S46  the  product  was  one 
thousand  plows.  The  difficulty  of  obtaining 
steel  of  the  premier  dimensions  and  (|uality  was 
a  great  obstacle.  Finally  Mr.  Deere  wrote  to 
Nailor  tt  Company,  of  New  York,  hardware 
dealers,  explaining  the  demand  of  the  grow- 
ing agricultural  states  of  the  West,  for  a  good 
steel  plow,  and  stating  the  size,  thickness 
and  quality  of  the  steel  [plates  he  wanted. 
The  reply  was  that  no  such  steel  cfudd  be  had, 
but  they  would  send  to  England  and  have 
rollers  made  for  the  ]iurpose.  An  order  was 
sent,  the  steel  cast  in  England,  and  shipped 
to  Illinois.  Not  only  was  this  instance  of 
enterprise  and  determination  shown,  but  the 
practical  foresight  of  Mr.  Deere  saw  that  this 
location  was  not  advantageous  for  a  growing 
business.  Coal,  iron  and  steel  nnist  be 
handled  by  teams  from  LaSalle,  a  distance 
of  forty  miles,  and  plows  taken  long  distances 
to  market,  in  the  same  slow  and  expensive 
way.     He  therefore  sold  his  interests  to  Mr. 


Andrews  and  came  to  Moline,  in  1S47.  Here 
was  good  water  power,  coal  in  abundance, 
within  three  to  five  miles,  and  cheap  river 
navigation.  A  ])artnership  was  formed  with 
Mr.  R.  :M.  Tate  and  John  M.  Govdd;  shops 
built  and  woi'k  commenced,  resulting  the 
first  year  in  seven  hundred  plows.  About 
this  time  the  first  shipment  of  steel  from 
England  came  to  hand.  Fifty  [ilows  were 
made  and  sent  to  different  parts  of  the  country 
where  the  soil  was  most  difficult  to  work. 
They  proved  successful,  the  trade  enlarged, 
new  machinery  was  added,  the  shops  enlarged, 
till  the  annual  production  was  ten  thousand 
plows.  Jlr.  Deere  then  bought  out  the 
company.  In  IN.^S  Mr.  Deere  took  his  son, 
Charles  H.,  into  the  business  as  ])artner  (see 
biograi)hy  of  C.  H.  Deere),  and  the  business 
was  conducted  under  the  name  of  Deere  & 
Company  till  1S6S,  when  it  was  incorpo- 
ratetl  under  the  general  law  of  the  State,  with 
.John  Deer  as  jiresident. 

This  fiusiness  is  ,Iohn  Deere's  monument 
on  the  business  side  of  life.  It  is  tlie  result 
of  quick  foresight,  practical  energy,  great 
executi\-c  aljility,  and  an  almost  resistless 
will,  which  were  marked  characteristics  of 
the  man.  It  is  conceded  that  he  was  the 
originator  of  the  steel  plow.  There  was  then 
not  only  no  steel  plows  in  America,  but  no 
steel  manufactured  to  make  them  up.  The 
influence  of  this  imjirovement  in  ])lows  can- 
not be  easily  estinuited.  The  name  of  ,John 
Deere  is  at  this  time  a  familiar  one  through- 
out the  world,  and  the  Deere  plows  are  now 
shi])ped  to  China.  Japan,  and  in  fact  all  over 
the  world.  They  have  been  awarded  medals 
at  almost  numberless  County,  State,  National 
and  fraternal  exhibitions,  and  were  rewarded 
the  same  way  at  the  Menna  ex])osition  of 
1873.  The  princi|)le  u])on  which  Mr.  Deere 
conducted  the  business,  and  the  ])rinciple 
which  is  still  observed,  was  well  e.\]5ressed 
by  a  gentleman  long  acquainted  with  h 
establishment — '"Hound  to  make  this  ]ilow 
better  than  the  last." 


94 


HISTORIC     ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


In  perstmal  appearance  .Mr.  Deere  was 
large,  well  proportioned,  strongly  hnilt.  and 
had  been  blessed  with  strength  capable  of 
almost  unlimited  endurance.  In  his  better 
days  he  would  stand  at  his  anvil  from  five  in 
the  morning  till  nine  at  night,  building  plows, 
shoeing  horses,  etc.  His  features  were  strong, 
and  of  lines  of  great  power  and  endurance. 
His  face  was  open,  frank,  and  his  address 
hearty,  genial,  besjieaking  that  he  was  a  man 
of  a  tender,  social  nature  and  noble  character. 
His  feelings  were  near  the  surface,  and  he  was 
singularly  sensative  to  pathos,  whether  it  be 
that  of  sorrow  or  joy.  His  sympathy  and 
help  quickly  responded  to  the  calls  of  trouble 
and  misfortvme.  and  he  rejoiced  in  the  pros- 
perity of  all  aboTit  him.  Absorbed  in  busi- 
ness, he  did  not  have  the. desire  nor  time  for 
office  and  public  trusts,  which  at  time  sought 
his  service.  He  was.  however,  always  in 
sympathy  with  public  interests,  and  gave 
liberally  of  his  means  to  advance  them.  He 
was  a  Republican  in  politics  since  the  organ- 
ization of  that  party.  He  was  an  active 
member  of  the  Congregational  Church,  and 
a  generous  contributor  to  local  and  foreign 
objects  of  benevolence.  The  religious,  moral 
and  educational  interests  of  society  had  in 
him  a  friend  and  ]iatron.  He  was  a  large 
stockholder  in  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Moline,  and  was  its  second  President.  He 
was  once  elected  .Mayor  of  the  City,  and  was 
also  one  of  the  directors  of  the  free  ]iul)lic 
library. 

In  June,  1S67.  .Mr.  Deere  was  married  to 
Lucinda  Lamb,  sister  of  his  former  wife.  Of 
the  five  chi  dren  liy  the  first  marriage,  five 
are  still  living. 

iS  !g  Ji 

FRANK  A.  LANDEE. 

IT    IS    a    safe   presumption    that    Frank    A. 
Landee  the  widely  known  retail  grocer  of 
Moline,  is  an  example  of  self  nuide  man- 
hood that  is   worthy  of  the  most   persistent 
and    conscientious    emulation.     Mr.    Landee 


was  born  in  Kalmar.  Sweden.  August  II. 
18o"2.  and  from  the  moment  of  his  arrival  in 
this  country,  his  career  has  been  marked  by 
unceasing  toil  and  honorable  occuinition  and 
transactions.  From  a  lad,  wholly  imknown, 
his  rise  has  incessantly  been  in  the  ascend- 
anc}-. 

He  is  at  the  present  time  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  of  .\ugustana  College:  and 
is  a  member  of  the  purchasing  and  building 
committee  for  the  same  institution:  Treasurer 
and  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
Swedish  Lutheran  Church;  Chairman  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees  of  Independent  Order  Odd 
Fellows  Lodge  Xo.  583  (Swedish)  of  Moline: 
Director  of  the  Peoples  Trust  and  Savings 
Bank:  \'ice-President  of  the  iloline  Furniture 
Works:  Trustee  of  Court  of  Honor  Lodge  Xo. 
100,  of  Moline:  was  President  of  the  Swedish 
Republican  State  League  during  Yates  gov- 
ernmental campaign:  is  an  active  member  of 
the  Moline  Business  Men's  Club:  is  one  of  the 
directors  of  the  Retail  Merchants  Association 
in  his  home  city,  and  holds  and  has  held 
numerous  other  ]iositions  of  trust  and  respon- 
sibility during  his  diligent  lifetime. 

His  attitude  toward  those  who  toil  is  best 
exemplified  by  the  signal  honor  l)estowe(l 
u])on  him  by  the  linemen  of  the  Chicago, 
Rock  Island  and  Pacific  general  system  in 
the  year  1903.  I'or  twenty-two  years  Mr. 
Landee  had  charge  of  the  telegraph  and 
electrical  de]KU'tment  of  the  Rock  Island 
System,  and  had  during  that  time,  in  the 
face  of  the  most  discouraging  viscissitudes 
and  resources,  so  ingratiated  himself  into  the 
esteem  and  affections  of  the  thousands  of 
men  under  his  jsersonal  direction  that  they 
found  expression  of  their  ai)]ireciation  of  his 
equity  and  consideration  only  after  they  had 
presented  him  with  a  vahudile  gold  watch, 
fittingly  inscribed,  and  a  solitaire  of  great 
size  set  in  a  ring  of  purest  gold,  and  then 
after  it  l)ecame  generally  known  that  he  had 
retired  from  railroad  life  for  good.  To 
further  denote  the  widespread  popularity  of 


HISTORIC     RO C K     I S L A N  D     CO  U X T Y 


9.5 


Mr.  Landee's  huidatorv  qualities;  that  he 
always  exhibited  toward  the  worl<iiien  under 
his  control,  it  shotdd  be  stated  that  the 
division  west  of  the  Missouri  River  presented 
the  watch,  w'hile  the  tlivision  east  of  the  Bifi 
Muddy  bestowed  the  diamond  riiig.  Hut 
with  all  the  powerful  friendships  to  call  his. 
and  notwithstanding'  the  gigantic  strength 
he  wields  in  the  labor  business  world,  Mr. 
Landee  seems  a  misnomer,  taken  from  a 
political  standpoint.  He  has  not  once  solic- 
ited, nor  held  a  political  fa\'or,  elective  or 
appointive,  regardless  of  the  fact  that  he  has 
been  selected  as  delegate  to  City,  County, 
Congressional  and  State  conventions,  has 
served  his  party  with  a  zeal  and  compunction 
which  invokes  the  greatest  commendation, 
has  voted  the  Republican  ticket  since  1876, 
when  he  cast  his  first  vote  for  ■  President 
Hayes,  and  has  many  times  been  proffered 
public  honors  of  various  kinds. 

As  a  sturdy,  enterprising  and  up-to-date 
citizen,  Mr.  f^andee  has  accomplished  an 
incomprehensible  amo\mt  of  good  for  the 
City  of  Moline  anil  Rock  Island  County.  His 
aggressiveness,  coupled  with  his  energy  and 
prolific  mind;  his  honesty  as  an  example  and 
precept :  the  obstenerous  life  he  has  lived ;  his 
patriotism;  for  his  devotion  to  his  family, 
his  county  and  state  and  to  the  welfare  of 
the  peojile  generally;  his  decisive  and  resolute 
integrity  and  fearlessness;  his  ca]:)ul)ility  as 
a  man  of  opinions,  public  and  private,  all  iiave 
cons|)ired  to  entitle  him  to  the  appellation  by 
which  he  is  known — one  of  the  most  valuable 
and  highly  regardeil  men  in  the  county,  in 
•social,  ]iro\-incia],  commercial  anil  educational 
circles. 

In  company  with  his  brother,  (Jeorge,  he 
settled  first  in  Knox  County,  in  1866.  He 
acipiircd  such  education  as  was  afforded  by 
the  schools  at  that  time,  working  many  iiours 
each  day  the  while.  Four  years  afterwards 
he  went  to  Peoria,  where  he  became  a  tele- 
graph operator  of  such  unusual  s])eed  and 
accuracv  that  a  vear  and  a  half  latci'  lie  was 


detailed  to  Chicago,  during  the  great  fire  of 
1871,  to  augment  the  force  of  telegraphers 
needed  during  that  memorable  catastrophe. 
Chicago  then  liecame  his  home  until  1883 
when  well  earned  promotion  came,  and  he 
was  appointed  traveling  representative  of  the 
Western  Union,  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific,  the 
Baltimore  and  Ohio,  and  the  National  I^nion 
Comi)anies,  and  afterward  installed  telephone 
exchanges  in  various  posts  of  Illinois,  includ- 
ing thirty  of  the  first  telephones  used  in 
Chicago.  It  was  his  hand  which  superin- 
tended the  work  when  systems  were  placed 
in  Quincy,  Keokuk,  Rock  Island,  Davenport, 
Moline,  Springfield,  and  other  wel  known 
]iorts.  The  ^Mutual  Telegraph  Company  en- 
trusted him  with  the  work  in  their  territory 
from  the  Allegheny  Mountains,  west  to  St. 
Paul,  and  Kansas  City  south  to  Louisville. 
For  two  years  he  was  office  electrician  fin'  the 
Western  Union,  after  which  he  became  general 
forenum  of  the  Rock  Island  System,  a  ]iosition 
he  so  long  filled  with  unprecedented  dexterity, 
exjiertness  and  success.  As  above  stated  he 
is  now  engaged  in  the  retail  grocer  business 
at  the  corner  of  Twelfth  Street  and  Fifth 
.\ venue,  Moline. 

It  may  truly  be  said  of  Mr.  Landee,  that  he 
has  been  a  "hewer  of  wood  and  a  drawer  of 
water"  from  his  early  lioyhood.  Unselfish 
in  his  labors  for  the  benefit  of  his  friends  and 
the  ]iublic.  coming  as  he  did  from  the  brawn 
and  sinew  which  have  l)uilt  u}i  the  nation, 
and  with  which  he  every  day  brushes  ell>ows, 
being  a  moral,  highly  respected  citizen  of 
which  his  home  city  and  county  nuiy  well  be 
proud,  he  is  indeed  receiving  nothing  but  his 
Just  de.sserts  when  the  endearment  of  an 
appreciative  people  and  an  imtarnished  career 
designates  him  a  man  among  men. 

The  i)eo]ile  of  the  Twin  Cities  and  of  the 
County  are  under  a  lasting  obligation  to  Mr. 
Landee  for  the  material  services  he  has  will- 
ingly performed  by  reason  of  his  personal 
endeavor  and  influence,  and  should  the 
op]iort  unity     f(ir    a    reciprocal     anil     mutual 


96 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


interchange  of  a])i)re(_'iati(in  ever  !>(>  afforded, 
it  is  safe  to  predict  tliat  Mr.  I.andee  will 
discern  that  his  labors  in  behalf  of  progress, 
])ros|ierity  and  good  citizenship  have  not  been 
in  vain.  What  more  need  be  said?  What  can  be 
said?  Public  approbation  is  all  sufficient  and 
more  impressive  than  citations  or  rhetoric. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Hannah 
.Johnson,  of  Knoxville,  Illinois.  April  9.  1879. 

There  are  four  children  living,  namely: 
George  E.,  a  partner  with  his  father,  at  Moline; 
J"rank  J.,  a  law  student  at  Northwestern 
College.  Chicago;  Marrion  C.  and  Anna  I. 

He  was  elected  as  a  menil)er  of  the  State 
Senate  in  19()r). 

!S    Jg    Sg 

CAPTAIN  DAVID  M.  TIPTON. 

TT  becomes  the  sad  duty  of  the  officer  in 
I  temporary  charge  of  the  Rock  Island  Dis- 
trict to  announce  the  sudden  death,  on 
September  22,  1904,  of  Captain  David  M. 
Tipton,  Master  of  the  I'nited  States  Steamer 
Colonel  A.  Mackenzie,  near  Frontenac.  in 
Lake  Pepin.  Seated  in  a  chair  in  the  pilot 
house,  having  but  a  few  minutes  before  lieeii 
at  the  wjieel,  he  passed  away  in  an  instant, 
without  previous  jiain  or  suffering,  from 
aneurish  of  the  heart. 

Captain  Tipton,  who  was  about  seventy- 
six  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  death,  was 
born  on  a  farm  on  tlu'  Muskingum  River  in 
Ohio.  At  an  early  age  he  took  to  the  river, 
soon  became  mate  and  afterwards  pilot  of 
the  Northern  Line  Steamers  on  the  Upper 
Mississip]ii  River,  and  included  in  his  knowl- 
edge the  pilotage  of  the  Rock  Island  and  Des 
Moines  Rapids,  the  Des  Moines,  Missouri  and 
Illinois  Rivers.  He  entered  the  service  of  the 
Engineer  Dejiartment  in  1873,  serving  as 
master  and  pilot  from  that  time  until  his 
death,  successively  on  the  Montana,  the 
General  Barnard  and  the  Colonel  A.  Mac- 
kenzie, with  the  exception  of  two  years  on 
the  Joseph  Henry,  of  the  Light  House  Depart- 
ment.    During    his    thirty-one   years   service 


on  the  (iovernmcnt  bf)ats  he  was  always 
faithful,  able  and  skillful,  and  his  place  will 
be  hard  to  fill. 

Cajjtain  Tipton  had  a  host  of  friends,  and 
his  happy,  genial  manner  and  hospitable 
nature  endeared  him  to  all  with  whom  he 
was  associated,  and  his  demise  brings  sorrow 
to  many  hearts.  He  was  never  married,  but 
dearly  loved  the  society  of  children,  and  was 
much  l)eloved  l)y  them.  He  also  loved 
animals,  and  a  good  horse  or  dog  was  a  joy  to 
him.  In  the  language  of  one  of  his  oldest 
friends  ''he  was  one  of  Nature's  gentlemen, — 
a  rare  combination  of  simplicity  and  shrewd- 
ness, of  humor  antl  tenderness,  and  a  type  of 
all  a  Jlississippi  River  pilot  ought  to  be.  We 
shall  never  look  mion  his  like  again." 

Captain  Tipton  was  held  in  great  esteem 
by  the  officers  and  associates  with  whom  he 
was  connected  in  the  im])rovement  of  the 
.Mississippi  River.  On  a  letter  sent  from 
this  office  to  Washington,  making  a  request 
in  favor  of  Captain  Tipton,  the  following 
indorsement  was  placed  by  General  A.  ilac- 
kenzie.  Chief  of  Engineers: 

"In  consideration  of  the  long,  faithful  and 
efticient  service  of  Cajitain  Tipton,  and  the 
saving  effected  by  his  careful  maiuigement  of 
the  property  entrusted  to  his  charge,  the 
Chief  of  Engineers  is  pleased  to  approve  the 
within  request." 

Captain  Ti]5ton  was  buried  at  Chipjiiannock 
Cemetery  in  Rock  Island  on  September  24, 
1904.  the  funeral  services  having  been  con- 
ductetl  at  the  Rock  Island  Chili,  of  which  he 
was  a  member.  Many  of  his  friends  acted  as 
active  and  honary  pall  bearers,  and  his  re- 
mains were  followed  to  the  grave  by  them 
and  a  large  number  of  other  citizens  of  Rock 
Island  and  vicinity. 

Hv  direction  of  M.\jor  C.  S.  Riche,  Corps 
oj  Engineers.  U.  S.  A. 

C.  W.  Durham,  Principal  Assistant  Engineer. 
V.  S.  Engineer  Office,   Rock  Island,  Illinois, 

September  26,  1904. 
Official:     C.  P.  CoMEGYs,  Chief  Clerk. 


//  /  N  '/■  0  R  I  (•     RO  C  K     I  S  L  A  N  I)     C  0  U  X  T  Y 


97 


PATTERSON  S.  McOLYNN. 

PATTERSON  S.  McGLYNN,  (ine  of  the 
proprietors  of  the  Daily  Dispatch,  was 
born  in  Connecticut  in  1S50.  of  Irish 
parentage.  He  was  edncated  liy  his  fathei' 
to  read  and  wi'ite  and  to  be  apiialled  by  the 
mult iphcat ion  table  before  being  sent  to 
country  schools  in  Iowa,  commencing  at 
Washington  in  the  State  named,  "graduat- 
ing "  to  a  printing  office  when  he  was  thirteen 
years  old,  and  then  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
going  back  to  school  in  the  old  stone  school 
in  Davenport,  where  his  printing-office  educa- 
tion raced  him  through  to  graduation  to  the 
high  school.  Rut  his  education  may  be  said 
to  have  been  chieflj-  attained  at  home  and  in 
printing  offices. 

After, service  as  a  printer  on  the  Davenport 
Democrat  and  on  the  old  Davenport  Gazette, 
under  the  late  Kd.  Russell,  he  was  promoted 
to  be  a  reporter  on  the  Gazette,  with  his  field 
in  Rock  Island  in  1S76  and  1S77.  From 
1N77  to  ISSd  his  home  was  in  Chicago,  where 
he  had  more  printing  office  and  newspajjei 
experience.  In  1881  he  came  to  Moline  to 
work  for  the  Rock  Island  Union.  After  hav- 
ing represented  the  Union  in  Moline  for  more 
than  four  years,  in  company  with  John  K. 
Groom,  he  took  charge  of  the  editorial  man- 
agement of  the  Dispatch,  the  firm  name  hav- 
ing been  McGlynn  and  Groom,  Mr.  Groom 
taking  the  business  management.  This  was 
in  July  of  1885.  Since  that  time  he 
has  held  a  half  interest  in  the  Dispatch, 
continuing  with  W.  F.  Eastman  after  Mr. 
Groom  sold  his  interest  to  that  gentleman 
m   1S91. 

Mr.  McGlynn  was  married  July  5,  1880,  in 
Davenport,  to  Annie  Rose  Pester.  They 
have  had  foiu-  children,  all  of  whom  died  in 
'nfancy.  He  has  the  distinction  of  never 
having  sought  or  held  a  puVjlic  office.  He 
has  always  been  a  Republican  in  politics.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  First  Congregational 
Chm-ch    of    Moline,    and    is    a    Mason    and    a 


member   of   the   order   of   ^lodern    Woodmen 
and  of  the  Roj-al  Arcanum. 
SS  K  Jg 

COL.  CHARLES  WILLIAM  DURHAM. 

Cob.  CHARLES  WILLIAM  DURHAM 
is  the  princi]jal  assistant  in  the  engineer- 
ing office  at  Rock  Island  Arsenal.  His 
father,  Charles  Dvu'hani,  was  born  in  Belfast, 
Maine;  his  mother,  Dorcas  C,  Durham,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Brewer  of  the  same  State. 
Mr.  Durham,  senior,  was  for  the  greater  part 
of  his  life  a  lumber  merchant  and  vessel 
owner.      Jioth  ]iarents  are  now  dead. 

Young  Charles  was  a  graduate  of  Chelsea 
(^Massachusetts)  High  School  in  1864,  and 
gratluated  Bachelor  of  Arts  from  Harvard 
College  in  1868.  Thence  he  went  to  Germany 
and  studied  in  Heidelberg  University  for  one 
year,  returning  to  America  in  186!)  and  enter- 
ing the  Institute  of  Technology  at  Boston. 

During  portions  of  the  years  1870-71  he 
served  the  Chicago,  Burlington  ct  Quincy 
Railroad  in  Nebraska.  Before  the  end  of  the 
latter  year  he  entered  the  Government  service 
at  Rock  Island  Arsenal  in  the  Engineering 
office  where  he  has  continued  to  the  present 
time,  except  for  one  year,  when  he  was 
employed  on  the  United  States  Survey  of 
Onachita   River  in  Arkansas  and   Louisiana" 

Colonel  Durham  has  had  charge  of  snag- 
boats  on  the  Upper  Mississipjii  since  1876. 
He  has  also  had  charge  of  many  works  of 
river  improvement  from  Minneapolis  to  the 
Missouri  River  and  in  addition  to  his  other 
duties  was  captain  of  a  snag-boat  for  a  period 
of  twenty  years. 

He  was  Colonel  and  Aide-de-Camp  to  the 
Governor  of  Illinois  for  a  [leriod  of  four  years 
and  is  now  retired  Colonel  of  the  Illinois 
National  Guard.  Colonel  Durham  has  served 
on  the  board  of  education.  Rock  Island,  for  a 
period  of  nine  years  and  on  the  librarj-  board 
for  six  years.  In  i)olitics  he  has  always  been 
Democratic;  in  religion  a  member  of  the 
Episcopal  Church.     He  is  a  Mason,  a  Knights 


98 


//  /  N  T  ()  R  I  C     ROC  K     I  S  L  A  X  D     CO  U  .V  T  Y 


Templar,  a  Xoble  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  a 
Rdck  Ishuid  Cluli  Director  and  secretary  of 
the  Marlin  Rifle  Clul). 

On  November  19,  1.S75,  Cblonel  Durham 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  Elizabeth 
Hrackett.  This  union  lias  l)een  blessed  with 
four  children:  Charles  Rrackett,  Mary  Ely, 
Ada  Schwatka  and  John  Barnet.  Charles 
Hrackett  died  in  1S98. 

^   Jg  JS 

SAMUEL  HEAGY. 

ADOZEX  years  ago  no  man  perhaps  was 
lietter  known  throughout  Rock  Island 
County  than  Samuel  Heagy,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  for  years  one  of  the  county's 
influential  and  respected  citizens. 

He  was  born  in  Taneytown,  Mar3-land- 
April  20.  1838,  and  died  January  28.  1896. 
He  was  the  son  of  a  widowed  mother,  his 
father  having  died  shortly  before  his  birth. 
Six  years  later  his  mother  also  passed  away, 
leaving  the  lad  alone  in  the  world.  The 
little  boy  was  taken  into  the  home  of  a  man 
and  his  wife  in  the  neighborhood,  and  with 
this  couple  he  made  his  home  for  ten  years,  or 
until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he 
left  them  and  went  to  Baltimore.  In  that 
city  he  secured  a  position  with  a  wholesale 
notion  house,  and  remained  with  that  firm 
until  1857,  when  he  came  to  Illinois,  locating 
in   the  Village  of  Hampton   in  this   county. 

Mr.  Heagy  married  Miss  Henrietta  Birch- 
ard  April  20,  1863.  a  young  lady  whose  home 
was  in  Scott  County,  Iowa,  just  across  the 
river  from  Hampton.  Mrs.  Heagy  died 
March  17,  1907,  at  Rock  Island,  Illinois. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  Jabez  Avery  Birchard 
and  Lydia  (Chamberlin)  Birchard.  Her  par- 
ents were  early  settlers  and  pioneers  of  Scott 
County,  Iowa,  where  they  had  removed  from 
New  York  in  1836.  Mr.  Birchard  died 
October  21,  1871,  and  his  wife  ten  years 
later,  July  17.  1881. 

In  1864  Mr.  Heagy  embarked  in  business  for 
himself  at  Hampton,  opening  a  general  store. 


March  7,  1866,  a  son  was  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Heagy,  Morris  S.  Heagy  who  now  resides 
in  Rock  Island. 

Mr.  Heagy  was  successful  in  his  business 
at  Hampton  and  determining  to  enlarge  the 
scope  of  his  operations  he  also  engaged  in  the 
coal  business  in  a  small  waj-.  This  venture 
also  proved  a  success  and  in  1868  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  A.  R.  Stoddard.  Con- 
tinuing in  busine.ss  together  imder  the  firm 
name  of  Heagy  &  Stoddard,  these  gentlemen 
in  1871  opened  the  first  coal  mine  in  the 
upper  end  of  the  county.  The  business  was 
soon  after  incorporated  under  the  name  of 
The  Hampton  Coal  Mining  Company,  which 
Company  carried  on  the  business  for  about 
twelve  }'ears.  This  Company  opened  and 
operated  seven  different  mines  during  this 
time  and  around  these  works  grew  up  the 
little  mining  village  of  Happy  Hollow.  After 
the  coal  deposit  was  exhausted  around  Happy 
Hollow  the  business  was  moved  over  to  the 
southern  part  of  Hampton  Township,  two 
miles  south  of  the  Town  of  East  Moline- 
where  operations  were  carried  on  in  a  small 
way  until  1892.  ' 

In  politics  Mr.  Heagy  was  a  Democrat, 
and  although  his  active  business  life  did  not 
give  him  time,  nor  did  he  have  the  inclina- 
tion, to  seek  political  reward,  yet  he  was 
ready  at' all  times  to  .serve  his  party  in  what- 
ever manner  it  was  considered  he  could  best 
further  its  interest  and  that  of  the  locality 
in  which  he  made  his  home  During  his 
li"etime  he  was  a  prominent  figure  in  the 
conventions  of  his  party,  was  elected  to  the 
office  of  trustee  of  the  Village  of  Hampton, 
and  for  more  than  twenty  years  was  school 
treasurer  of  Hampton  Township. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order 
and  was  a  charter  member  of  the  Ancient 
Order  of  I'nited  Workmen  and  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America. 

As  has  been  stated,  his  death  occurred 
January  28  1896.  interment  being  in  the 
beautiful   Oakdale    Cemetary   at   Davenport. 


DR.    RICHARD  F.    SWEET 


HISTORIC     ROCK     I  S  L  A  X D     C 0 U X T Y 


99 


Xo  eulogy  of  Samuel  Heagy  is  necessary 
to  recall  to  those  who  knew  him  in  life  the 
sterling  character  that  he  possessed  and  the 
splendid  reputation  that  he  hore.  He  was  a 
man  of  scrupulous  integrity,  a  man  who  did 
imto  others  as  he  wished  others  to  do 
luito   him. 

%  n  n 
REVEREND  R.  F.  SWEET,  D.  D. 

THE  old  axiom  which  tells  us  that  kind 
deeds  and  gentle  words  live  forever  is 
one  which  not  only  inspires  the  mind 
with  its  sublimity,  but  its  truth  is  so  often 
brought  home  to  us,  and  so  forcibly  that  it 
affords  a  solace  we  do  not  alwaj-s  feel.  A 
noble  life  invariably  begets  its  full  measure 
of  love  and  veneration,  and  even  though 
myriads  of  kindness  done  and  self-saerifieing 
efforts  are  lost  to  earth  the  hand-maidens  of 
the  Great  Seer  of  Heaven  have  the  fullest 
knowledge  of  them  all. 

All  men  who  have  been  so  graciously  en- 
dowed with  that  most  precious  of  all  human 
attributes — love  for  his  fellow-men — have 
been  amply  repaid  for  their  self-obligation, 
generosity  and  charity;  for  their  weakness, 
submissiveness  and  obedience  to  the  mandates 
of  the  Deity. 

This  truism  was  abundantly  exemplified 
during  the  lifetime  of  Reverend  R.  F.  Sweet, 
and  substantiated  by  the  wealth  of  love  which 
his  memory  impels.  Instead  of  donning  the 
robes  and  authority  of  a  bishop  an  elevation 
twice  proffered  him,  Mr.  Sweet  preferred  to 
retain  the  modest  position  of  rector,  so  that 
he  could  more  generally  and  more  frequently 
minister  to  humanity;  unassuming  to  the 
extreme,  he  nevertheless  accomplished  in- 
conceivable good  and  lightened  numerous 
burdens  worldly  and  spiritual,  and  was  con- 
tent to  reap  the  harvest  of  brotherly  love 
which  was  his,  rather  than  hoard  sordid 
accumulations. 

Even  this  brief  reflection  of  Mr.  Sweet's 
busy  and  fruitful  life  suffices  to  instruct  the 


reader  as  to  his  gentle  though  manly  dispo- 
sition, and  illustrates  how  little  he  thought 
of  self,  and  to  what  degree  he  toiled  for  the 
uplifting  of  his  hrethern  and  the  church 
imiversal. 

Reverend  Sweet  was  a  native  of  the  Bay 
State.  When  sixteen  years  of  age  he  was  in 
business  with  an  uncle  at  Mineral  Point, 
Wisconsin.  Later  he  became  a  dealer  in 
real  estate,  in  Madison,  Wisconsin,  and 
afterwards  was  Assistant  Comptroller  of  the 
banks  in  the  Badger  State.  In  1861  his 
devout  nature  impelled  him  to  enter  Nashotah 
Seminary,  from  which  he  graduated  three 
years  later,  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Divinity.  He  was  ordained  l)y  Bishop 
Kewper.  and  was  assigned  to  Beaver  Dam, 
Wisconsin,  as  a  deacon.  After  his  ordina- 
tion as  a  bishop  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  he 
served  as  financial  agent  of  Nashotah  Semi- 
nary, an  institution  which  owes  an  incalcul- 
able debt  to  his  assidious  efforts  and  accomp- 
lishments. He  traveled  both  throughout 
America  and  P^ngland  in  behalf  of  the  Semi- 
nary, and  after  his  return  to  his  native  land 
he  was  assigned  to  Waukegon,  Illinois,  thence 
to  the  Church  of  the  Ephiphar^^  at  Chicago, 
Illinois,  thence  to  Freeport,  Illinois.  In  1884 
be  became  rector  of  Trinity  Episcopal  Church 
at  Rock  Island,  Illinois.  At  the  time  of  his 
death,  December  10,  1904,  he  had  completed 
a  service  in  this  city  of  twenty  years.  He 
was  a  trustee  of  Nashotah  and  Western  Semi- 
naries; Deputy  to  the  General  Convention 
for  many  years,  and  had  always  been  promi- 
nent in  the  diocese  of  Quincy  and  for  years 
dear  to  the  Rock  Island  deanery. 

n  n  m 
MAJOR  JAMES  M.  BEARDSLEY. 

THE    above   named    and    beloved    patriot 
was    of   that   branch    of   the    Beardsley 
family   which   trace   their   genealogy   in 
America  as  far  back  as  1628.     Major  Beards- 
ley  was  born  October  30,  1833,  at  Ellington, 
Chautauqua  County  (near  the  reservation  of 


100 


11 1  ST  0  R  1  C     R  0  C  K     ISLAND     CO  U  X  T  Y 


the  Six  Nations),  New  York  State;  died  at 
Rock  Island.  August  2'2.  lOO;?.  He  came  to 
his  future  lioiiie,  tliis  city,  in  tlie  middle  50's, 
while  still  in  his  teens,  and,  though  young  he 
was.  his  inordinate  intellect,  retentive  mint! 
and  assiduity  had  enabled  him  to  attain  a 
thorough   academic  training. 

Heing  admitted  to  the  har.  ;\Ir.  Beardsley 
soon  won  the  highest  laurels  as  a  counsellor, 
orator  anil  diplomat.  Being  blessed  with  a 
giant's  physic,  and  endued  with  a  mind  that 
was  marvelous  for  its  strength  and  resource- 
fulness; being  an  advocate  of  the  abolition  of 
slavery,  lie  soon  became  one  of  the  most 
potential  factors  in  the  West,  in  both  ])ublic 
and  private  affairs.  He  assisted  in  organ- 
izing the  first  Company  of  Volunteers  in  Rock 
Island — Company  I),  of  the  Thirteenth  Illi- 
nois Infantry — which  first  served  in  State 
duty,  and  was  mustered  into  three  \ears' 
service  in  the  regular  ranks  May  24,  1861,  He 
was  commissioned  First  Lieutenant  of  Compa- 
ny I).  The  Regiment  to  which  he  belonged 
became  known  as  "Freemont's  Greyhovmds." 

While  acting  as  body  guard  to  General 
Lyons,  Ma,ior  Beardsley  was  actively  engaged 
in  the  stubbornly  contested  battle  of  William's 
Creek.  He  was  at  the  General's  side  and 
carried  him  from  the  field  when  he  fell, 
mortally  wounded,  and  was  promoted  for 
gallantry  in  that  engagement,  August  10, 
1861,  being  raised  to  the  rank  of  Captain  of 
Company  I),  \'ice  Captain  Quincy  McNeil, 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  Major  in  the  Second 
Cavalry.  Later  Major  Beardsley 's  Regiment 
became  a  part  of  (leneral  Sherman's  Army, 
known  as  the  Fifteenth  Army  Corjis.  The 
bloody  battles  in  which  this  contingent  was 
involved  is  all  to  plainly  recorded  in  history 
to  need  repetition  here.  Suffice  to  sa\f  that 
the  roster  of  their  engagements  inehide  those 
of  Chickasaw  Bayou,  the  Siege  of  Mcksburg, 
which  cost  them  many  lives  and  inconceivable 
sacrifices,  the  piu'suit  of  Joe  Johnston;  the 
juncture  with  Grant  at  Chattanooga,  a  journey 
fraught    with    continual    peril    and    incessant 


fighting,  and  which  brought  them  under 
orders  of  fieneral  Osterhaus'  division,  a 
portion    of   General    Hooker's   command. 

Xx  the  Jiattle  of  Ringgold  Ga]).  Mr.  Beards- 
ley's  left  arm  and  legs  were  shattered:  but  he 
refused  to  lea\c  his  post  until  firing  had 
ceased,  and  for  his  hei'oism  on  tiiat  occasion 
he  was  commissioned  Major.  After  his  re- 
covery, he  returned  to  the  firing  line  in  the 
Fifteenth  Army  Corjis.  and  became  .Assistant 
Adjutant-Cieneral  to  General  Osterhaus. 
There  he  remained  >mtil  1865.  when  he  was 
mustered  out.  and  the  title  of  Colonel  con- 
ferred upon  him. 

Major  Beardsley  was  elected  County  Clerk; 
was  re-elected  in  1869,  and  in  1873  began-  the 
practice  of  law.  He  served  as  Attornej'- 
General  in  Illinois;  was  a  practitioner  before 
the  L'nited  States  Supreme  Court;  was  one  of 
the  thirty-six  men  who  were  sent  to  New 
Orleans  to  represent  the  Republican  ])arty  in 
the  electorial  college  tangle.  Among  that 
number,  known  to  history  as  the  ' '  visiting 
statesmen,"  were  Jolm  Sherman,  James  A. 
Garfield,  and  Judge  Stanley  Matthews  of 
Ohio;  M.  S.  Quay  and  W.  D.  Kelly  of  Penn- 
sylvania ;  Lew  Wallace  and  William  Cumback 
of  Indiana,  and  John  A.  Kasson  of  Iowa.  To 
Major  Beardsley  and  Judge  Matthews  was 
assigned  the  task  of  ascertaining  fraud  in  the 
Louisiana  election.  He  brought  to  pass  the 
alirogation  of  the  unit  rule  in  Republican 
national  conventions,  thus  defeating  Grant 
for  a  third  term;  he  served  as  Postmaster  of 
Rock  Island  tmder  President  Hayes;  in  the 
80's  he  secured  from  the  Texas  Legislature 
the  concession  of  3. ()()(), ()()()  acres  of  land  in 
exchange  for  a  11,500,000  State  House:  he 
was  indefatigable  in  his  efforts  to  further  the 
development  of  the  Arsenal  and  the  building 
of  the  Hennepin  Canal;  he  was  a  zealous 
worker  in  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 
and  other  societies,  and  was  a  gentleman  of 
culture,  poli.sh  and  tact. 

In  the  brief  space  herein  alloted,  no  coni- 
jirehensive  picture  of  Major  Beardsley  can  be 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


101 


drawn.  His  life  was  so  active,  so  unlike 
any  other;  so  hardened  with  incidents,  any 
of  wliifh  would  require  weeks  to  elucidate; 
so  laden  with  responsiljility  and  importance, 
so  earnest,  so  marked  by  generosity  and 
geniality,  that  it  must  suffice  to  merely  add 
that  he  was  a  great  man  without  realizing  it; 
he  was  great  because  he  could  not  help  it — 
Stat  magni  nominis  umbra. 

October  20.  1862.  :\Ir.  Heardsley  married 
Laurany  C.  E.  C'onet,  a  daughter  of  .loseph 
Conet,  a  pioneer  of  this  county.  The  children 
of  this  union  were  Wyman  I.  Beardsley  of 
Rock  Island;  Mrs.  Harry  G.  Brooks,  and  Miss 
Amanda  Beardsley  A  brother  and  a  sister 
of  the  late  Major  also  survive — Ezra  Beards- 
ley, of  Pasadena,  California;  and  Mrs.  Philora 
Stephens,  of  ^leadville,  Pennsylvania. 

m  m  m 
COL.  EZRA  M.  BEARDSLEY. 

PERH.\PS  throughout  Rock  Island  County 
there  is  no  name  so  often  recalled  or 
regarded  among  old  settlers  as  that  of 
Colonel  Ezra  M.  Beardsley,  unless  it  be  those 
of  the  late  Major  James  M.  Beardsley,  or  the 
former's  brother,  James  M.  Beardsley.  The 
life  of  Ezra  was  one  of  incessant  activity  and 
brilliant  success,  and  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death  and  since  he  was  highly  esteemed  as 
an  exemplary  citizen,  a  patriot  of  the  most 
courageous  and  pronounced  character,  and  a 
man  whom  all  were  delighted  to  call  friend. 
Strong  as  iron,  he  was  a  child;  gentle  as  a 
baby,  he  was  an  untamed  lion  when  the 
question  of  right  was  in  jeojiardy. 

Bvzra  Beardsley  was  born  October  14,  1S27, 
at  Ashland,  Green  County,  New  'i'ork,  his 
parents  Ijeing  Elisha  and  Caroline  (M.  Marvin) 
Beardsley.  He  traced  his  progenitors  back 
to  the  early  portion  of  the  Seventeenth  Cent- 
ury, many  of  them  having  served  in  the 
Army  and  Navy  during  the  various  uprisings 
and  wars  which  have  made  history  for  tliis 
nation.  He  came  to  Illinois  in  1S44,  and 
until  1870,  when  he  removed  to  Kansas,  had 


been  a  resident  of  Rock  Island  County.  In 
18.55  he  was  elected  Sheriff;  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  IS,')!),  after  a  thorough  course  in 
law:  enlisteil  in  the  "three  months'  service," 
and  was  commissioned  Lieutenant  in  the 
Sixty-ninth  Illinois  Volunteers.  He  was  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  Post-Adjutant  at  Camp 
Douglas,  then  a  military  j^rison  near  Chicago. 
His  htuiiane  efforts  in  behalf  of  the  unfortun- 
ate jirisoners  of  war  at  that  time  would  of 
themselves  furnish  material  for  a  large  volume. 
After  his  term  of  three  months  in  the  Army, 
Mr.  Beardsley  returned  to  Rock  Island  and 
re-enlisted.  He  became  a  recruiting  officer; 
he  organized  six  companies  of  the  One 
Hundred  and  Twenty-sixth  Illinois  Volun- 
teers, arul  was  elected  Lieutenant-Colonel  of 
that  Regiment,  serving  in  the  famous  Army 
of  the  Tennessee.  Later  he  was  transferred 
to  Arkansas,  where  he  was  made  Post  Com- 
mander at  Devall's  Bluff,  a  strategical  point 
on  the  Arkansas  River. 

In  the  spring  of  1870  Colonel  Beardsley 
went  to  Parker,  Kansas,  where,  for  a  time, 
he  pursued  his  chosen  profession,  and,  as  a 
diversion,  invested  in  a  sheep  ranch.  Several 
years  afterwards  he  removed  to  Lake  City, 
Barber  County,  Kansas,  where  he  died,  1885. 

February  8,  1848,  Mr.  Beardsley  married 
Sarah  Lemon,  of  Millersburg,  Illinois.  Their 
children  were  Mary  C,  Seth  Marvin  (deceased) 
Ezra  Irving,  now  in  Pueblo,  Colorado,  and 
William  Lincoln,  now  in  Oklahoma,  and 
Albert  L.,  at  Fort  Madison,  Iowa. 

As  to  the  personal  attributes  of  Mr.  Beards- 
ley, his  war  record,  his  reputation  and 
standing  as  a  barrister,  citizen,  and  a  parent, 
feeble  words  are  inadequate  to  depaint. 
As  a  soldier  his  long  career  was  embellished 
with  inspiring  deeds  and  kindnesses,  his 
courage  was  miraculous  in  its  recklessness, 
and  his  ])atriotism  was  undimmed  in  the 
darkest  hours  of  the  nation's  peril. 

His  children  now  resitle  in  several  States, 
and  his  friends  in  nuany  more;  yet  there  is 
never    a   recurring   thought   of   Colonel    Ezra 


102 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


M.  Beardsley  which  does  not  bring  with  it  a 
felicitious  thought  and  a  moment  of  con- 
templat'on  that  is  good  to  feel.  Surely  Rock 
Island  County  has  furnished  the  State  and 
the  nation  with  many  brave  and  noble  men, 
and  among  the  front  rank  the  name  of 
Colonel  Ezra  Beardsley  will  alwaj-s  be  con- 
spicuous. 

5S  ig  « 

JAMES  ri.  BEARDSLEY. 

THE  above  named  widely  known  soldier- 
citizen  is  a  brother  to  Colonel  Ezra,  and 
Lieutenant  Elisha  I.  Beardsley,  the 
latter  of  whom  was  killed  in  action,  December 
29,  1862,  at  Chickasaw  Bayou,  during  the 
assault  under  General  Sherman.  Mr.  Beards- 
ley, who  is  also  a  cousin  of  the  late  ilajor 
James  M.  Beardsley,  and  descended  from  a 
family  who  settled  in  America  along  with  the 
Puritans  in  1628,  and  whose  relatives  served 
in  the  Army  and  Navy  in  various  capacities 
for  nearly  three  centuries,  was  born  near 
Aledo,  Mercer  County,  Illinois,  Jime  23,  1843. 
When  he  was  still  in  his  swaddling  raiment,  his 
parents  settled  in  Rock  Island  County,  where 
he  has  since  resided,  being  at  the  present  time 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  Beardslej-  &  Bailey 
Company,   wholesale  liquor  dealers. 

In  1S62,  Mr.  Beardsley  enlisted  in  Company 
C,  One  Hundred  and  Second  Regiment, 
Illinois  Infantry,  and  with  his  Company  was 
at  once  sent  to  the  front,  going  to  Gallatin, 
Tennessee,  where  Company  C  became  a  part 
of  Sherman's  Army.  He  was  in  all  engage- 
ments which  have  made  Sherman  and  his 
men  famous  forever,  and  was  in  the  assault 
upon  the  Rebel  battery  at  Resaca,  Georgia, 
which  was  successfully  accomplished  bj-  a 
deadly,  though  brilliant  bayonet  charge,  and 
through  which  he  emerged  with  two  serious 
wounds  and  numerous  narrow  escapes;  he 
was  one  of  the  foragers  which  operated  from 
Atlanta  to  the  sea.  including  the  battle  of 
Savannah,  and  the  battles  which  took  place 
on  the  route  through  the  Carolinas.     At  the 


battle  of  Avensboro,  North  Carolina,  he  was 
captured  and  sent  to  Libby  Prison,  at  Rich- 
mond, Virginia,  that  place  of  confinement  so 
lamentably  famed  for  the  carelessness  and 
brutality  of  its  administration — and  was 
there  held  as  a  prisoner  of  war  until  the  war 
was  over,  when  he  was  mustered  out  as  a 
prisoner  of  war  at  Chicago.  June  15,  1865. 

The  most  notable  of  the  numerous  engage- 
ments in  which  Mr.  Beardsley  participated 
were  the  battle  of  Resaca.  when  his  regiment 
stormed  a  battery  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet, 
and  at  Atlanta,  when  but  280  men  remained 
to  answer  roll  call  out  of  a  total  of  921.  w-ho 
had  enlisted  a  year  before. 

During  the  attack  at  Resaca,  which  oc- 
curred May  15,  1864,  at  which  time  the 
Rebel  battery  w-as  captured  and  four  guns 
representing  the  prize.  General  Benjamin 
Harrison  was  in  general  command;  W.  T. 
Ward,  whose  division  was  known  as  "  Ward's 
Iron  Brigade,"  of  which  Mr.  Beardsley  was 
one.  was  Division  Commander,  and  "Fighting 
Joe  Hooker  "  was  Corps  Commander. 

In  civil  life.  Mr.  Beardsley  has  also  been 
exceptionally  prominent.  From  1865  to  1875 
he  was  a  manufacturer  of  brooms;  from  1S75 
to  1885  was  in  the  Internal  Revenue  Service, 
as  gauger  and  deputy  collector;  was  a  charter 
member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 
in  1866;  a  charter  member  of  Island  City 
Lodge.  No.  4.  Ancient  Order  of  L'nited 
Workmen;  a  charter  member  of  St.  Paul 
Lodge.  No.  107,  Knights  of  Pj'thias;  a  master 
^lason  since  1871.  organizations  to  which  he 
still  belongs,  and  of  which  he  is  an  esteemed 
and  active  member. 

June  27,  1S65.  Mr.  Beardsley  was  wed  to 
Hannah  Hally  Beardsley.  The  surviving 
children  of  this  union  are:  Henry  Marvin, 
now  a  leading  business  man  in  Bjulder. 
Colorado;  Laura  C,  now  Mrs.  Arthur  ilcNeill. 
of  Rock  Lsland.  and  C.  Lynde  Beardslej',  a 
voung  man  who  gives  promise  of  the  same 
useful  and  commendable  life  observed  by 
his  father. 


HISTORIC    ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


i();5 


The  friends  of  Mr.  Beardsley  are  legion 
and  (if  the  substantial  and  esteemed  class. 
His  record  as  a  civilian  and  citizen  is  of  the 
same  hio;h  tone  as  his  record  as  a  soldier  and 
officer  in  the  Army.  In  fact,  as  a  friend, 
man  and  father,  he   is  par  excellent. 

m  m  m 
DE  WITT  CLINTON  DIMOCK. 

THIS  i)ionccr  Moline  business  man  and 
sterling;  citizen  was  born  October  1, 
1S20,  at  Wellington,  Connecticut.  He 
came  west  and  located  at  Geneseo,  Hlinois, 
in  1840,  taking  up  his  residence  in  Moline  in 
1843.  His  activities  as  a  manufacturer  began 
in  1852  when  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
Judge  John  M.  Gould  for  the  making  of 
furniture  and  wooden  ware.  On  the  incor- 
poration of  the  firm  of  Dimock.  Gould  iV: 
Company,  in  1869,  he  was  elected  its  presi- 
dent. This  position  he  held  till  1884,  when 
he  retired  from  the  head  of  the  concern, 
retaining  his  connection  through  the  office  of 
treasurer.  Mr.  Dimock  was  also  interested 
in  a  number  of  other  successful  enterprises, 
among  which  may  be  mentioned  the  First 
National  Rank  of  Moline.  He  was  one  of  the 
original  stockholders  of  this  institution  and 
long  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of 
directors. 

Mr.  Dimock  married  June  17,  1843,  .Miss 
Maria  H.  Hubbard,  daughter  of  Rufus  Hub- 
bard. She  was  born  in  Bergen,  Genesse 
County,  New  York.  Two  daughters  were  the 
issue  of  their  union.  The  older,  Nellie  E., 
died  when  but  two  years  of  age.  Florence, 
the  younger,  is  the  wife  of  E.  H.  Sleight,  to 
whom  she  was  married  in   1880. 

Mr.  Dimock  was  one  of  the  fonndors  of  the 
First  Congregational  Church  of  .Moline,  and 
he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  and  liberal 
contributors  to  the  support  of  the  same. 
Mr.  Dimock  has  been  a  strong  Republican 
ever  since  that  party  was  organized,  and 
during  the  war  was  a  staimch  Union  man. 

He  died  Mav  23,  1906. 


COLONEL  CHARLES  L.  WALKER. 

COL.  CHARLES  LEANDER  WALKER, 
a  member  of  one  of  the  leading  law- 
firms  of  Rock  Island  County  for  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century',  is  a  native  son 
of  Illinois.  He  was  born  at  Queen  Ann, 
McHenry  County,  Illinois,  December  27,  1851. 
He  is  a  son  of  Reverend  Leander  Smith 
Walker  and  Miriam  Lavilla  Walker.  His 
father  was  a  Methodist  minister  and  a  leader 
in  the  Rock  River  conference.  He  was  for 
a  period  of  years  stationed  at  Rockford, 
Winnebago  County.  From  1865  to  1870  he 
was  financial  agent  for  the  Rock  River 
Seminary  and  Collegiate  Institute,  located  at 
.Mt.  Morris,  in  Ogle  County. 

The  son  graduated  from  the  Rock  River 
Seminary  and  Collegiate  Institute  in  1869, 
taking  a  classical  course.  For  several  years 
after  leaving  school  his  activities  were 
varied.  He  taught  school,  worked  on  the 
farm  and  at  railroad  construction.  Among 
the  places  where  he  lived  at  various  times 
are  Durand.  Marengo,  Rockford,  Mt.  Morris, 
Prophetstown,  Tampico,  Garden  Plain  and 
Clarendon  Hills. 

.Mr.  Walker  removed  to  Rock  Island  in 
May,  1873,  and  the  following  year  took  up 
the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Sweeney  & 
Jackson,  supporting  himself  at  the  same 
time.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Spring- 
field Janiuu-y  4,  1878,  and  at  once  became  a 
member  of  the  firm  with  which  he  had  been 
connected,  the  name  being  changed  to 
Sweeney,  Jackson  it  Walker.  The  older 
members  were  E.  D.  Sweeney,  with  whom  Mr. 
Walker  is  at  present  associated  under, the 
name  of  Sweeney  &  Walker,  and  Honorable 
William  Jackson,  now  head  of  the  firm  of 
Jackson,  Hurst  &  Stafford. 

Mr.  Walker's  advancement  in  the  com- 
munity was  rapid.  At  an  early  date  he 
became  recognized  as  one  of  the  best  posted 
men  in  his  profession  in  the  northwestern 
part  of  Illinois,  and  his  acumen  and  forensic 


104 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


ability  won  him  instant  success  before  the 
bar.  Always  an  ardent  Republican  he  rose 
to  a  command  ins  position  in  the  councils 
of  the  party  and  was  entrusted  with  positions 
of  honor  and  responsibility.  He  was  ap- 
pointed aide  on  the  staff  of  (Governor  Richard 
Yates  with  the  rank  of  Colonel  January  28, 
1901.  He  has  been  attorney  for  the  Illinois 
and  Michigan  canal  from  April.  1900.  to  the 
present  time.  He  was  president  of  the  Rock 
Ishuul  jniblic  library  board  from  1893  to 
1907,  and  it  was  imder  his  administration 
that  the  beautiful  §6.5.000  library  buikling 
was  erected. 

Mr.  Walker  early  in  life  accepted  Metho- 
dism as  his  faith,  and  in  Rock  Island  became 
a  member  of  the  First  Church.  Fraternallj- 
he  is  a  Mason  of  high  degree,  being  a  member 
of  Trio  Lodge,  Ancient,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  Barrett  Chapter,  and  Rock  Island 
Commandery. 

Mr.  Walker  was  married  April  13,  1881.  to 
Anna  Guy  Stoddard,  of  Rock  Island. 

JS    Sf    is 

JOHN  KIMBERLAND  SCOTT. 

THE  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  present 
States  Attorney  of  Rock  Island  County, 
was  born  in  Muscatine,  Iowa,  on  No- 
vember 26,  1870.  His  parents  were  William 
W.  Scott,  now  deceased,  and  Margaret 
(Hickey)  Scott,  the  former  of  sturdy  Scotch 
and  the  later  of  keen,  energetic  Irish  ancestry. 
Mr.  Scott's  father  served  three  years  during 
the  Civil  War  as  a  member  of  Company  M, 
Eighth  Iowa  Volunteer  Cavalry,  and  was  for 
almost  forty  j^ears  a  locomotive  engineer  on 
the  Rock  Island  Railway,  and  for  one  term 
an  alderman  from  the  Seventh  Ward  of  Rock 
Island. 

John  K.  Scott  came  to  Rock  Island  County 
with  his  parents  in  1875,  having  lived  the 
first  few  years  of  his  life  in  Muscatine  and 
later  in  Brooklyn.  Iowa.  He  attended  the 
l)ublic  schools  of  the  City  of  Rock  Island  and 
graduated  from  the  high  school  in  the  Class 


of  '89,  being  president  of  his  class.  He  then 
entered  the  Rock  Island  postoffice,  where  he 
was  employed  as  a  letter  carrier  until  Sep- 
tember. 1893,  when,  having  saved  enough 
money  to  realize  his  cherished  ambition,  he 
resigned  his  position  and  entered  the  law 
department  of  the  State  University  of  Iowa. 
He  graduated  from  that  institution  in  1895. 
as  president  of  the  law  class  of  that  year. 

Mr.  Scott  was  for  two  years  professionally 
associated  with  C.  J.  Searle,  and  in  1897  he 
was  appointed  by  President  McKinley  United 
States  Consul  at  La  Chaux  De  Fonds.  in 
Switzerland,  resigning  that  position  after  one 
year  of  service  to  re-enter  the  practice  of  the 
law  in  Rock  Island.  He  was  elected  City 
Attorney  of  Rock  Island  in  1899.  and  was 
re-elected  in  1901  and  1903.  In  November, 
1904,  he  was  elected  States  Attorney  of  Rock 
Island  County  by  a  majority  of  3,602. 

ilr.  Scott  was  married  on  June  3,  1906,  to 
Amy  Louise  Huey.  of  Moline.  a  lady  whose 
pleasing  personality,  tact  and  grace  have 
been  a  great  assistance  to  her  husband  in  his 
successful  career.  He  is  a  member  in  good 
standing  in  Rock  Island  Commandery.  Knight 
of  Templar;  Rock  Island  Chapter,  Roj-al 
Arch  Masons:  Trio  Lodge,  No.  57,  Ancient, 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons;  Kaaba  Temple, 
Ancient  Arabic  Order  of  Nobles  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine:  Rock  Island  Lodge,  No.  980, 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks; 
C.  W.  Hawes  Camp,  No.  1550.  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America:  Rock  Island  Aeria. 
No.  956.  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles,  and  the 
Sons  of  ^'eterans. 

Politically  Mr.  Scott  has  always  been  a 
Republican,  the  type  of  Republicanism  that 
came  from  a  father  who  cast  his  first  vote 
for  Abraham  Lincoln,  while  a  soldier  at  the 
front.  As  a  lawyer  Mr.  Scott  is  well  qualified 
both  by  nature  and  education  to  maintain  a 
high  place  in  his  profession.  As  a  public 
official,  he  is  efficient,  courteous  and  kindly, 
ever  ready  to  lend  an  attentive  ear  tn  t'  e 
unfortunate  and  sinned  against. 


HISTORIC     ROCK     I  S  L  A \ D     C 0 U N T Y 


105 


Mr.  Scott's  best  friends  are  those  who 
know  him  best  in  his  professional  as  well  as 
in  his  ha]3py  home  life.  Such  an  official 
deserves,  and  will  retain,  the  confidence  of 
the  people. 

^  m  <^ 

JULIUS  JUNGE. 

THERE  are  few  business  men  in  Rock 
Island  or  Molina  who  do  not  enjoy  a 
personal  acquaintance  with  the  genial 
Julius  Junge,  vice-president  of  the  Rock 
Island  Brewing  Company,  a  man  who,  though 
deeply  engrossed  in  the  concerns  of  a  large 
and  growing  industry,  has  found  time  to 
cidtivate  his  social  nature  and  to  en,ioy  the 
pleasures  of  companionship  with  his  fellow 
men. 

He  was  born  in  Prussia,  March  23,  1S4S. 
being  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Johanna  (Herschel) 
Junge.  His  father  served  for  some  j'ears  as 
a  soldier  in  the  Prussian  Army,  but  being  a 
man  desirous  of  seeking  larger  opportunities 
for  himself  and  his  children,  in  1854,  when 
his  son.  Julius,  was  six  years  of  age,  he,  with 
his  family,  emigrated  to  America  and  located 
on  a  farm  near  Fort  Madison,  Iowa.  Here 
the  father  cultivated  a  vineyard.  There 
were  seven  children  in  this  fanuly,  and  of 
these  Julius  was  the  youngest.  The  elder 
Jvnige  after  coming  to  .\nierica  spent  his 
entire  life  upon  his  Iowa  farm,  passing  away 
at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-one  years.  His 
beloved  wife  survived  him  six  years,  and 
then  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  she  joined 
her  husband  in  death. 

Their  son,  Julius,  obtained  his  education 
in  the  schools  of  Burlington,  Iowa,  and  after 
completing  his  schooling  he  located  in  the 
town  of  Jollyville,  Iowa.  Here  he  conducted 
a  general  store,  and  was  also  postmaster  of 
Jollyville  for   three  years. 

He  came  to  Rock  Island  in  1871,  and  for 
the  first  eight  years  of  his  residence  in  this 
city  he  was  employed  as  bookkeeper  by  a 
mercantile     firm.     Tlien     he     established     a 


bottling  establishment  which  he  conducted 
for  one  j-ear.  In  1893  he  acquired  stock  in 
the  Brewing  Company  formed  by  the  amal- 
gamation of  the  various  brewing  establish- 
ments in  Rock  Island,  and  was  elected  to  the 
offices  of  vice-president  and  general  superin- 
tendent, which  offices  he  still  holds,  the  Rock 
Island  Brewing  Company  feeling  indebted  in 
no  small  degree  for  the  success  they  have 
achieved  to  his  boundless  vigor  and  untiring 
energy. 

Mr.  Junge  was  married  September  3,  1878, 
to  Miss  Amelia  M.  Price,  a  young  lady  of 
I, eland,  Illinois.  Three  daughters  were  born 
of  this  marriage,  the  Misses  Olga,  Frieda  and 
Lillie,  charming  and  talented  young  ladies 
who  have  been  given  every  advantage  by 
their  parents,  and  who  are  prominent  in  the 
social  life  of  the  Tri-Cities. 

Some  years  ago  'Sh.  Junge  was  largely 
interested  as  a  breeder  and  owner  of  blooded' 
pacing  stock,  and  during  this  time  he  was  the 
owner  of  two  of  the  noted  jiacers  of  that 
time — Bulmont,  with  a  record  of  2:0934,  and 
Seal,  whose  record  was  2:0S'''4.  Mr.  Junge, 
however,  sold  both  of  these  horses  at  a  large 
profit,  and  since  that  time  has  not  taken  an 
active  interest  in  racing  stock. 

He  is  an  enthusiastic  sjjortsman.  and  is  a 
himter  anil  ninu'od  of  no  small  ability.  He 
belonged  to  the  Marlin  Rifle  Club  and  later 
to  the  Rock  Island  tiun  Club,  and  in  these 
organizations  he  has  always  been  a  successful 
jKirticipant  in  the  "shoots"  that  have  been 
held.  He  is  also  an  enthusiastic  bowler  and 
enjoys  every  form  of  clean,  wholesome  sport 
that   calls  into  ]ilay  both  mind  and   muscle. 

In  affairs  politically  Mr.  Junge  maintains 
a  strictly  independent  attitude,  and  cannot 
be  said  to  belong  to  any  of  the  old  jjarties. 

He  is  interested  in  several  business  enter- 
prises, both  in  Rock  Island  and  Moline,  and 
in  Davenport  as  well,  and  is  a  stockholder 
in  the  Peoples  National  Bank  of  Rock  Island. 
Scr\ipidously  honest  in  every  l)usiness  trans- 
action,   he    comman<ls    the    admiration    and 


106 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


respect  of  his  many  fricmls,  l)y   whom  he  is 
considered     ;x     most     th>lightfiil     companion, 
and  in  whose  cii'cle  he  is  alwajs  a  welcome 
a(hlition  to  a  happy,  social  hour, 
ig  5S   !g 

EDWARD  CORYN. 

A  NATIVE  of  Belgium,  lioru  at  Looten- 
hiitle.  East  Flanders,  November  '2,  1857, 
Edward  Coryn  is  the  second  son  of 
Leonard  Coryn  and  .Johanna  Catherine  Schot- 
teman.  In  the  year  1880  the  family  immi- 
grated to  the  United  States,  settling  in 
Moline,  Illinois,  where  in  1890,  the  father 
died.  The  mother,  now  ninety  years  of  age, 
still  survives,  one  of  the  most  aged  women  of 
Rock  Island  County.  Edward  Coryn  was 
given  e.xcellent  educational  advantages  and 
accjuired  both  the  Flemish  and  French 
languages  at  school,  and  since  coming  to 
America  he  has,  of  course,  addetl  the  English 
language  to  his  accomplishments.  In  the 
interval  between  his  leaving  school  and  his 
departure  for  America,  young  Edward  assisted 
his  father  on  the  farm. 

During  his  first  few  years  in  Moline  he 
\v(n-ked  in  a  sawmill  and  in  a  [private  family. 
In  the  year  1892  he  formed  a  co-partnership 
with  Mr.  Charles  A.  Rank  in  the  retail  grocery 
business,  which  was  continued  prosperotisly 
until  April  of  the  present  j'ear,  1896,  when  the 
company  sold  out  its  stock  to  two  of  its  faithful 
employees,  who,  since  have  constituted  the 
firm  of  (jourtney  &  DeTaye. 

Mr.  (^oryn  is  a  stockholder  and  director 
of  the  Moline  State  Savings  Rank  and  the 
Moline  Incandescent  Lamp  Company,  of 
whicli  latter  he  is  also  secretary  and  treasurer; 
he  is  a  Democrat,  though  independent  in 
local  i)olitics,  in  wliicli  he  has  been  active 
since  his  naturalization,  five  years  after  his 
arrival,  tmder  the  .\nierican  flag. 

In  the  year  1896  he  was  elected  alderman 
of  his,  the  Sixth  W'ai'd.  of  .Moline,  and  held 
that  honorable  ollice  for  eight  successive 
years.     In  this  connection  he  served  on  many 


important  committees,  and  was  for  two  years 
chairman  of  the  committee  on  Streets  and 
Alleys. 

Shortly  after  the  expiration  of  this  long 
])eriod  of  public  service  he  was  appointed  by 
Mayor  Skinner  as  a  member  of  the  Public 
Library  Board,  of  the  Executive  Committee 
of  which  he  is  now  chairman.  Mr.  Coryn  is 
a  public  spirited  citizen  of  his  adopted 
countrj'  and  interests  himself  deeply  in  the 
matter  of  instructing  the  new  arrivals  from 
his  fatherland  in  their  duties  and  responsibil- 
ities as  American  citizens,  a  most  creditable 
work  of  sincere  and  genuine  patriotism  and 
a  worthy  example  to  others.  Appro])os  of 
this  he  organized,  in  1890,  the  Belgian  Work- 
ing Men's  Union,  embracing  the  plan  of  sick- 
ness benefit;  the  Union  now  has  a  membership 
of  more  than  three  hundred  and  a  fund  of 
two  thousand  dollars  in  the  treasury. 

Mr.  Coryn  is  now,  and  has  been  from  the 
first,  president  of  the  Society.  For  the  pur- 
pose of  promoting  education  among  his 
countrymen  he,  two  years  ago,  organized  the 
Belgian  Club,  of  whicli  he  has  been  president 
from  the  start.  This  imi)ortant  Association 
numbers  one  hundred  and  sixty  members. 
Its  rooms  are  above  the  Moline  State  Sav- 
ings Bank  and  are  provided  with  a  good 
library  and  with  various  accessories  for  con- 
venience and  amusement. 

Mr.  Corjni  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Columbus,  in  which  he  is  now  Granil  Knight 
of  Leo  Council,  No.  716,  Moline.  Illinois.  In 
the  year  1898  he  paid  a  visit  to  the  old  home 
state  in  Belgium,  meeting  incidentally  Miss 
Marie  Cecelia  De\'oghelaere,  daughter  of  his 
former  school  teacher.  Two  years  later, 
namely  in  1900,  lie  again  visited  Belgium,  and 
on  the  8th  of  .Vovemljer  of  that  year  was 
joined  in  marriage  to  that  lady  and  set  out 
on  a  wedding  trip  to  their  home  in  the 
Western  world,  and  their  friends  may  now 
find  then  in  their  home  on  Oak  Hill.  M  iline. 

.\t  the  age  of  fourteen  years  Mr.  Ciryn  was 
confirmed    by    the    Bisliop   of   Ghent    in    the 


//  I  SrO  RI  C     ROC  K     I  S  L  AND     COUNT  Y 


107 


Holy  Catholic  Church,  in  which  faith  botii  he 
and  Mrs.  Coryn  now  live. 


JUDSON  D.  METZGAR 

ONE  of  Moliiie'.s  younger  attorney.s,  who 
has  achieved  success  in  his  profession, 
and  who  has  acquired  a  lucrative  office 
and  probate  practice,  is  Judson  D.  Metzgar. 

He  was  born  at  Port  Byron,  Illinois, 
December  5,  1870,  and  here  hi.s  parents- 
Marcellus  R.  and  Mary  E.  (Brown)  Metzgar> 
resided  until  he  was  ten  years  of  age.  when 
they  removed  to  Davenport,  Iowa,  where 
they  remained  three  years,  going  from  thence 
to  Moline,  which  has  since  been  his  home. 

His  early  education  was  obtained  in  the 
common  schools  of  Port  Byron,  the  Moline 
High  School  of  which  he  is  a  graduate,  as 
well  as  of  the  Port  Byron  Academy  which  he 
attended  later.  His  jjrofessional  education 
was  obtained  in  the  Denver  Law  School. 
Upon  finishing  at  this  latter  institution  he 
was  admitted  to  the  Bar  of  Rock  Island 
County  in  1894  and  to  the  United  States 
District  Court  in  1899. 

On  January  28,  1895,  Mr.  Metzgar  was 
married  in  vSan  Bernardino,  California,  to 
Jliss  Alice  S.  Peterson.  Two  children  were 
born  to  them,  Mary  Alice,  aged  seven,  and 
Wallace  Judson,  aged  four.  He  was  bereaverl 
by  the  death  of  his  wife  at  Phoenix,  Arizona, 
January  2,  1904,  where  she  had  gone  in  an 
effort  to  recuperate  her  failing  health. 

Mr.  Metzgar's  church  affiliation  is  with  the 
First  Baptist  Church  of  Moline.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Yovmg  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation of  that  City.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Red- 
men,  the  Moline  Club,  the  Highland  Gun  Club 
and  the  Moline  Retail  Merchants'  Associa- 
tion. 

Mr.  Metzgar  has  never  lieen  a  i:)olitical 
aspirant,  the  on'v  office  lie  ever  held  lieing  an 
appointive  one  by  the  Mayor  of  Moline  as 
Director  of  Riverside  Cemetery  of  that  City, 
an  office  he  held  for  seven  vears. 


\Miile  this  sketch  of  Mr.  Metzgar  is  brief, 
his  life  itself  is  a  full  and  busy  one,  and  he  is 
held   in   high  esteem  by  those  who  know  him. 

«    !^    JS 

EDGAR  H.  WILSON. 

BORN  at  Depauville,  Jefferson  County,  New 
York,  January  28,  1874,  Edgar  H.  Wil- 
son came  to  Moline,  Illinois,  with  his 
parents,  (ieorge  T.  and  Mary  E.  Wilson,  in 
the  year  1892.  He  was  educated  in  Low- 
ville  Academy,  Lowville,  New  York.  Leaving 
school  at  the  age  of  seventeen  he  entered  the 
service  of  Grant  &  Mould,  grocers,  at  W^ater- 
town.  New  York,  with  whom  he  remained 
for  three  years  when  the  family  moved  west. . 

.Arriving  at  Moline,  Mr.  Wilson  was  em- 
ployed as  clerk  in  the  grocery  store  of  George 
L.  Benson  at  1620  Third  Avenue;  at  the 
ex])iration  of  three  years  he  purchased  the 
stock  and  fixtures  of  Mr.  Benson  and  con- 
ducted the  business  on  his  own  hook  until 
Septemlier,  1902,  when  he,  in  company  with 
C.  W.  Wright,  organized  the  Wright  Carriage 
Body  Company  and  built  that  well  known 
plant  with  Mr.  Wright  as  Manager  and  Mr. 
Wilson  as  Secretary  and  Treasurer.  Since 
Mr.  Wright's  retirement  from  the  concern  in 
1904  Mr.  Wilson  has  been  in  sole  charge  of 
factory  and  office. 

In  the  year  1898,  on  Thanksgiving  Day, 
Mr.  W^ilson  was  joined  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Emma  Wright,  daughter  of  C.  W.  Wright,  of 
the  above  Comjjany.  In  politics  Mr.  Wilson  is 
a  Republican  ;  he  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  where  he  officiates  as  organ- 
ist; he  is  also  a  member  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  and  of  the  Doric  Lodge, 
No.  319,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 

Jg    !g    !« 

ALIiON  A.  BUFFUM. 

THE    evolution    of    Rock    Island    County 
from    an    untamed    wilderness    into    a 
popidous,     highly     inijiroved     and     well 
ordered  community  has  occup  e  1  but  a  brief 


108 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


span  of  years.  There  are  those  now  living 
who  were  here  in  time  to  aid  in  the  beginning 
of  the  struggle  against  the  forces  of  nature. 
And  yet  there  has  been  time  for  families  to 
grow  up.  children  and  grandchildren,  and 
even  great  grandchildren  to  be  born,  reared 
and  scatter  west,  north  and  south  to  people 
other  lands.  Such  has  been  the  history  of 
the  descendants  of  Jonathan  Buffum,  a 
pioneer  of  the  thirties.  He  came  to  Stephen- 
son, as  Rock  Island  was  known  then,  frnni 
the  east,  in  1835.  at  a  time  when  there  were 
but  a  few  straggling  houses  here.  He  estab- 
lished the  first  hotel,  or  rather  tavern,  in  the 
settlement  and  at  this  place,  so  family  tradi- 
tion runs,  dinner  was  provided  for  the  gang 
of  men  who  built  the  first  house  erected  on 
the  site  of  Davenport. 

Jonathan  Buffum  was  the  father  of  a  large 
family  and  there  are  today  many  descendants 
scattered  throughout  the  country.  Almon 
Atwood  Buffum  is  one  of  the  few  who  still 
live  in  the  county.  He  is  a  son  of  Seth  R. 
and  Henrietta  (Atwood)  Buffum.  His  father 
was  born  in  Ohio  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1826. 
His  mother  was  a  native  of  Vermont,  taking 
up  her  residence  in  Illinois  in  1847.  The  son 
was  born  in  Knox  County,  Illinois,  August 
26,  1849,  and  the  greater  part  of  his  early  life 
was  spent  in  Andausia,  where  he  obtained  a 
common  school  education.  January  1,  1873, 
he  married  Amanda  Weaver,  who  died  in 
1902.  Four  children  were  the  result  of  the 
union.  Este  E.,  Bertha,  wife  of  Lorenzo 
Chambers;  Ruth,  and  Paul.  Mr.  Buffum 
settled  on  a  farm  in  Black  Hawk  soon  after 
his  marriage  and  has  engaged  in  agricultvu-al 
pursuits  ever  since.  He  is  a  spiritualist  and 
is  independent  in  politics. 
m  ^  ^ 

PRESLEY  GREENAWALT. 

PRESLEY  GREENAWALT,  ca.shicr  of  the 
Rock    Island    Savings    Bank,    was    boni 
May  31,  1858,  at  Wyoming.  Stark  Coimty, 
Illinois,  the  son  of  Henry  Andrew  and  Maria 


Calwell  Greenawalt.  In  the  public  schools 
of  Wyoming  he  obtained  his  education,  leav- 
ing his  studies  at  the  age  of  fourteen  to  enter 
the  printing  office  of  the  Wyoming  Post.  In 
1882  he  removed  to  Rock  Island  and  secured 
a  position  as  bill  clerk  witli  the  Rock  Island 
it  Peoria  Railroad.  After  a  few  months  he 
was  made  cashier  in  the  local  freight  office. 
from  wliich  iio.sition  he  was  successively  pro- 
moted to  agent  at  Toulon,  agent  at  Rock 
Lsland.  and  finally  to  cashier  and  paymaster 
for  the  road.  In  1892  he  resigned  to  enter 
the  shoe  lousiness  in  Rock  Island.  At  the 
end  of  a  year  he  dispo.sed  of  his  store  and 
took  charge  of  the  books  of  the  Rock  Island 
Savings  Bank.  He  was  made  cashier  in 
1895,  and  still  holds  that  position. 

Mr.  Greenawalt  has  given  much  attention 
to  fraternal  work.  He  is  a  member  of  Trio 
Lodge,  No.  57,  Ancient  Free  and  Acce])ted 
Masons,  and  served  as  master  during  the 
year  1899.  He  is  connected  with  the  Odd 
Fellows  and  filled  the  office  of  noble  grand 
one  term.  In  the  National  Union  he  held 
the  office  of  secretary  for  a  number  of  years 
and  is  now  treasurer.  He  is  also  connected 
with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America, 
Knights  of  the  Globe  and  Bankers'  Life 
Insurance  Company. 

Mr.  Greenawalt  was  married  June  17.  1885, 
to  Miss  Marguerite  Elizabeth  Laux,  daughter 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Val.  Laux,  of  Davenport, 
Iowa. 

m  ^  m 
MARTIN  SCHOONMAKER. 

MrCH  has  lieen  written  in  this  historical 
work  of  the  banks  aiul  bankers  of  Rock 
Island  and  Moline.  However,  in  esti- 
mating the  financial  strength  of  Rock  Island 
County  the  i)anks  and  bankers  of  its  smaller 
mtmici]ialities  are  deserving  of  very  ])rominent 
mention,  for  they  are  the  tributaries  of  larger 
financial  institutions  and  have  an  important 
part  in  swelling  the  stream  of  the  county's 
prosperity.     To  the  village  bank  comes  the 


p.  GREENAWALT 


//  /  S'  T  0  R  I  C     ROC  K     I  S  L  A  N  D     CO  U  X  T  Y 


109 


farmer  from  the  .surrounding  countryside  and 
deposits  the  golden  fruits  of  his  toil.  I'^-om 
the  proprietor  of  thai  bank  its  customers 
may  ask  and  receive  soiuid  financial  advice. 
He  is  their  friend  anrl  adviser  as  well  as  their 
banker.  The  farm  loan,  that  solid  rock  of 
financial  investment,  is  placed  with  him,  or 
is  negotiated  through  some  larger  lianking 
institution  through  his  agency.  I'pon  the 
stability  and  security  of  these  smaller  banks, 
as  well  as  upon  the  honor  and  integrity  of 
those  in  control  of  them,  rests  the  whole 
superstructio'e  of  the  confidence  and  trust 
reposed  in  them. 

With  these  thoughts  in  mind  we  are  now 
to  consider  the  life  and  character  of  Martin 
Schoonmaker,  the  l>anker  at  the  Village  of 
Reynolds  in  this  county,  one  of  Rock  Island 
County's  most  influential  citizens.  He  was 
born  October  21,  1834,  in  Green  County, 
New  York,  his  parents  being  Christian  and 
Sylvia  Schoonmaker.  Both  Mr.  Schoon- 
maker's  parents  were  natives  of  this  country. 
His  paternal  grandfather  came  to  America 
from  Germany  at  a  very  early  date.  Martin 
Schoonmaker  received  such  education  as  was 
afforded  at  that  early  time  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  county,  receiving  sound 
instruction  in  the  common  branches  of  learn- 
ing. 

About  April  Ki,  18.56,  Mr.  Schoonmaker 
left  New  York  State  and  came  to  Illinois. 
locating  at  once  in  Rock  Island.  Ilnancially 
he  was  in  .sore  straits,  without  either  employ- 
ment or  friends.  Upon  coming  to  Rock 
Island  he  stopped  for  two  or  three  days  with 
Mr.  C.  H.  Stoddard,  a  man  very  prominent 
in  Rock  Island  County  before  his  death.  Mr. 
Stoddard  informed  the  young  man  that  there 
was  plenty  of  employment  to  be  obtained  at 
or  near  the  village  of  Edgington,  which  was 
just  opening  up  as  a  farming  conmuiiiity. 
Meeting  Mr.  Daniel  Edgington,  after  whom 
the  village  was  named,  upon  the  streets  of 
Rock  Island,  arrangements  were  made  with 
him   to   take   the  young   stranger  down    into 


the  lower  end  of  the  county.  He  accomp- 
anied Mr.  Edgington  to  his  farm,  and  after 
remaining  there  for  a  day  or  two  found  em- 
ployment with  Mr.  Mathias  Agy,  a  neighbor- 
ing farmer,  to  whom  lie  hired  out  at  a  salary 
of  sixteen  dollars  a  month.  The  employment 
only  continued  for  two  months,  when  our 
young  adventurer  was  again  seeking  work. 
He  found  employment  very  speedily  at  the 
store  of  a  Mr.  Burrall,  and  here  he  received 
seventy-five  cents  a  day  for  his  toil.  After- 
ward Mr.  Schoonmaker  owned  this  store,  but 
as  he  himself  says,  it  was  in  those  early  days 
of  his  struggle  beyond  the  wildest  dreams  of 
his  ambition.  After  he  left  the  employ  of 
Mr.  Burrall  the  young  man  went  to  work  for 
a  Doctor  Tyler,  who  owned  a  large  farm  in 
the  lower  end  of  the  county.  Here  he  was 
engaged  in  the  laborious  occupation  of  mow- 
ing hay  with  a  scythe,  this  being  long  before 
the  era  of  the  mowing  machine  and  the  hay- 
loader.  For  this  work  he  was  to  receive 
seventy-five  cents  per  acre.  Again,  as  Mr. 
Schoonmaker  himself  says,  at  that  time  he 
wovdd  have  considered  any  man  who  would 
have  prophesied  that  he  would  own  such  a 
farm  as  that  little  short  of  insane,  yet  in  due 
course  of  time,  this  very  farm  upon  which 
he  had  toiled  for  Dr.  Tyler,  came  into  his 
possession . 

After  some  years  of  farming  Mr.  Schoon- 
maker entered  the  agricultural  implement 
business  at  Edgington.  From  that  he 
branched  out  into  the  general  mercantile 
business.  Then  he  entered  the  livery  busi- 
ness at  Muscatine,  Iowa,  later  returning  to 
the  mercantile  l)usiness  at  Edgington,  and 
later  at  Reynolds.  Then  lie  entered  the 
grain  business,  and  this  he  followed  for 
twenty-one  years.  In  the  meantime  Mr. 
Schoonmaker  started  the  Reynolds  bank, 
the  first  bank  ever  in  that  village.  At  first 
this  was  operated  as  a  private  banking  insti- 
tution, and  it  continued  to  be  so  operated  for 
about  ten  years.  At  the  expiration  of  that 
time  .Mr.  Schoonmaker  sold  out  his  business 


110 


HISTORIC     ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


interests,  iiK-ludirifi  the  hank  and  the  grain 
business,  his  intention  heinu;  to  retire  upon 
the  competence  that  he  had  acquired  through 
his  industry  and  sagacity,  and  to  enjoy  a 
well  earned  rest  from  the  cares  of  business 
life.  This  he  did  for  a  time,  and  being 
opportuned  by  some  of  the  Reynolds  citizens 
to  open  a  State  bank,  he  yielded  to  their 
requests,  and  proceeded  to  complete  the 
organization  of  the  State  bank.  Subscrip- 
tion for  the  bank  stock  was  very  soon  com- 
pleted, and  at  the  first  meeting  of  the  stock- 
holders of  the  new  institution  Mr.  Schoon- 
maker  was  luianiniously  elected  the  bank's 
first  president.  This  office  he  has  held  ever 
since. 

Mr.  Schoonmaker.  during  his  long  business 
career  at  Reynolds,  has  been  one  of  that 
village's  most  public  spirited  citizens.  To 
him  probalily  more  than  to  any  other  single 
individual  is  due  the  credit  of  building  up  the 
village.  He  alwaj's  had  a  firm  faith  in  its 
future,  and  never  hesitated  to  put  his  money 
into  building  enterprises.  He  has  had  built 
eleven  dwelling  houses,  a  large  grain  eleva- 
tor and  a  bank  building,  a  business  block 
and  office  building. 

In  political  faith  Mr.  .Schoonmaker  was, 
in  his  early  years,  a  staunch  Democrat,  but 
differing  with  the  majority  of  his  party  on 
some  of  the  issues  it  advocated,  he  left  its 
ranks  and  has  ever  since  voted  the  Repub- 
lican ticket.  Mr.  Schoonmaker  has  held 
several  public  offices  in  Rock  Island  County, 
and  although  they  were  in  fact  minor  offices, 
and  somewhat  local  in  their  nature,  they 
serve  to  demonstrate  the  esteem  and  regard 
in  which  he  was  held  by  his  neighbors.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors 
for  eight  years  and  chairman  of  the  Jioard 
committee  at  the  time  of  the  building  of  the 
new  court  house  in  this  comity.  The  lionds 
voted  for  this  enterprise  were  $125,000.  which 
issue,  through  Mr.  Schoonmaker's  agency, 
were  sold  for  $130,000  to  H.  N.  Harris  & 
Company,  of  Chicago,   a  very  advantageous 


financial  operation  for  Rock  Island  County. 
February  12.  1S60,  Mr.  Schoonmaker  was 
married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  I^outtinghouse,  the 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Boutting- 
house,  Sr.  He  was  bereaved  by  the  death  of 
his  wife  .luly  (5.  1S70,  after  ten  years  of  happy 
married  life.  On  February  29,  1876,  Mr. 
Schoonmaker  married  Miss  Jennie  C.  Smith. 
Five  children  were  born  of  this  second  mar- 
riage, three  of  whom  are  living:  Elizabeth, 
Laura  and  ^lartin  Fay.  The  daughter, 
Elizabeth,  is  now  the  wife  of  T.  I.  Ash. 

In  bringing  to  a  close  this  biographical 
sketch  it  seems  that  no  words  of  flattery  are 
necessary  to  gloss  over  Mr.  Schoonmaker's 
long  and  honorable  career.  He  has  spent  a 
long  and  useful  lifetime  in  Rock  Island 
County.  He  is  so  well  known  that  his  life 
and  character  speak  for  themselves.  Coming 
to  this  county  at  an  early  daj^  he  found  nat- 
ural opportunities  which  he  improved,  and 
he  is  now  enjoying  the  natural  and  well- 
merited  reward  of  his  foresight. 

^  m  m 
ROBERT  WARD  OLMSTED. 

A(!OOD  mental  and  physical  equijuuent. 
unflagging  energy,  and  temperate  haljits 
have  been  leading  factors  in  the  eleva- 
tion of  Robert  Ward  Olmsted,  from  a  poor 
boy,  dependent  upon  his  own  resources,  to 
the  honored  position  of  judge  of  Rock  Island 
County.  Born  on  a  farm  in  Edgington 
Township,  Rock  Island  County,  Illinois,  May 
6,  1868,  he  became  almost,  if  not  quite,  self- 
supporting  at  the  tender  age  of  thirteen,  and 
though  employed  early  and  late  for  the 
greater  part  of  each  succeeding  year  of  his 
youth,  he  cultivated  studious  habits,  and  by 
close  ajiplication  to  his  books,  both  in  and 
out  of  school,  and  by  strict  economy,  he 
seciu'ed  an  education.  Having  done  this,  his 
advancement  was  rapid. 

Our  subject  is  the  son  of  Robert  B.  and 
Mary  M.  (Linn)  Olmsted.  The  father  was 
born  April  13,  1832,  at  Havensport,  Fairfield 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     CO  U  N  T  Y 


111 


County,  Ohio.  He  was  left  an  orphan  at  an 
early  age  and  grew  to  manhood  in  Defiance 
County,  Ohio.  He  came  to  Knox  County. 
Illinois,  in  1856,  and  to  Rock  Island  County 
in  1860.  He  was  successively  school  teacher, 
farmer,  merchant,  postmaster  of  Milan,  Illi- 
nois, insurance  agent  and  for  the  la.st  twelve 
years  has  been  deputy  sheriff  and  bailiff  of 
the  circuit  and  county  courts. 

The  foundation  of  the  Olmsted  family  in 
America  was  laid  by  three  brothers  of  English 
Puritan  stock,  who  removed  to  this  continent 
in  the  seventeenth  century,  one  of  the  broth- 
ers being  a  pioneer  settler  of  Hartford, 
Connecticut.  The  mother  of  our  subject 
was  born  March  22,  1844,  near  Viola,  Mercer 
County,  Illinois,  her  parents,  who  were  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent,  coming  to  Illinois  from 
Mercer  County,  Penn.sylvania. 

The  son  at  the  age  of  thirteen  began  work 
as  cutter  l)oy  in  a  paper  mill  at  Milan,  l)eing 
employed  twelve  hours  a  day  and  earning  at 
first  but  $4.50  per  week.  During  the  next 
three  succeeding  summers  he  was  employed 
in  another  paper  mill,  on  a  farm  and  in  a 
drug  store.  Then  he  was  assistant  post- 
master at  Milan  and  at  Reynolds,  Illinois, 
for  two  years;  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  taking 
up  school  teaching  near  Milan.  In  February, 
1887,  he  entered  the  Iowa  State  College  of 
Agriculture  and  Mechanics  Arts  at  Ames,  and 
after  four  years  graduated  with  the  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Science.  While  in  college  he 
earned  practically  all  the  money  required  to 
carry  him  thi-ough.  In  1890-91  he  was 
teacher  in  the  Northern  Iowa  Normal  School 
at  Algona.  and  the  following  year  he  was 
princii)al  of  the  public  schools  in  Milan. 
Then  for  three  years  he  was  superintendent 
of  schools  of  Orange  City,  county  seat  of 
Sioux  County,  Iowa.  Prior  to  this,  in  1891- 
92,  he  studied  law  with  Jackson  it  Hurst  in 
Rock  Island,  and  while  at  Orange  City  he 
comjileted  his  course  vmder  L.  D.  Hob.son. 
an  attorney  of  that  place.  In  1895  he  passed 
the  examination  and  .lanuarv  16  was  admitted 


to  the  bar  of  Iowa.  After  practicing  four 
years  at  Orange  City  he  was  elected  county 
attorney,  and  served  till  shortly  before  his 
removal  to  Rock  Island  in  May,  1899.  From 
1900  to  1904  he  was  assistant  state's  attorney 
of  Rock  Island  County.  In  the  Spring  of 
1907  he  received  the  nomination  for  County 
Judge  at  the  hands  of  the  Republican  party, 
to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of  Judge  E.  E. 
Parmenter,  deceased.  His  election  by  a 
handsome  majority  followed. 

While  attending  Iowa  Agricultural  College 
Mr.  Olmsted  was  a  cadet,  obtaining  some 
military  experience.  He  at  one  time  took 
first  prize  in  a  competitive  drill  in  which  his 
Company  participated.  During  his  term  of 
service  he  rose  to  the  rank  of  Captain,  being 
by  virtue  of  his  commission,  a  member  of 
the  Iowa  National  Guard.  Mr.  Olmsted  is 
a  Presbyterian,  a  member  of  the  Broadway 
Church  of  Rock  Island.  In  politics  he  has 
always  allied  himself  with  the  Republican 
party.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Masons  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 

Mr.  Olmsted  married  August  25,  1892, 
Jennie  K.  Fahnestock,  of  Lewiston.  Illinois. 
To  them  four  children  have  lieen  born: 
Margaret,  February  7,  1894:  Elizal)eth.  June 
11,  1898;  Robert  Ernst,  December  2,  1899, 
and  Jeanette,  October  20,  1903. 

m  ^  M 
HONORABLE  WILLIAM  PAYNE. 

F.\RMERS  who  have  been  elected  to  posi- 
tions of  trust  and  honor  are  not  by  any 
means  few  in  America,  but  it  is  the  excep- 
tion that  the  tiller  of  the  soil  continues  to  be 
such  long  after  he  has  won  success  in  any 
sphere  outside  his  regular  calling.  The  allure- 
ments of  city  life  in  the  great  majority  of 
cases  quickly  overcome  the  inborn  love  of 
nature  unadorned  and  the  farmer  is  known 
by  another  name. 

Honorable  William  Payne  has  been  one  of 
the  few.  After  terms  of  service  in  county 
offices  anil  through  twelve  years  in  which  he 


112 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


held  iiKMiihcrshi])  in  the  Illinois  House  of 
H('|)rcs('ntatives  and  Senate  ho  remained  a 
farmer.  His  broad  acres  in  Ziima  Township, 
Hock  Island  Comity,  he  still  called  home, 
and  there  he  continued  to  reside  and  plant 
and  cultivate  and  reaj)  and  raise  live  .stock 
till  he  felt  it  time  to  retire  from  active  business 
and  from  office.  Then  he  exchanged  his  farm 
for  city  jiroperty  and  liecame  a  resident  of 
Rock  Island. 

Mr.  Payne  was  born  March  S,  1841,  at  what 
is  now  known  as  Pleasant  Valley,  Scott 
County,  Iowa,  his  ])arents  being  Jeremiah 
and  Letitia  (Orr)  Payne.  They  located  in 
Scott  County  in  1837,  the  father  being  a 
native  of  New  York  State,  and  the  mother  a 
native  of  Ohio.  The  son  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  near  his  home,  and 
in  the  Winters  of  1859.  1860  attended  school 
at  Quincy  College,  and  in  1860  taught  school 
in  Posey  County,  Indiana,  and  Adams  County, 
Illinois.  At  the  outlireak  of  the  Civil  war  he 
joined  the  Thirteenth  Illinois  Infantry,  serv- 
ing in  Company  I)  during  the  greater  i)art  of 
the  fovu-  years  he  sj^ent  in  the  army.  After 
the  war  he  fo\md  employment  in  mercantile 
establishments  and  on  the  farm,  till  1875, 
when  he  jnu'chased  the  stock  farm  in  Zuma 
Townshi])  on  which  he  continued  to  reside 
for  twenty-five  years.  In  1901  he  rented 
the  farm  and  has  since  given  his  attention 
to  other  affairs,  spending  four  years  in  the 
South. 

Mr.  Payne's  career  as  a  ])ublic  officer  began 
soon  after  the  war.  In  the  sixties  he  served 
one  term  as  deputy  comity  treasurer  and 
two  terms  as  deputy  sheriff.  In  the  early 
seventies  he  was  elected  sheriff,  and  filled 
that  responsible  office  for  two  terms.  In 
1890  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  lower 
Illinois  House,  and  so  well  were  his  constitvi- 
ents  pleased  with  his  work  that  they  sent 
him  back  at  the  end  of  his  first  term  for 
another  six  years,  making  eight  consecutive 
years.  Then  they  placed  him  in  the  Senate, 
where   he  held   a  seat   for   four   consecutive 


years,  retiring  in  1902.  .\niong  other  posi- 
tions of  trust  Mr.  Payne  filled  was  that  of 
president  of  the  Rock  Island  Agricultural 
Association,  in  which  capacity  he  continued 
several  years. 

In  Masonry  the  subject  of  '  this  sketch 
stands  high,  having  attained  the  thirty-second 
degree.  He  holds  membership  in  Rock  Island 
Lodge,  No.  658,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons:  Rock  Island  Chapter,  No.  18,  Royal 
Arch  Masons;  Rock  Island  Commandery,  No. 
1 8,  Knights  Templar ;  the  Oriental  Consistory 
of  Chicago,  and  Kaaba  Temjile,  Ancient 
Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  of 
Davenport,  Iowa.  In  addition  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

Mr.  Payne  was  married  Octol)er  26,  1870, 
to  Miss  Jennie  Wilson,  daughter  of  Major 
F.  Wilson  and  Asenath  (North)  Wilson,  both 
old  settlers  of  Rock  Island  County.  Four 
children  born  of  this  union:  Frank,  farmer 
and  stock  raiser  of  Zuma,  married  Miss  Clara 
Frels  in  November.  1901.  They  have  one 
son,  Wilson  Payne,  born  in  1894.  Ben,  of 
Rock  Island,  is  single,  and  has  all  the  Masonic 
degrees  his  father  has.  Lucy,  was  married 
in  January,  1899,  to  Honorable  Marton 
Bailey,  of  Danville.  Illinois,  and  they  have 
two  children,  Joe  Cannon  Marton, born  in  1900- 
and  Helen,  born  in  1894.  Miss  Mabel  Payne 
the  youngest  of  the  family,  resides  at  home. 
fS  'iSi  m 

REVEREND  GEORGE  W.  GUE. 

AM.\N  who,  while  never  a  jiermanent 
resident  of  Rock  Island,  yet  lived  in 
the  city  long  enough  to  leave  a  perma- 
nent impress  there  and  to  be  remembered 
with  gratitude  by  many,  was  Reverend 
George  W.  Gue.  for  several  years  pastor  of 
the  First  Methodist  Church,  and  builder  of 
the  present  house  of  worship  of  that  congre- 
gation. Honored  in  various  ways  by  his 
church  he  bore  his  preferment  well  and 
earned  the  love  and  respect  everywhere  of 
those  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 


REV.  GUE 


D    M.  SECHLER 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


113 


Mr.  Giie  was  born  in  Neville,  Clermont 
County,  Ohio,  February  27,  1840,  and  died 
at  Portland,  Oregon,  .July  24,  lOOl.  When 
ten  ycar.s  of  age,  his  ]>arent.s  removed  to 
Princeville,  Peoria  County,  Illinoi.s.  At  the 
age  of  nine  years  he  had  completed  an 
academic  education  and  was  admitted  to  the 
Central  Illinois  Conference,  being  at  the  time 
the  youngest  member  of  that  organization. 
As  the  years  passed  he  was  assigned  to  the 
most  important  posts  in  the  conference  and 
served  also  as  presiding  elder.  In  1862  he 
enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Union  army, 
being  soon  promoted  to  Chaplain  of  the 
One  Hundred  and  Eighth  Illinois  Regiment. 
In  later  years  he  often  proudly  mentioned 
the  fact  that  he  was  the  youngest  Chaplain 
in  the  Army.  Serving  throughout  the  war, 
Mr.  Gue  returned  with  his  Regiment  to  Peoria 
in  1865,  and  was  there  mustered  out.  After- 
ward he  became  prominent  in  Grand  Army 
circles  in  the  State,  serving  one  term  as 
department  Chaplain.  He  also  published  a 
book  entitled  "Our  Country's  Flag." 

Mr.  G-ie  was  for  a  number  of  years  presid- 
ing eldt  of  the  Kankakee  district.  He  was 
transferred  to  the  Oregon  conference  in  1891, 
and  took  charge  of  Grace  Church  at  Portland. 
After  three  years  service  he  was  chosen 
presiding  elder  and  served  the  full  term, 
afterv-rd  resuming  his  duties  as  pastor  with 
the  ;  ntenary  Church  at  Portland.  It  was 
while  waiting  at  the  depot  to  meet  returning 
Epworth  League  delegates,  who  had  been  at 
a  meeting  at  San  Francisco,  that  heart  failure 
overcame  him  and  he  died.  Mr.  Ciue  was  a 
delegate  to  three  general  conferences  of  the 
Ame  ican  Methodist  Church,  those  of  1880, 
1888  and  1898,  and  was  elected  a  delegate  to 
the  Ecumenical  Council  of  the  church  which 
met  in  London,  England,  in  the  September 
following  his  death. 

Mr.  (!ue  was  married  to  Anna  B.  Roberts, 
of  Peoria,  Illinois,  in  1864,  and  his  wife,  three 
sons  and  one  daughter  survive. 


DANIEL  M.  SECHLER. 

DANIEL  M.  SECHLER,  founder  of  the 
D.  M.  Sechler  Carriage  Company,  of 
Moline,  Illinois,  was  born  March  4,  1818, 
at  Danville,  Pennsylvania,  and  died  at  his 
home  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  May  27,  1903. 

Mr.  Sechler's  forefathers,  in  the  days  of  the 
persecution  of  John  Huss,  were  obliged  to 
flee  for  refuge  from  Austria,  taking  up 
their  abode  in  Holland,  from  which  country, 
in  1685,  Mr.  Sechler's  great  great  grandfather 
emigrated  to  America,  locating  near  William 
Penn's  town  of  Philadelphia.  His  grandson, 
.John  Sechler,  a  revolutionary  soldier,  founded 
the  town  of  Danville,  the  birthplace  not  only 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  but  also  of  his 
father,  Rudolph  Sechler,  and  his  mother, 
Susannah  (nee  Douty). 

His  wife's  parents  were  Thomas  and 
Catharine  (nee  Angstadt)   Mackey. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sechler  had  but  one  son, 
Thomas  M.,  whose  biograjjliical  sketch  fol- 
lows this  one. 

Daniel  M.  Sechler's  early  education  was 
acquired  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
town,  supplemented  by  several  terms  in  the 
local  academy. 

At  seventeen  years  of  age  he  began  his 
apprenticeship  at  the  carriage  maker's  trade, 
in  the  City  of  Port  Deposit,  Maryland.  Four 
years  later  he  entered  into  a  co-partnership 
with  a  Mr.  Ball,  under  the  firm  name  of  Ball 
it  Sechler,  Carriage  Manufacturers,  at  Milton, 
Pennsylvania.  During  this  period  Mr.  Ball 
died.  Mr.  Sechler  continued  the  business  for 
three  years  thereafter,  producing  from  fifty 
to  seventy-five  carriages  per  year,  and  then 
disposing  of  his  establishment,  removed  to 
Wooster,  Ohio,  where  he  lived  in  retirement 
for  a  time.  Later  he  operated  a  foundry  in 
Adams  County,  Ohio,  and  in  1852  he  took 
the  management  of  the  pattern  department 
of  a  large  machine  shop  at  Ironton,  Ohio,  and 
in  1854  erected  the  Star  Nail  Mill — now  the 
Bellefont  Iron  Works — for  a  company  at  that 


114 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


jilace,  being  the  first  nail  mill  erected  in  Ohio. 
He  continued  there  until  the  year  1S5S,  when 
he  removed  to  Cincinnati,  where  he  opened 
a  large  wholesale  and  retail  store,  as  agent 
for  a  rolling  mill,  located  at  Pomeroy,  Ohio, 
and  iron  furnaces  in  the  vicinity  of  Ironton 
and  Pomeroy. 

In  the  year  1S67  Air.  Sechler  became  a 
partner  in  the  Swift  Iron  &  Steel  Works,  at 
Newport,  Kentucky.  Two  years  later,  in 
1869,  we  find  him  interested  in  the  manu- 
facture of  pig  iron,  in  Montgomery-  County, 
Tennessee,  and  in  1877  he  returned  to  his 
original  business  of  manufacturing  carriages, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Sechler  &  Company, 
at  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Operating  this  establishment  successfully 
for  a  period  of  ten  years,  he  sold  out  his 
interest,  with  the  intention  of  permanently 
retiring  from  active  business.  Xow  ensued 
a  period  of  travel,  during  which  he,  with  Mrs. 
Sechler,  visited  places  of  interest  in  Europe. 

Returning  home,  he  soon  fotmd  that  the 
life  of  ease  which  he  had  ]ilanned  for  his 
future  was  not  so  pleasant  in  realization  as 
it  had  been  in  expectation.  Of  vigorous 
physique  and  active  brain,  and  habituated 
to  strenuous  business  life,  the  ennui  of  idle- 
ness soon  became  imbearable.  He  had 
learned  the  lesson  that  work  is  necessary  to 
happiness,  and  acting  upon  this  feeling,  he 
once  more  launched  out  in  business  venture, 
this  time  selecting  Moline.  Illinois,  as  the 
scene  of  his  operations.  Here  he  established 
the  D.  M.  Sechler  Carriage  Company,  which 
stands  toda}',  the  splendid  monument  to  his 
later  and  greatest  enterprise. 

To  the  two  acres  of  floor  space,  this  thriv- 
ing manufactory,  with  a  capacity  of  ten 
thousand  vehicles  annually,  was  added,  in 
1897,  the  manufacture  of  the  Black  Hawk 
Corn  Planter.  .  The  magnitude  of  this  branch 
of  the  business  will  be  understood  by  that 
fact  that,  at  the  time  of  Mr.  Sechler's  death, 
it  was  the  second  largest  cornplanter  works 
in  the  world. 


The  manufactory,  under  the  management 
of  his  son.  Thomas  M.  Sechler.  who  survives 
him.  has  kept  pace  with  the  onward  sweep 
of  the  greatest  business  concerns  of  the 
country,  and  is  today  one  of  the  great  manu- 
facturing establishments  of  Moline. 

Mr.  Sechler's  first  presidential  vote  was 
cast  for  William  Henry  Harrison,  in  1840. 
He  supported  the  Whig  party  until  1856, 
when  he  voted  for  Fremont,  from  which  time 
on  he  affiliated  with  the  Republican  party, 
in  National  politics. 

He  was  a  Mason,  made  such  in  Kilwinning 
Lodge.  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  1869. 

He  married  Miss  Pamela  ilackey,  of  .Milton, 
Pennsylvania,  January  19,  1841.  The  sole 
issue  of  this  marriage  was  Thomas  Mackey 
Sechler,  a  sketch  of  whose  life  appears  in  this 
book. 

Although  Mr.  Sechler's  home  was,  to  the 
last,  in  Cincinnati,  he  spent  much  time  in 
Moline.  in  the  oversight  of  his  extensive 
business.  His  jjrotracted  visits  brought  him 
into  personal  contact  with  a  large  number  of 
Moline  business  men.  and  resulted  in  num- 
erous lasting  friendships;  and  his  death  left 
a  deep  sense  of  loss  in  all  who  knew  him. 
Daniel  M.  Sechler  was  a  courtly  gentleman, 
of  the  Old  School,  a  man  of  strict  integrity 
of  character,  of  unvarj-ing  honor  in  business 
and  personal  relations,  e.xerting  a  profound 
and  altogether  healthful  influence  upon  the 
business  and  social  life  of  Moline. 

m  m  m 

THOMAS.  M.  SECHLER. 

MOLINE  is  a  city  of  mantifacturers.  one 
of  the  most  prominent  of  whom  is  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  Thomas  M. 
Sechler.  He  was  born  October  25,  1841,  in 
Milton,  Northumberland  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, at  which  ]ilace  his  father.  D.  M. 
Sechler,  at  that  time  conducted  a  carriage 
factory.  His  father.  Daniel  Montgomery 
Sechler,  was  born  at  Danville.  Pennsylvania, 
March    4,     181S,    and    his    mother.     Pamela 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


115 


(Mackey)  Sechler.  was  liorn  in  Rutland 
Township,  Rerks  ('(ninty.  Pennsylvania. 
December  19.  1S1!I.  She  is  still  living  at 
her  home  in  Cincinnati.  Uhio. 

T.  M.  Sechler's  paternal  great-great-great 
grandfather  came  from  Holland  in  16S5. 
together  with  a  brother,  and  settled  in 
William  Penn's  territory  near  Philadelphia. 
The  brother  settled  in  North  Carolina,  and 
one  hundred  and  seventy-eight  years  later  the 
descendants  of  these  two  brothers  w^ere  to  be 
found  in  the  ranks  of  the  opposing  armies  in 
the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  The  great-grand- 
father, John  Sechler,  born  March  20,  1739, 
died  December  21,  1831,  was  a  soldier  in  the 
American  army  during  the  Revolution,  from 
1776  to  1778.  He  was  born  in  Philadelphia 
County,  Pennsylvania,  and  after  the  close  of 
the  Revolutionary  war  he  moved  to  Columbia 
County  in  the  same  State,  where  he  founded 
the  town  of  Danville,  now  the  county  seat  of 
Montour  County. 

Mr.  Sechler's  maternal  grandmother,  Susan- 
nah (Douty)  Sechler,  was  born  April  27,  1781, 
and  diofl  September  8.  1871.  She  was 
descended  on  her  mother's  side  from  John 
Cooper,  one  of  the  ea^ly  settlers  in  Plymouth 
Colony,  Massachusetts,  where  he  came  in 
1628.  Her  father,  John  Douty,  was  also  a 
Revolutionary  soldier,  and  was  taken  prisoner 
by  the  British  at  the  capture  of  Fort  Freeland. 

His  mother's  great  grandfather,  Martin 
Mackey,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  was  killed 
at  the  battle  of  the  Brandywine.  His  son, 
Andrew  ilackey,  was  an  American  soldier 
during  the  war  of  1812.  Andrew  Mackey's 
son,  Thomas  Saylor  Mackey,  was  a  lad  too 
young  to  join  the  army  with  his  father  during 
the  war  of  1812,  Viut  he  was  afterward  a  Major 
in  the  Pennsylvania  militia,  and  for  a  time 
was  a  magistrate  for  Northtimberland  County. 
He  was  a  contractor,  and  built  a  portion  of 
the  Northern  Central  Railroad,  now  a  jiart 
of  the  Penn.s\-lvania  System. 

Mr.  Sechler  received  a  common  school 
education  in  Adams  Countv.  Ohio,  and  later 


attended  a  school  in  Ironton.  [>awrence 
County,  in  the  same  State.  In  June,  1860, 
he  graduated  from  Hughes  High  School,  in 
Cincinnati,  and  the  following  Sejitember  he 
entered  the  Sophomore  class  of  JIarietta 
College,  from  which  he  graduated  July  2, 
1S63,  ranking  third  in  a  graduating  class  of 
twelve.  During  the  years  he  spent  at  Mari- 
etta College  he  ]nu-sued  a  classical  course. 
Bishop  C.  C.  McCabe,  of  the  Methodist  Epi.s- 
copal  Church,  was  one  of  his  teachers  at  the 
Ironton  High  School,  and  it  was  at  this 
institution  that  Mr.  Sechler  met  his  future 
wife,  who  was  also  a  pupil  there. 

From  1858  to  1869,  and  from  1S77  to  1888, 
Mr.  Sechler  lived  at  Cincinnati,  the  eight 
years  from  1869  to  1877  being  spent  in  Mont- 
gomery Comity,  Tennessee,  w-here  he  was 
engaged  with  others  in  the  manufacture  of 
iron. 

As  has  been  stated,  Mr.  Sechler  graduated 
from  ^Marietta  College  on  July  2,  1863.  On 
the  eighteenth  of  the  same  month  he  was 
enrolled  in  the  Union  Army  and  served 
throughout  the  war.  He  served  with  the 
Second  Ohio  Artillery,  from  which  he  resigned 
at  the  close  of  the  war.  holding  the  rank  of 
First  Lieutenant  at  the  time.  He  saw  most 
of  his  service  in  Kentucky  and  Eastern  Ten- 
nessee. Part  of  his  time  was  spent  on 
detached  service,  he  being  at  different  times 
Acting  Assistant  Adjutant  General,  Acting 
Assistant  Quartermaster  and  Provost  Mar- 
shal, but  he  was  with  his  Regiment  on  all  its 
important  moves.  He  was,  however,  in  only 
one  severe  engagement,  that  being  with 
Wheeler's  Cavalry  at  Calhoun,  Tennessee, 
during  the  month  of  August,  1864. 

From  1866  to  1869  Mr.  Sechler  was  engaged 
in  business  wnth  his  father  at  Cincinnati,  and 
from  1869  to  1877,  as  has  been  said,  he  was 
in  the  iron  industry  at  Montgomery  County, 
Tennessee.  From  November  1877,  to  De- 
cember, 1888,  he  was  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Sechler  &  Company,  carriage  manufac- 
turers,     at     Cincinnati,     his     father      being 


116 


HISTORIC     ROCK     1  SLA  X  D     COUNTY 


president  of  that  firm  until  he  retired  in  May, 
18S7.  to  resume  again  at  Moline.  Illinois. 

On  January  8,  1889,  eighteen  months  later, 
T.  M.  Sechler  came  to  Moline  to  join  his 
father  in  the  business  that  he  had  already 
established  there,  ever  since  which  time  he 
has  been  a  resident  of  that  city.  His  first 
connection  with  the  Moline  firm  was  as  Yice- 
President  of  that  industry,  but  upon  the 
death  of  his  father  in  1903  he  succeeded  him 
as  President  of  the  institution,  which  office 
he  has  held  since  that  time.  He  is  also 
President  of  the  Wright  Carriage  Body 
Company,  a  director  in  the  Mutual  Wheel 
Company,  all  Moline  industries,  besides  hold- 
ing stock  in  several  other  factories  in  that 
city. 

He  was  married  at  Ironton,  Ohio,  June  7, 
1866,  to  his  former  schoolmate,  Miss  Juliet 
McCullough,  daughter  of  Addison  McCul- 
lough,  one  of  the  leading  iron  manufacturers 
at  that  place.  His  wife's  four  great  grand- 
fathers were  Revolutionary  soldiers,  and  she 
is  a  member  of  the  Moline  Chapter,  Daughters 
of  the  American  Revolution.  Three  children 
have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sechler.  two 
sons  who  died  in  infancy,  and  one  daughter. 
Mary  Addie,  now  the  wife  of  Mr.  Howard  O. 
Edmonds,  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  North- 
ern Trust  Company,  of  Chicago. 

Mr.  Sechler  has  never  been  an  aspirant  for 
political  honors,  the  only  officer  he  ever  held 
being  school  trustee  in  Montgomery  County, 
Tennessee,  and  at  the  same  time  he  was  also 
postmaster  at  ^'ernon  Furnace,  a  town  in 
that  county.  Although  not  an  office  seeker 
himself,  Mr.  Sechler  has  always  been  a  staunch 
and  loyal  Republican,  his  first  vote  being 
cast  for  Abraham  Lincoln  during  the  time 
he  was  in  the  army  in  1864.  He  is  a  strong 
adherent  to  the  principles  of  his  party  and 
has  never  failed  to  support  its  candidates  for 
President  since  he  cast  his  first  vote. 

In  religious  faith  Mr.  Sechler  was  originally 
a  Presbyterian,  but  upon  coming  to  Moline 
he  became  connected  with  the  First  Congre- 


gational Church  of  that  City,  to  which  he  has 
given  his  allegiance  ever  since. 

He  is  a  Mason,  being  a  member  of  Doric 
Lodge,  Moline;  a  Royal  Arch  Mason,  and  a 
member  of  the  Chapter  of  Knight  Templars 
at  Rock  Island. 

He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic  since  1880,  first  joining  that 
organization  at  Cincinnati,  and  upon  removal 
to  Moline  transferring  his  membership  to  the 
Post  at  the  latter  city.  Wliile  at  Cincinnati 
he  filled  various  Post  offices,  from  officer  of 
the  day  to  Post  Commander,  and  was  also 
chief  mustering  officer  of  the  Department  of 
Ohio.  He  represented  Ohio  in  the  Council 
of  Administration  during  the  last  year  of  his 
residence  there.  He  also  belongs  to  the 
Loyal  Legion,  holding  his  membership  in  Ohio. 

Besides  these  organizations,  Mr.  Sechler 
belongs  to  the  Moline  Club  and  to  the  National 
Association  of  Carriage  Builders,  in  which  for 
three  j'ears  he  was  a  vice-president. 

He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Society 
of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution. 

Mr.  Sechler  is  a  man  of  marked  adminis- 
trative ability.  The  industries  which  he  con- 
trols are  prosperous  and  thriving  ones,  their 
increase  and  growth  being  continuous  and 
steadv.  He  is  one  of  the  men  to  whom  Moline 
owes  the  distinguished  position  she  holds  in 
the  galaxy  of  manufacturing  cities  of  America. 
^  5i  S§ 

REVEREND  THOMAS  MACKIN. 

REVEREND  THOMAS  MACKIN  was  born 
in  County  Armagh.  Ireland,  January  4, 
1841,  the  son  of  Daniel  and  Ann  Mackin. 
His  rudimentary  education  was  received  in 
the  Government  schools  of  his  native  land, 
and  upon  his  completion  of  the  course  afforded 
there,  he  turned  to  teaching  as  a  means  of 
livelihood,  and  to  pave  the  way  for  t^ie 
attainment  of  wider  educational  advantages. 
In  1861  Thomas  Mackin  came  to  America, 
settling  in  Leland,  Illinois.  Here  his  brother 
James,    was     engaged     in    the    dry    goods, 


VERY  REV.  THOMAS  MACKIN 


H     1'     Sl.MPSOX 


//  /  S  r  0  R  I  C    ROC  K    ISLAND     COUNTY 


117 


commission  and  land  business.  It  was  during 
war  time  and  they  did  an  extensive  business. 
Thomas,  however,  despite  that  he  was  on  the 
road  to  sure  fortune  in  the  business,  was  not 
content  to  devote  his  life  to  commercial 
pursuits.  He  craved  knowledge,  and  '  his 
studious  nature  and  literary  inclinations 
developed  a  desire  for  the  priesthood.  With 
a  view  to  fitting  himself  for  holy  orders,  first 
he  entered  Notre  Dame  University,  but  re- 
mained there  only  a  brief  period,  when  he 
enrolled  at  Georgetown  University,  Wash- 
ington, District  of  Columbia.  Here  he  re- 
ceived his  classical  education — graduating  at 
the  head  of  his  class  in  1871.  His  diploma 
was  conferred  by  General  William  Tecumseh 
Sherman.  He  was  made  Bachelor  of  Arts 
in  1871,  by  the  university,  and  Master  of 
Arts  in  1888.  From  Georgetown  he  went  to 
St.  Mary's,  Baltimore,  Maryland,  to  com- 
plete his  theological  studies,  and  was  ordained 
in  Chicago  by  Bishop  Foley  August  18,  1874. 
Immediately  after  his  ordination  he  was  made 
assistant  at  St.  Patrick's  Church,  Chicago, 
remaining  in  that  position  three  years.  He 
was  then  sent  to  Lena,  Illinois,  where  he  had 
charge  of  a  church,  and  six  out-missions. 
Father  Mackin  came  to  Rock  Island  Se])- 
tember  14,  1877,  to  take  the  rectorship  of 
St.  Joseph's  Church,  succeeding  Father 
Josejih  Rolls.  Fifteen  years  ago  Father 
Mackin,  who  had  remained  continuously  as 
pastor  of  St.  Joseph's  Church,  was  made  a 
dean  and  irremovable  rector  by  Bishop  John 
Lancaster  Spaulding,  of  the  Peoria  diocese. 

He  was  ever  a  lover  of  education,  and  one 
of  his  first  works  on  coming  to  Rock  Island 
was  to  establish  St.  Joseph's  Parochial  School, 
the  first  successful  school  of  its  kind  in  Rock 
Island.  Later  he  endowed  a  scholarship  in 
the  Spaulding  Institute  at  Peoria  (a  school 
for  boys),  and  has  the  honor  of  endowing  the 
first  permanent  scholarship  of  the  Villa  de 
Chantel  (a  school  for  j'oung  ladies). 

The  St.  Anthony's  Hospital  was  also 
established  under  Father  Mackin's  direction. 


His      death      occurred      on      February     16, 
1905. 

Father  Mackin  leaves  to  his  parish  a  church 
with     valuable    property     abutting    on    the 
north    side,    a    handsome    school    on    Second 
Avenue,  and  Calvary  Cemetery. 
K   JS    Si 

HARRY  P.  SIMPSON. 

HARRY  P.  SIMI'SON,  editor  of  the  Rock 
Island  Argus,  was  born  in  Davenport, 
Iowa,  on  July  6.  1863,  and  moved  to 
Rock  Island  in  1887.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  in  his  native  city,  and  while  yet  in 
high  school  he  develo]ied  a  decided  taste  for 
newspaper  work,  serving  as  reporter  on  a 
society  paper  called  the  Saturday  Afternoon 
People.  His  work  attracted  attention  and 
he  was  offered  a  position  on  the  staff  of  the 
Davenport  Gazette,  which  he  accepted,  repre- 
senting that  paper  in  a  reportorial  capacity 
in  Rock  Island  and  Moline.  A  little  later  he 
was  made  city  editor  of  the  Gazette  and  held 
that  position  for  two  years.  He  later  served 
as  city  editor  of  the  Davenport  Herald.  In 
1887  he  removed  to  Rock  Island,  having 
become  city  editor  of  the  Argus.  The  Argus 
was  then  owned  and  edited  by  the  late  John 
W.  Potter.  After  his  death,  in  1898,  publi- 
cation was  continued  by  the  J.  W.  Potter 
Company,  consisting  of  Mrs.  M.  E.  Potter, 
H.  P.  Simpson  and  the  late  James  J.  LaVelle, 
with  Mr.  Simpson  as  editor,  a  position  he  has 
filled  to  the  present  time  with  conspicuous 
ability  and  success.  On  August  12,  1884, 
Mr.  Simpson  was  married  to  Miss  Ella  P. 
Skiles,  daughter  of  H.  M.  G.  and  Eliza  J. 
(McKissen)  Skiles,  a  woman  of  beautiful 
character  antl  many  accom])lishments,  a 
devout  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church, 
and  whose  untimely  death,  February  21, 
1903,  is  mourned  by  a  large  circle.  Two 
daughters,  Miss  Mary  E.  S  mpson  and  Miss 
Dorothy  B.  Simpson,  live  to  bless  the  union 
so  happily  formed.  Mr.  Simpson  is  the  son 
of  Joseph  L.  and  Eliza  A.  (Purcell)  Simpson 


118 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


the  former  a  native  i)f  Missouri  and  the 
latter  of  South  Carolina.  Both  are  now 
deceased.  The  paternal  grandfather.  Dr. 
Robert  Simpson,  was  a  pioneer  physician  in 
St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  one  of  the  earlier 
sheriffs  of  St.  Louis  County.  The  maternal 
grandfather  was  a  lawyer  in  South  Carolina 
and  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Mr. 
Simpson  is  a  member  of  the  Tri-City  Press 
Club,  the  Rock  Island  Club,  the  Press 
Club  of  Chicago,  and  the  Illinois  Press 
Association,  and  enjoys  the  friendship  and 
esteem  of  a  large  acquaintance.  His  fra- 
ternal affiliation  is  with  the  Modern  Wood- 
men and  the  National  LInion. 

^  m  m 
CAPTAIN  JOHN  BURGESS  DAVIS. 

AA  /THEX  the  great  West  was  yovmg  the 
^y  Mississip))!  River,  as  the  principal 
gateway  to  it  and  almost  the  sole 
means  of  conveying  its  products  to  the  out- 
side world  was  the  center  of  commercial  life. 
Men  who  followed  the  river  were  participants 
in  stirring  events  and  their  work  was  fraught 
with  an  importance  in  the  eyes  of  the  public 
that  we  of  today  can  little  realize.  To  be  a 
steamboat  captain  in  the  fifties  and  sixties 
invested  the  individual  with  a  dignity  as 
great  as  that  accorded  to  the  average  raih'oad 
magnate  nowadaj's. 

Captain  John  Burgess  Davis  earned  his 
title  when  the  great  stream  was  at  its  best, 
and  there  were  few  who  \\on  greater  honors 
than  he  for  his  calling.  Among  his  most 
notable  achievements  was  the  taking  of  the 
first  boat  up  the  ilinnesota  River  to  Big 
Stone  Lake;  thence  into  the  Red  River  of  the 
North,  and  the  construction  of  the  first  wing 
dam  on  the  Mississip])i.  The  boat  he  took 
into  the  Red  River  was  tlie  "Freighter." 
It  was  in  18.59  that  he  navigated  through 
Big  Stone  Lake  into  the  Northern  stream. 
The  first  wing  dam  was  built  some  years 
later,  in  1873,  when  he  was  in  charge  of  a 
Government  fleet,  anil  it   was  located  three 


miles  below  St.  Paul,  at  Pig's  Eye  Island. 
This  method  of  improvement,  which  he  was 
the  first  to  use  on  the  L'pper  Mississippi,  has 
since  been  generally  adopted  and  has  done 
more  than  any  other  device  in  giving  a 
uniform   channel   for   steamboat   navigation. 

Captain  Davis  was  born  to  the  vocation  he 
followed  with  success.  His  father,  Thomas 
Bodley  Davis,  was  a  river  man  before  him. 

Born  in  Pennsylvania,  in  1800,  the  father 
removed  early  in  life  to  Kentucky,  and  for  a 
number  of  j-ears  commanded  a  boat  plying 
between  Pittsburg  and  New  Orleans.  On  one 
of  these  trips  up  from  the  southern  metropolis 
he  was  stricken  with  yellow  fever  and  died, 
in  1835.  The  son  was  born  at  ilaysville. 
Kentucky.  April  19,  1828,  and  died  at  Rock 
Island,  Illinois,  November  26,  1890.  River 
life  appealed  to  him  from  a  boy,  and  at  an 
early  age  he  was  given  command  of  a  boat 
running  between  Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis. 
Within  a  few  years  he  became  o«Tier  of  the 
line.  In  1858  he  turned  his  attention  to  the 
Upper  ilississippi  and  established  a  packet 
line  between  St.  Louis  and  St.  Paul.  At  that 
time  he  came  to  Moline  and  made  his  home 
there  one  3-ear,  returning  then  to  Kentucky. 
He  retained  his  interests  on  the  Father  of 
Waters,  however,  and  was  at  St.  Paul  when 
the  war  of  the  Rebellion  broke  out.  Though 
a  southerner  by  birth  and  education,  he  en- 
listed when  the  first  call  for  troops  came,  in 
the  Second  Minnesota  Regiment,  entering 
the  service  as  Captain  of  Company  F,  July 
8,  1861.  He  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
Major  November  5,  1862.  At  the  battle  of 
Chickamauga  he  fought  in  .General  Thomas' 
Division,  and  after  his  horse  was  shot  under 
him  he  was  wounded  so  severely  that  he  was 
carried  from  the  field  and  sent  home.  He 
did  not  recover  sufficiently  to  enable  him  ti 
rejoin  his  commanel.  and  was  mustered  out 
April  U).  1S64.  Honondije  mention  and  his 
war  record  is  given  in  ' "  Minnesota  in  tlie 
Civil  War,"  a  book  published  by  the  State  of 
Minnesota  to  jireservp  a  record  of  its  soldiers. 


HISTORIC    ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


119 


In  1S66  Captain  Davis  resumed  steam- 
boating,  conducting  a  line  of  his  own  from 
Memphis,  Tennessee,  up  White  River  to 
Augusta,  Arkansas.  He  made  his  home  at 
Memphis  till  1873,  when  he  removed  once 
more  to  Rock  Island  and  entered  the  U.  S. 
Government  service,  in  the  capacity  of 
Captain  of  the  United  States  Steamer  -Mon- 
tana. For  three  years  he  served  under 
Colonel  Macomb  of  the  United  States  Engi- 
neer Corps,  then  in  cliarge  of  the  Upper 
Mississippi  River  Improvement.  In  1877  he 
took  a  Government  contract  to  convey  up  the 
Missouri,  Yellowstone  and  Little  Big  Horn 
Rivers  (the  latter  never  before  navigated), 
the  material  for  the  building  of  Forts  Custer 
and  Keough,  in  Montana,  the  freight  being 
secured  at  Bismarck,  Dakota,  then  the 
Western  terminus  of  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railroad.  This  was  immediately  after  the 
Custer  massacre,  when  the  region  in  which 
he  operated  was  full  of  great  peril.  Captain 
Davis,  however,  knew  no  fear,  and  fulfilled 
his  contract  with  promptness  and  with  satis- 
faction to  all  concerned.  Then  he  returned 
to  Rock  Island  and  became  connected  with 
the  Diamond  Jo  Packet  Company,  com- 
manding one  of  its  best  steamers  nuining 
between  St.  Louis  and  St.  Paul.  In  ]SS,3 
his  services  in  another  arduous  undertaking 
were  demanded  and  he  accepted  an  offer  from 
the  Hudson  Bay  Fur  Company  to  superintend 
a  line  of  boats  on  the  Saskatchewan  River, 
in  Canada.  He  had  been  thus  engaged  for 
two  years  when  the  Riel  rebellion  broke  out 
and  the  Canadian  Government  secured  his 
services  in  transporting  troops  on  the  South 
Saskatchewan,  a  stream  which  had  never 
before  been  navigated.  After  the  capture 
of  Riel  and  the  collapse  of  the  rebellion, 
Captain  Davis  once  more  returned  to  Rock 
Island  and  to  the  employ  of  "Diamond  Jo" 
Reynolds.  Being  ajjpointed  master  of  the 
"Libbie  Conger,"  he  commanded  that  boat 
one  season  and  then  served  in  a  similar 
capacity  on  the  "Sidney."     In   1888  he  re- 


signed to  become  associated  with  a  syndicate 
of  capitalists  in  the  construction  of  a  steel 
hull  packet,  whicli  was  intended  to  be  used 
for  passenger  business  only  and  was  expected 
to  work  a  revolution  in  transportation 
between  St.  Louis  and  St.  Paul.  This  pro- 
ject was  never  consummated,  for  the  Captain 
yielded  to  the  wishes  of  his  family  and  turned 
his  attention  from  the  river  to  other  enter- 
prises. For  two  years  prior  to  his  death  he 
was  associated  with  his  sons,  T.  B.  and  S.  S. 
Davis,  in  developing  an  electric  light  and 
power  plant  in  Rock  Island  and  Moline. 

Captain  Davis  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Anna  E.  Sharpe,  March  13,  1855.  His 
wife  was  the  daughter  of  Dr.  Samuel  K. 
Sharpe,  a  prominent  physician  and  surgeon. 
Both  her  parents  were  natives  of  Kentucky, 
their  home  being  for  many  years  at  Mays- 
ville.  They  first  came  to  Rock  Island  in 
1857  and  remained  three  years  in  Rock  Island 
and  Moline,  during  which  time  Dr.  Sharpe 
practiced  his  profession.  They  then  returned 
to  Kentucky  and  resided  there  till  1875, 
when  they  took  up  their  permanent  residence 
in  Rock  Island.  Mrs.  Sharpe  died  at  Rock 
Island  June  6,  1881,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
five  years.  Dr.  Sharpe  passed  away  in  Rock 
Island  May  22,  1890,  at  the  age  of  ninety 
years.  He  was  an  exceptionally  strong  man, 
mentally  and  physically,  and  was  of  pro- 
nounced religious  views,  giving  adherence  to 
the  Presbyterian  Faith. 

Five  children  were  born  to  Captain  and 
Mrs.  Davis,  two  daughters  dying  in  infancy. 
The  survivors  are  T.  B.  Davis,  S.  S.  Davis, 
and  Mary  Davis,  all  of  Rock  Island.  Cap- 
tain Davis  was  essentially  a  man  of  action. 
Bearing  responsibilities  never  detracted  from 
his  good  nature,  and  angry  words  and  fault 
finding  were  alike  foreign  to  him. 

Kind  hearted  and  generous  to  a  fault,  always 
ready  to  aid  others  to  the  full  extent  of  his 
ability,  and  never  seeking  publicity  or  prefer- 
ment, won  for  him  the  good  will  and  personal 
popularity  he  enjoyed  wherever  he  was  known 


120 


//  I  ST  0  Rl  C     R  0  C  K     ISLAND     COUNTY 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN  KNOX. 

THE  mission  of  liie  undertaker,  riglitly 
estimated,  is  not  less  one  of  helpfulness 
and  comfort  than  of  the  mere  bur_ving 
of  the  dead  for  a  price.  \'iewed  in  the  higher 
aspect  it  is  on  a  plane  with  that  of  the  family 
physician,  and  but  little  less  sacred  than  that 
of  the  minister  of  the  gospel.  The  projjer 
discharge  of  the  duties  calls  for  tact  and 
genuine  human  sympatliy.  The  conscien- 
tious funeral  director  who  labors  for  a  long 
term  of  years  in  a  community  comes,  through 
association  in  most  trying  times,  to  know  the 
people  intimate!}'  and  to  be  their  friend, 
regardless  of  their  social  position. 

Such  a  man  is  B.  F.  Knox,  who  for  thirty- 
five  years  has  been  actively  engaged  in  the 
undertaking  business  in  Rock  Island.  Few, 
indeed,  in  the  county  are  better  known  than 
he,  and  few  have  more  close  ])ersonal  friends. 
Taking  up  the  work  with  his  father  when  but 
twenty  years  of  age  he  has  steadily  followed 
the  vocation  since,  and  in  his  long  term  of 
service  has  at  one  time  or  another  been  called 
into  perhaps  two-thirds  of  the  homes  of  Rock 
Island  and  the  surrounding  country.  His 
standing  in  his  home  city  may  tie  judged  by 
the  fact  that  he  has  repeatedly  been  given 
jMiblic  office,  serving  two  terms  as  Mayor. 

B.  F.  Knox  was  born  in  Rock  Island 
December  3,  1852.  and  has  never  resided 
elsewhere.  His  education  was  secured  in  the 
])ublic  schools  of  the  city.  AMien  he  first  set 
out  to  earn  his  own  living  he  worked  in  a 
grocery  store.  Later  he  had  charge  of  the 
office  of  the  Rock  Ishmd  Union.  In  1872  he 
took  up  the  undertaking  business  with  his 
father,  Charles  H.  Knox,  who  was  then 
advancing  in  years.  The  elder  'Wr.  Knox 
was  born  June  27,  1818,  and  died  .May  28, 
1890.  His  wife,  Mary  Gohram  Knox,  was 
born  September  14,  1819,  and  died  April  20, 
1893.  The  son  worked  with  his  father  till 
the  latter's  death  and  thereafter  conducted 
tlie  business  for  the  estate  luitil   the  alTairs 


were  settled  after  his  mother's  death.  Since 
tiien  he  has  had  sole  charge. 

Mr.  Knox  has  been  a  Republican  and  a 
Methodist  ever  since  old  enough  to  form  an 
opinion  on  such  matters.  His  first  public 
office  was  as  chief  of  the  volunteer  fire  depart- 
ment of  Rock  Island,  in  which  capacity  he 
served  in  1886  and  1887.  He  was  elected 
alderman  from  the  Fifth  Ward  in  1889.  and 
at  the  end  of  the  term  was  re-elected,  serving 
continuously  till  1893.  He  was  first  elected 
Mayor  in  1895.  and  held  the  office  for  the 
term  of  two  years.  In  1901  he  was  again 
similarly  honored,  completing  his  second 
term  in  1903. 

Of  a  congenial  disposition,  Mr.  Knox  de- 
lights in  fraternal  work.  He  holds  member- 
shi])  in  the  Odd  Fellows.  Modern  Wooden  of 
America,  Knights  of  the  Globe,  North  Star 
Benefit  Association,  the  Eagles  and  the  Elks. 
In  nearly  all  he  has  held  responsible  offices. 
He  is  ]iast  exalted  ruler  of  the  Rock  Island 
Elks,  and  twice  represented  them  at  the 
grand  lodge. 

"Sir.  Knox,  February  19,  1875,  at  Rock 
Island,  married  Miss  Emma  Minter,  and  the 
children  born  of  this  union  are:  Lillian, 
wife  of  S.  R.  Kenworthy,  of  Rock  Island; 
Oeorge  S.,  who  died  July  2,  1900,  and  Mary 
A.  and  Harry  T.,  at  home. 

n  n  n 

JAMES  A.  WENDELL. 

To  the  subject  of  this  sketch  more  than 
to  any  other  jierson.  ]ierhaps,  is  due  the 
fact  that  the  finest  jilant  in  the  United 
States  for  the  manufacture  of  table  oil  cloth 
is  now  located  in  Rock  Island.  Diu'ing  a 
long  career  as  traveling  salesman  for  an 
eastern  uumufacturer  he  was  impressed  with 
the  advantages  of  the  upper  Mississippi  valley 
as  a  site  for  a  factory,  and  it  was  the  sound- 
ness of  his  reasoning  which  impressed  the 
officers  of  the  Standard  Oil  Cloth  Company 
and  led  to  the  location  of  the  present  factory 
oil    the    Father   of    Waters    at    H,)ck    Island. 


J.   A.  WENDELL 


CHARLES  B    K\()X 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


121 


The  new  establishment,  it  may  be  added,  pros- 
]5ered  from  the  beginning,  and  bids  fair  to  see 
.sul)stantial  developments  from  time  to  time. 

James  Augustus  Wendell,  sales  agent  for 
the  Rock  Island  plant  of  the  Standard  Oil 
Cloth  Company,  and  a  stockholder  of  the 
Company,  was  born  at  Bethlehem,  Penn.syl- 
vania,  October  23,  1848,  the  son  of  Joseph 
Wendell,  a  ])rominent  merchant  of  Bethlehem. 
In  the  public  schools  of  his  native  city, 
Bethlehem  Academy  and  the  Alleiitowii 
(Pennsylvania)  Seminary,  he  obtained  a 
good  general  education,  and  at  the  age  of 
seventeen  entered  the  employ  of  a  wholesale 
boot  and  shoe  house  at  Philadelphia.  Start- 
ing as  errand  boy  he  rose  successively  to 
bookkeeper,  traveling  salesman  and  junior 
partner,  this  last  ]:)osition  l)eing  reachetl  in 
1871.  The  panic  of  1873,  however,  swej^t  the 
firm  under  and  our  subject  became  traveling 
salesman  for  a  wholesale  boot  and  shoe  house 
at  Easton,  Pennsylvania.  In  1877  Mr.  Wen- 
dell went  to  New  York,  where  he  took  a 
lucrative  position  as  head  bookkeeper  in  an 
e.xtensive  coffee  and  spice  importing  house. 
After  four  years  he  made  another  change, 
becoming  bookkeejier  for  the  Atha  it  Hughes 
table  oil  cloth  manufacturing  concern  at 
Newark,  New  Jersey,  with  headquarters  at 
New  York.  This  he  did  to  escape  the  con- 
finement of  office  work,  being  promised  the 
first  vacant  territory  as  traveling  salesman. 

In  1883  the  promise  was  fulfilled  and  Mr. 
Wendell  took  a  road  position  in  which  his 
ability  quickly  manifested  itself.  He  re- 
mained with  this  concern  till  1900,  when  it 
was  purchased  by  the  Standard  people.  In 
this  period  he  traveled  in  every  section  of  the 
I'nited  States,  and  always  met  with  success. 
The  transfer  of  the  business  did  not  affect 
his  work  and  he  continued  in  the  same 
cajiacity  under  the  new  owners.  While  with 
Atha  it  Hughes  he  had  advocated  the  advisa- 
bility of  erecting  a  factory  on  the  Mississip])! 
liiver,  and  it  seemed  at  one  time  that  his 
dream  w.as  to  be  realized.     Then  the  oppor- 


tunity to  sell  came  and  the  project  was 
dropped.  The  same  plan  was  later  laid 
before  the  Standard  Table  Oil  Cloth  Comp- 
any, and  Rock  Island  was  suggested  as  the 
site  on  account  of  its  advantages  a.s  a  dis- 
tributing ]5oint.  Eventually  another  man 
was  sent  to  the  Mississippi  valley  to  select  a 
location  for  a  factory  and  he,  too,  recom- 
mended Rock  Island.  Thus  it  came  al)out 
that  in  1902  the  Rock  Island  factory  was 
erected  and  Mr.  Wendell  was  sent  west  to 
sell  its  products.  The  new  plant  has  a 
capacity  of  2, .500  pieces  of  twelve  yards  each, 
daily,  and  it  has  never  been  idle  a  day  on 
account  of  lack  of  orders. 

In  1902  Mr.  Wendell  was  sent  to  Europe 
by  his  employers  to  gather  new  ideas  and 
find  new  markets  for  the  firm's  wares.  He 
was  given  a  free  hand  and  covered  twelve 
countries  of  central  Europe  in  one  hundred 
days,  his  missio!i  being  an  unqualified  success. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  married 
July  23,  1871,  uniting  with  Anna  R.  Shemelia, 
daughter  of  Michael  Shemelia,  of  Camden, 
New  Jersey.  The  couple  have  three  children : 
Mary  Charlotte,  wife  of  William  A.  Drabble, 
of  Newark,  New  Jersey;  Lillian  Hazleton, 
wife  of  William  T.  VanArsdale,  general  agent 
for  the  ilutual  Benefit  Life  Insurance  Com- 
l)any,  with  offices  at  Peoria;  and  Elliott 
Hughes,  a  graduate  of  Yale  in  the  class  of 
1905,  and  now  also  in  the  employ  of  Charles 
Scribner's  Sons,  New  York  City. 

Mr.  Wendell  is  a  communicant  of  Trinity 
Episcopal  Church,  of  Rock  Island.  He  is  a 
member  and  trustee  of  Rock  Island  Lodge, 
No.  980,  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks,  and  also  holds  membership  in  the  Rock 
Island  Club. 


EDWIN  B.  KNOX. 

ONE  of  the  earliest  born  residents  of  Rock 
Island   County   is   Edwin    B.    Knox,   of 
Moline.     Since  October  15,  1842,  when 
he  first  saw  the  light  of  day  at  Rock  Island, 


122 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


Mr.  Knox  has  continuously  made  his  lionie 
in  one  of  these  two  cities  or  their  immediate 
vicinity.  At  the  time  of  his  birth,  Rock 
Island,  then  known  as  Stephenson,  was  but 
a  fair  sized  village  and  iloline  but  a  settle- 
ment. His  parents,  Charles  B.  and  Mary 
(Gorham)  Knox,  then  lived  in  the  middle  of 
the  present  block  east  of  Twentieth  street, 
opposite  Spencer  Square,  and  the  son  first 
attended  school  in  a  small  brick  school  house 
in  the  middle  of  Spencer  Square.  Later  he 
pursued  his  studies  in  the  basement  of  the 
old  Methodist  Church,  located  in  the  early 
fifties  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  same 
square.  He  finished  the  common  branches 
at  what  was  the  first  high  school  erected  in 
the  city  at  Seventh  Avenue  and  Twenty- 
first  Street. 

The  i^arents  of  our  subject  came  to  Steph- 
enson in  the  Spring  of  1842,  their  financial 
resources  consisting  at  the  time  they  landed 
from  the  steamboat  that  had  brought  them 
from  St.  Louis,  of  a  single  shilling.  The 
father,  though  a  cabinet  maker  of  ability, 
sought  work  at  anything  that  offered,  putting 
much  of  the  time  for  the  first  two  or  three 
sea.sons  digging  wells  for  the  new  settlers, 
and  making  furniture  at  odd  moments,  till 
he  secured  a  start. 

Charles  B.  Knox  was  born  at  Blandford , 
Massachusetts,  June  27  1818.  and  died  May 
28,  1890.  He  was  a  grandson  of  four  broth- 
ers who  came  to  America  from  Scotland  soon 
after  the  Revolutionary  war  and  settled  in 
the  Bay  State.  ^Mary  Gorham  was  born  at 
Holyoke,  Massachusetts  September  14,  1819, 
and  died  Ajiril  20.  1893,  at  Rock  Island! 
Her  marriage  to  Mr.  Knox  took  place  at 
Blandford,  Massachusetts,  April  9,  1839. 
Six  children  were  born  to  the  couple:  Edwin 
B.,  John  Milton.  Theodore.  Curtis  B..  Samuel 
P.,  and  B.  Frank  Knox.  John  Milton  and 
Theodore  died  in  infancy  and  the  others  are 
still  living. 

As  before  stated,  Edwin  B.   Knox  secured 
an  education  in  the  ordinarv  branches  in  the 


public  schools  of  Rock  Island.  The  Summer 
he  was  twelve  years  of  age  he  set  out  as  a 
bread  winner,  working  at  a  brick  yard  con- 
ducted by  John  Atkinson  south  of  town. 
The  following  Summer  he  found  employment 
under  John  P.  Wharton,  editor  of  the  Rock 
Island  Advertiser.  In  the  Summer  of  1857 
Jfr.  Knox  and  Thomas  Pilgrim  farmed  the 
Brashar  place  on  the  Milan  road  in  South 
Rock  Island.  In  1858  and  1859  Mr.  Knox 
worked  the  Erskine  Wilson  farm  just  east  of 
Coaltown.  Two  following  3'ears  were  spent 
tilling  the  soil  in  what  was  then  the  Glen 
settlement  and  then  our  subject  returned  to 
Rock  Island  and  began  the  manufacture  of 
brooms.  This  he  continued  till  the  spring 
of  1864,  when  he  enlisted.  May  3,  in  Company 
G,  One  Himdred  and  Fortieth  Regiment, 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  serving  as  First 
Sergeant.  On  completing  his  term  he  again 
entered  the  Army  with  Company  G,  Forty- 
seventh  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  being 
Orderly  Sergeant.  His  last  term  of  enlist- 
ment began  February  27.  1865,  and  he  was 
mustered  out  at  Selma.  Alaljama.  Januarv 
21,  1866. 

.\fter  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Knox  took 
11))  house  painting,  first  with  George  Alters 
and  later  with  Henry  Boggess  as  partners. 
In  1870  he  purchased  and  occupied  a  fruit 
farm  of  thirty  acres  northeast  of  Black 
Hawk's  Watch  Tower.  Four  years  later  he 
disi)osed  of  his  land  and  took  up  his  residence 
in  Moline.  where  he  establishetl  the  under- 
taking business  which  he  has  conducted  with 
great  success  ever  since.  For  thirty-three 
3'ears  he  occupied  the  building  at  413  Fifteenth 
Street,  having  also  a  picture  framing  and  art 
novelty  establishment.  In  1896  he  sold  the 
Fifteenth  Street  property  and  built  a  new 
store  and  residence  at  the  corner  of  Eigh- 
teenth Street  and  Fifth  Avenue. 

Mr.  Knox  has  been  many  times  honored 
with  election  to  public  office.  When  he  had 
been  a  resident  of  Moline  for  but  four  years 
he    was.    in    1878,    chosen    to    represent    the 


WALTKi;   JUll.XSON 


HISTORIC     ROC  K     ISLAND     CO  U  N  T  Y 


123 


Tliird  Ward  in  the  City  Council.  He  served 
afi'ain  in  the  same  capacity  in  1881  and  1882, 
and  in  the  Spring  of  1883  was  elected  Mayor, 
succeeding  S.  W.  Wheelock,  and  served  one 
term.  Later  he  was  chosen  member  of  the 
board  of  superviors  of  Rock  Ishmd  ('(uuity. 
He  also  filled  the  office  of  president  of  the 
board  of  education  of  Moline  for  a  term. 
Mr.  Knox  is  a  Republican,  uiul  a  man  of 
influence  in  the  jiarty.  He  is  a  meml)er  of 
the  Methodist  Church.  He  is  a  past  nol)le 
grand  in  Lodge  No.  133,  Independent  Order 
of  Otld  I'ellows,  and  a  member  of  R.  H. 
Graham  I'ost,  No.  312,  Grand  .^rniy  of  tiie 
Republic,  in  which  he  has  served  two  terms 
as  post  commander. 

Mr.  Knox  wa.s  \uiited  in  marriage  Septem- 
ber 15,  1868,  with  Miss  Lizzie  Verharen, 
youngest  daughter  of  Anton  and  Mary 
(Lindsey)  Verharen.  The  parents  came  to 
America  from  Germany,  their  native  comitry. 
and  located  at  East  St.  Jjouis,  where  the 
father  died  many  years  ago.  The  couple 
were  the  parents  of  six  children;  Henry, 
Frank  and  William  Verharen,  Amelia,  wife 
of  Peter  Schwin;  Gertrude,  wife  of  David 
Thompson,  of  Rock  Island;  and  Mrs.  Knox. 
All  savethe  last  named  were  born  in  Germany, 
Mrs.  Knox's  native  city  being  Alton,  Illinois. 
Of  the  family,  Amelia,  Frank  and  Henry  have 
passed  away.  The  mother  died  October  17, 
1869,  at  Rock  Island.  Two  children  were 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Knox:  Amy,  wife  of 
Robert  Bennett,  Jr.,  of  Rock  Island,  and 
Luther  C.  Kno.x,  of  Moline. 
%  %  % 

WALTER  JOHNSON. 

K/Ii:.  WALTER  .JOHNSON,  the  subject  of 
I  I  this  sketch,  died  in  Rock  Island, 
November  23,  1!)()3.  He  was  for  a 
third  of  a  century  one  of  the  vital  forces  of 
the  comnuuiity.  For  twenty-seven  years  ho 
occupied  the  editorial  chair  of  the  Daily 
Union,  in  which  position  he  at  all  times  was 
an    able    and    courageous    champion    of    that 


which  he  considered  right,  and  calculated  to 
make  the  community  better.  His  editorial 
utterances  carried  weiglit  not  onlv  because 
of  their  intrinsic  merit  and  evident  fairness 
in  the  presentation  of  the  subjects  under  dis- 
cussion, but  because  it  was  recognized 
throughout  the  commnuity  that  they  repre- 
sented the  honest  ami  calm  judgment  of  a 
man  who  in  his  private  life  exemplified  his 
l)ublic  utterances,  and  who  at  all  times  was 
actuated  by  the  principles  and  motives  of 
the  Christian  gentleman  of  the  highest  type. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  born  in  London,  England, 
April  27,  1843,  being  a.  son  of  John  F.  and 
Harriette  Augusta  (Ryley)  Johnson.  The 
elder  Mr.  Johnson,  who  was  a  ribbon  manu- 
facturer in  England,  came  to  this  country  in 
1851,  settling  at  Welton,  Iowa,  at  whicli 
place  and  Lyons,  Iowa,  he  engaged  in  general 
merchandising,  in  connection  with  farming, 
until  1862,  when  he  removed  to  Davenport, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  grocery  trade  until 
1867,  when  he  removed  to  Rock  Island,  which 
city  was  his  home  until  his  death  in  1888. 

Walter  Johnson,  whose  educational  oppor- 
tunities- in  England  and  Iowa  were  su])ple- 
mented  by  jirivate  study,  inspired  l)y  the 
influence  of  cultured  parents,  his  mother 
l)ringing  to  Welton  the  first  piano  ever  seen 
in  that  section  of  the  country,  eai'Iy  e\'inced 
a  prediliction  for  news])a].ier  work;  but  he 
loyally  assisted  his  father  in  his  mercantile 
ventures  until  he  attained  his  majority,  when 
he  accepted  a  ])lace  on  the  staff  of  the  Daven- 
l)ort  Democrat.  In  1868  he  became  the  local 
editor  of  the  Daily  Union,  and  his  connection 
with  that  paper  continued  until  his  death, 
with  the  exception  of  the  Summer  and 
Winter  of  1873,  when  he  was  on  the  editorial 
staff  of  the  Chicago  Inicr-Occan.  Returning 
to  Rock  Island  in  the  Spring  of  1874,  he 
bought  a  fourth  interest  in  the  L^nion  Print- 
ing Comjiany,  which  had  been  organized  a 
few  months  biM'ore  to  take  o\-er  the  property 
from  Ca])tain  L.  .M.  Haverstick.  Mr.  John- 
son   succeeded    Mr.    Haverstick    as   editor   ol 


124 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


the  Union  and  continued  in  the  active  dis- 
charge of  the  work  until  his  health  failed. 
Mr.  Johnson  successively  purchased  the 
interests  of  other  stockholders  until  in  1S91, 
by  acquiring  the  holdings  of  Mr.  H.  C.  Asli- 
baugh,  he  secured  control  of  all  the  stock. 

Mr.  Johnson's  editorial  policy  was  invari- 
ably on  a  high  plane.  He  al)horred  sensa- 
tionalism, and  the  parading  of  happenings  of 
a  salacious  nature  in  the  columns  of  the 
paper,  which  for  such  a  long  period  bore  the 
impress  of  his  wholesome  personality  and 
estimable  character.  The  community  looked 
upon  him  as  an  able  advocate  of  all  measures 
and  movements  which  were  calcvdated  to 
minister  to  the  elevation  of  mankind,  and  a 
convincing  eham]3ion  of  the  best  interests  of 
the  community  in  which  he  lived.  He  had 
the  faculty  of  presenting  matters  of  local 
concern  with  a  grace  and  charm  peculiar  to 
himself,  while  his  discussion  of  political  to])ics 
was  marked  by  a  luoidity  and  breath  of  view 
which  made  them  valuable  contributions  to 
current  symposiums.  His  editorial  utter- 
ances received  additional  weight  from  the 
fact  that  the  element  of  personal  rancor  was 
ever  absent.  Of  a  manly  and  generous  nature 
he  was  loyal  in  his  friendships,  and  chival- 
rous in  his  treatment  of  those  who  differed 
with  him  concerning  men  and  measures.  A 
ReptUilican  by  conviction,  his  news])aper.  the 
Union,  was  recognized  as  a  sound  and  influ- 
ential exponent  of  the  party's  policies  and 
doctrines. 

Beside  his  constant  work  in  his  editorial 
capacity,  Mr.  Johnson  also  gave  personal 
service  at  the  sacrifice  of  much  needed  leisure. 
He  took  special  jileasure  in  his  work  as  a 
director  of  the  Pulilic  Library.  He  became 
a  member  of  the  board  in  1890,  and  served 
continuous!}-  until  his  death.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  building  committee  which 
directed  the  erection  of  the  present  splendiil 
home  of  the  library.  In  1891,  when  Rock 
Island,  by  Congregional  enactment,  was  made 
a  port  of  entry.  President  Harrison  ajjpointed 


Jlr.  Johnson  surveyor  of  customs,  a  position 
he  held  for  three  years,  when  President 
Cleveland  appointed  Mr.  J.  R.  Johnston  to 
succeed  him. 

Religiously,  Mr.  Johnson  was  an  Episco- 
jnilian.  He  was  a  devout  member  of  Trinity 
Church,  and  diligent  and  useful  in  the  activi- 
ties of  the  parish.  He  served  the  parish  for 
a  number  of  years  as  vestryman,  and  during 
the  last  three  years  of  his  life  as  Junior  Warden. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  married  in  this  city  March 
22,  1869,  to  Miss  Ellen  Head,  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  William  A.  Head,  who  survives, 
together  with  two  da\ighters.  the  Misses 
Harriette  A.  and  Marguerite  Johnson.  One 
son,  Eliot  Leigh  Johnson,  was  drowned  in  a 
boating  accident  on  the  Mississippi  River 
April  12,  1892,  when  a  boat  containing  four 
high  school  student  was  upset,  resulting  in  the 
drowning  of  Leigh  and  one  of  his  comrades. 

^  ^  m 
SAMUEL  SHAR.PE  DAVIS. 

IX   considering   those   among   Rock   Island's 
citizens  whiise  activities  have  been  directed 

toward  developing  that  City's  industries, 
and  whose  foresight  has  been  rewardetl  in  a 
most  substantial  manner,  one's  mind  instinc- 
tively turns  to  the  subject  of  our  present 
sketch,  Samuel  Sharpe  Davis. 

He  was  born  February  1,  1858,  at  Coving- 
ton, Kentucky,  his  parents  being  John  B.  and 
Anna  E.  (Sharpe)  Davis.  To  this  couple 
three  children  were  Ixirn:  Thomas  B.,  Sam- 
uel S.,  and  Mary.  The  parents  were  of 
Scotch-Irish  origin.  Thomas  Bodley  Davis, 
the  paternal  grandfather  was  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania.  In  early  life  he  moved  to 
Kentucky,  and  for  some  years  served  as 
captain  of  a  steamboat  plying  between  Pitts- 
burg and  New  Orleans  on  the  Ohio  and 
Mississippi  Rivers.  Uixni  one  of  the  trips 
up  river  from  New  Orleans  he  was  stricken 
with  yellow  fever,  and  died  before  the  com- 
pletion of  the  journey.  At  the  time  of  his 
death  he  was  thirtv-four  vears  of  age. 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COVXTY 


125 


The  maternal  ^randfatlier,  Samuel  K. 
Sharpe,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky.  He  was 
a  practicing  physician  and  surgeon.  The 
greater  part  of  liis  life  was  spent  in  Mays- 
ville,  Kentucky.  He  removed  to  Rock  Island 
with  his  wife  in  1S75.  Her  death  occurred 
in  ISSl  at  the  age  of  seventy-si.x  years.  Her 
husband  survived  her  nine  years,  his  death 
occurring  in  Rock  Island  in  1S!)(),  at  the 
extreme  age  of  ninety  years.  Dr.  Sharpe 
was  a  remarkalily  strong  man,  both  physically 
and  mentally,  and  was  of  pronounced  religious 
conviction,  giving  his  adherence  to  the  Pres- 
liyterian  faith.  In  politics  he  was  a  Demo- 
crat. 

John  B.  Davis,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
followed  the  calling  of  his  father,  that  of  a 
river  captain,  almost  his  entire  life,  princi- 
pally upon  the  Ohio  and  Jlississippi  Rivers. 
For  some  time  he  had  charge  of  Canadian 
Government  boats  carrying  the  supplies  of 
the  Hudson  Bay  Fur  Company  on  the  Sas- 
katchewan River.  At  the  outbreak  of  the 
Civil  War  he  enlisted  in  the  Second  Minnesota 
Volunteer  Infantry,  He  was  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  Major  and  for  nearly  three  years 
he  served  with  his  Regiment.  He  was  with 
his  Regiment  in  the  battles  of  Chickamauga, 
Mill  Springs,  Corinth  and  TiUlahoma.  At  the 
battle  of  Chickamauga  he  was  wounded. 
During  the  time  that  Major  Davis  served 
with  his  Regiment  it  was  attached  first  to 
the  command  of  Ceneral  Buell  and  later  to 
that  of  General  Thomas. 

After  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  Major 
Davis  went  to  Augusta,  Arkansas,  and  later 
located  at  Mem]ihis,  Tennessee,  in  1868. 
He  settled  permanently  in  Rock  Island  in 
1874.  He  spent  the  greater  portion  of  his 
life  upon  the  river  in  command  of  the  different 
river  jiackets.  After  coming  to  Rock  Island 
he  was  one  of  the  Diamond  Jo  Line  cajitains 
until  about  one  year  before  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1890.  when  he  was  sixty-one 
years  of  age.  His  wife  still  makes  Rock 
Island    her   home.     Politically,    iMajor    Davis 


was  a  staunch  Democrat.  He  was  a  promi- 
nent Mason  and  a  devoted  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  in  which  faith  he  died. 

Having  thus  passed  rapidly  over  the  points 
of  interest  in  the  lives  of  the  forebears  of  our 
subject,  we  now  come  to  treat  of  his  life. 
His  education  was  obtained  in  the  schools  of 
Mem])his,  Tennessee,  and  in  Rock  Island. 
In  1873  he  was  employed  as  clerk  on  the 
steamer  Montana,  a  boat  commanded  by 
his  father.  He  continued  in  thi.s  service  for 
several  seasons,  attending  school  during  the 
Winter  months.  In  1876  his  father  had  a 
Government  contract  to  carry  supplies  from 
Bismarck,  Dakota,  u]5  the  Missouri,  Yellow- 
stone and  Big  Horn  Rivers  to  the  place 
where  the  Custer  Massacre  occurred.  Upon 
this  expedition  he  was  accompanied  by  his 
son.  Upon  their  return  to  Rock  Island  the 
son  was  employed  as  clerk  for  J.  H.  Langley, 
«ho  was  agent  for  a  line  of  boats  in  the  St. 
Louis  and  St.  Paul  trade.  On  January  1, 
1878.  he  was  employed  by  Thomas  Yates  in 
Moline,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  ]")luml)ing 
and  steam  fitting  business.  He  continued  in 
this  employment  until  the  death  of  Mr. 
Yates,  which  occurred  in  1881.  Mr.  Davis 
and  his  brother,  Thomas  B.  Davis,  had 
obtained  a  number  of  valuable  patents  upon 
steam  appliances,  and  together  with  Jacob 
Riley  of  Rock  Island,  they  formed  a  partner- 
ship known  as  "Davis  &  Company."  They 
bought  out  the  business  interests  of  the 
Yates  estate  both  in  Rock  Island  and  Moline. 
In  1882  the  Davis  Brothers  bought  out  Mr. 
Riley's  interest  in  the  business  and  con- 
tinued it  themselves  until  1891,  when  the 
Davis  Company   was  incorporated  by  them. 

Meanwhile  our  subject  was  engaged  in 
many  im])ortant  operations.  He  planned 
and  superintended  the  construction  of  the 
Moline  water-works,  which  was  begun  in  the 
Spring  of  1884.  He  also  installed  the  first 
electric  light  plant  in  the  City  of  Moline.  In 
1886  he  constructed  the  Davis  Block  in  that 
citv,   and   as  secretary   and   manager  of  the 


126 


//  /  .S  TORI  C     H  O  C  K     J  S  L  A  N  D     COUNT  Y 


Merchants'  Electric  Light  Company,  liglited 
the  streets  of  Moline.  Eighty  arc  lights  were 
installed,  which  superseded  the  old  street 
gas  lamps  with  which  the  city  had  formerly 
been  lighted. 

In  18S7  the  Peoples  Light  ^  Fuel  Manu- 
facturing Company  was  organized.  Of  this 
organization  Mr.  Davis  was  elected  secretary 
and  general  manager.  He  purchased  the 
stock  of  the  Moline  Gas  &  Coke  Com])any  and 
merged  the  institution  with  that  of  the 
Merchants  Electric  Light  Company. 

In  1888  the  Merchants  Electric  Light 
Company  of  Rock  Island  was  organized.  In 
the  Autumn  of  that  same  year  a  power  plant 
W"as  erected  in  Moline.  so  arranged  as  to 
utilize  that  city's  splendid  water  power  in 
its  operation.  The  machinery  of  the  Peoples 
Light  &  Fuel  ^lanufacturing  Company  of 
Moline,  as  well  as  that  of  the  Merchants 
Electric  Light  Company  of  Rock  Island,  was 
removed  to  this  new  ])ower  plant.  This 
arrangement  led  up  to  the  formation  of  the 
Peoples  Power  Company  in  1893.  This  latter 
organization,  which  included  the  companies 
in  which  Mr.  Davis  was  alread}^  interested, 
bought  out  the  Rock  Island  Brush  Electric 
Light  Company  and  the  Rock  Island  Gas  A- 
Coke  Company.  Both  of  these  plants  were 
removed  to  Moline.  where  they  were  located 
at  the  foot  of  Fourth  Street  in  that  city. 
Mr.  Davis  planned  the  reorganization  and 
also  the  construction  of  the  new  plants.  He 
sold  his  interests  in  the  Peoples  Power 
Company  in  1906. 

On  September  21.  1892,  occurred  the 
marriage  of  Samuel  Sharpe  Davis  and  Miss 
Apollonia  Weyerhaeuser,  the  daughter  of 
Frederick  and  Sarah  Weyerhaeuser.  One 
child  has  been  born  of  this  marriage,  a  son, 
Edwin  W.  Davis. 

Mr.  Davis  in  his  church  allegiance  is  a 
Presbyterian  and  is  a  trustee  of  the  Broadway 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Rock  Island.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  but  he  has  never 
desired  or  held  public  office.     Fraternally  he 


is  a  member  of  Trio  Lodge.  Xo.  57,  Ancient, 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons:  of  Barrett  Chap- 
ter, No.  18.  and  of  Evarts  Commandery.  No. 
18,  Knights  Templar.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  Such  are  the  inter- 
esting events  in  the  career  of  a  man  who, 
through  business  sagacity  and  acumen,  has 
risen  to  a  commanding  position  in  this 
locality's  financial  and  industrial  circles,  ilr. 
Davis  is  a  man  universally  liked  by  all  who 
are  acquainted  with  him.  Although  at  all 
times  a  busy  man  he  is  easily  approachable. 
In  manner  he  is  unassuming  and  without 
ostentation.  He  is  one  of  Rock  Island's 
most  public  spirited  and  progressive  citizens, 
and  no  movement  for  the  real  advancement 
of  the  city  is  launched  that  does  not  receive 
his  active  and  hearty  co-operation,  and  w'here 
the  project  is  one  that  requires  fimmcial 
subscription  his  gift  is  always  a  liberal  one. 
In  fine  it  may  be  said  that  Mr.  Davis  is  pre- 
eminently an  organizer  and  an  executive,  a 
man  of  great  business  talent,  and  a  courteous, 
kindly  gentleman. 

m  m  m 
HENRY  STELCK. 

HKNRY  STELCK,  a  promising  young 
member  of  the  Rock  Island  County  bar, 
is  a  native  of  the  City  of  Rock  Island, 
having  been  born  there  February  12,  1878. 
His  father  was  Peter  Stelck  and  his  mother 
Caroline  (Koester)  Stelck.  Both  the  parents 
immigrated  to  America  from  Germany.  Mr. 
Stelck,  the  elder,  was  born  in  1833  in  Wisch, 
Propstei,  Schleswig-Holstein.  The  mother 
was  born  in  Lensah  in  the  same  state  in  1845. 
The  father  located  in  Rock  Island  in  1867, 
after  having  for  ten  years  immediately  follow- 
ing his  removal  to  America,  been  a  resident 
of  Davenport,  Iowa.  The  parents  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  were  married  in  1869, 
the  mother  dying  Mav  27.  1883,  and  the 
father  January  4,  1897.  Of  the  seven  children 
born  to  them  five  are  living:     Emma,  wife 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     CO  U  X  T  Y 


127 


of  W.  W.  Harris,  of  Rock  Island;  Bertha, 
wife  of  Dr.  O.  P.  Sala,  of  Davenjiort ;  Eliza- 
beth f!.,  and  Henry,  of  Rock  Island,  and 
William,  of  Lakefield.  Minnesota. 

Our  subject  obtained  his  first  schooling  in 
the  Roessler  German  school  of  Rock  Island. 
Later  he  attended  the  German  Lutheran 
school  and  eventually  he  entered  the  jniblic 
schools,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1894, 
after  completing  the  high  school  course. 
After  one  year  spent  as  a  student  at  Augus- 
tana  College  he  took  up  the  study  of  law 
with  Wood.  Biitterworth  &  Peek,  of  Moline. 
His  professional  training  was  completed  with 
a  three-year  course  at  Northwestern  L^ni- 
versity  Law  School.  Shortly  after  beginning 
to  practice  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
M.  M.  Sturgeon,  known  as  Sturgeon  &  Stelck. 
later  becoming  Sturgeon.  Stelck  ct  Sturgeon 
which    partnership    was   later    dissolved. 

In  the  practice  of  law  Mr.  Stelck  has  mani- 
fested more  than  average  ability.  He  is 
above  all  sham  and  pretense  and  his  honesty 
and  candor  have  won  him  friends  on  all 
hands.  He  is  a  Republican  and  has  been 
more  or  less  active  in  politics.  Fraternally 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Masons. 


JYLVE5TER  WASHINGTON  McMASTER. 

ALMOST  the  only  living  indivichial  among 
those  earliest  settlers  who  came  to  Rock 
Island  Comity  in  the  thirties  and  forties, 
when  the  ]iresent  City  of  Rock  Island  was  a 
small  village,  known  as  Stephenson,  is  Syl- 
vester Washington  McMaster,  a  man  whom 
nearly  every  man,  woman  and  child  through- 
out Rock  Island  County  knows,  either  person- 
ally or  by  reputation. 

He  was  liorn  October  8.  1811,  near  Water- 
town,  in  Herkimer  Countv,  New  York,  and 
died  .January  22,  1908,  at  the  age  of  ninety- 
six  years.  His  early  life  was  spent  u])on  a 
farm  and  he  received  such  education  as  he 
could  in  the  country  schools  of  that  time. 
At  the  age  of  nineteen  vears  he  himself  was 


a  school  teacher,  having  charge  of  the  same 
school  which  he  had  formerly  attended  as  a 
pu]iil. 

Mr.  McMaster  came  West  in  18.3.3,  traveling 
liy  water  from  the  City  of  Buffalo  in  his  native 
State.  The  canal  at  that  time  was  com- 
pleted from  Cleveland,  Ohio,  to  Portsmouth, 
in  the  same  state,  and  connecting  with  the 
Ohio  River.  Coming  first  to  Cairo,  Illinois, 
Mr.  McMaster  proceeded  to  St.  Louis,  and 
from  thence  to  Galena,  Illinois,  on  the 
Mississippi. 

At  that  early  day  there  were  but  few 
houses  in  the  village  of  Stephenson,  and  but 
one  in  what  is  now  Davenjiort,  that  of 
Antoine  LeClaire.  Mr.  McMaster  spent  two 
years  (1833  and  1834)  at  Galena  and  then 
returned  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  spent  about 
two  years,  from  there  coming  to  Stephenson 
again,  and  here  he  made  his  home  until  1841. 
During  this  time  he  was  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  b\isiness.  He  also  served  one 
term  as  assessor.  The  store  building  occupied 
by  the  firm  of  McMaster  tt  Andrews  still 
stands,  it  being  what  is  now  known  as  the 
Roessler  building,  directly  east  from  the 
Court  House. 

In  1840  Mr.  McMaster  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Jannette  Brooks,  who  died 
August  17,  1908,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four 
years,  whose  parents  had  come  to  Stephenson 
in  183.5  and  dwelt  in  a  log  house  near  the  spot 
wliere  the  home  of  the  Honorable  Ben  T. 
Cable  is  now  located.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McMaster 
continued  to  make  their  home  in  Stephenson 
until  1841.  when  they  removed  once  more 
to  Galena,  where  Mr.  McMaster  was  engaged 
in  various  enterprises  of  a  mercantile  nature. 
Galena  was  at  that  time  the  metropolis  of  the 
Northern  part  of  Illinois.  The  lead  mines  were 
at  their  zenith  and  the  town  was  very  pros- 
perous. In  Galena  Mr.  McMaster  was  actively 
engaged  in  the  management  of  some  of  the 
largest  and  costliest  flour  mills  at  that  time 
in  the  West,  and  he  was  also  a  large  stock- 
holder  in    the   iild    Xorthern    Line   steamers. 


128 


HISTORIC     ROCK     I  S  L  A  .V  D     CO  U  .V  T  Y 


At  this  time  steamboat in^  upon  the  Missis- 
sippi was  in  tlic  full  flower  of  its  glory,  and 
the  railroad  was  not  a  factor  in  the  transpor- 
tation. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War.  Mr. 
McMaster  served  as  a  conscript  ofhcer.  He 
was  not  engaged  in  active  service,  being  at 
that  time  beyond  the  age  limit  at  which 
volunteers  were  received  for  active,  military 
service. 

^Ir.  and  Mrs.  McMaster  continued  to  make 
their  home  in  Galena  until  1S66.  when,  with 
their  family,  they  returned  to  Rock  Island, 
and  here  Mr.  McMaster  has  lived  a  retired 
life  since  that  time.  He  served  a  number  of 
years  as  president  of  the  board  of  education, 
and  was  also  president  of  the  library  board. 
In  the  work  of  the  public  schools  he  has 
always  taken  the  keenest  interest,  and  until 
very  recently  was  one  of  the  most  frequent 
of  visitors  throughout  the  various  school 
buildings  of  Rock  Island. 

On  May  17,  1906,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McMaster 
celebrated  the  sixty-sixth  anniversary  of 
their  marriage.  Their  union  has  been  blessed 
with  three  children:  Mrs.  Mary  Blackburn, 
of  Rock  Island:  Mrs.  Jannette  Bansemer.  of 
Torreon,  Mexico;  and  George  McMaster, 
secretary  of  the  Mutual  AVheel  Company, 
at   Moline.  Illinois. 

In  religious  faith  .Mr.  .McMaster  was  a 
Universalist.  but  finding  that  the  church  of 
his  choice  had  no  house  of  worship  in  Rock 
Island  he  became  an  attendant  of  the  Broad- 
way Presbyterian  Church. 

In  politics  he  was  originally  a  Whig,  but 
joined  the  Republican  party  upon  its  forma- 
tion, and  has  been  a  staunch  advocate  of  its 
principles  since  1856. 

He  is  the  author  of  a  book  entitled 
"Sixty  Years  on  the  Upper  Mississippi," 
and  is  one  of  the  very  few  men  who  have 
seen  Rock  Island  grow  from  a  primitive 
backwoods  settlement  to  what  it  is  to- 
day, and  his  book  is  full  of  reminiscences 
of  those  early  days  and   of   the  adventures 


and  experiences  of  himself  and  his  acquaint- 
ances. 

Sg  5g  ig 

CHARLES  R.  NOURSE. 

BORX  in  ^lissouri.  reared  in  Ohio  and  now 
engaged  in  manufacturing  in  Illinois, 
three  great  states  have  had  to  do  with 
the  career  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
Charles  Robert  Nourse  was  born  in  St.  Louis 
December  27,  1864.  the  son  of  Gilbert  D.  and 
Almira  J.  (Keith)  Xourse.  When  eight  years 
of  age  the  family  removed  to  Cleveland  and 
six  years  later  to  Springfield.  In  the  public 
schools  of  the  two  Ohio  cities  the  son  obtained 
his  early  education.  In  early  manhood  he 
became  bookkeeper  with  a  manufacturer  of 
children's  carriages  at  Springfield,  and  later 
he  became  connected  with  the  Whitely  inter- 
ests, then  among  the  most  extensive  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  harvesters. 

Leaving  Springfield  in  1889,  Mr.  Xourse 
engaged  in  various  pursuits  till  1893,  when  he 
removed  to  Youngsto'mi,  Ohio.  Here  he 
took  a  position  with  the  United  Engineering 
and  Foundry  (^ompany  and  remained  for 
eleven  years.  In  1904  he  removed  to  Rock 
Island  to  assume  charge  of  the  new  plant  of 
the  Standard  Oil  Cloth  Company,  in  which 
capacity  he  has  met  with  unqualified  success. 

-Mr.  Xourse  is  one  of  the  many  workers  who 
are  too  busy  to  hold  public  office.  He  has 
never  taken  an  active  part  in  politics  lieyond 
the  exercise  of  the  franchise.  He  affiliates 
with  the  Republican  party.  He  united  with 
the  Masonic  fraternity  early  and  is  now  a 
member  of  Western  Star  Lodge,  No.  21, 
Youngstown  Chapter,  No.  93.  and  St.  John's 
Commandery,  Xo.  20,  all  of  Youngstown; 
and  Kaaba  Temple.  Xobles  of  the  Mj'stic 
Shrine,  of  Davenport.  Iowa.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  Yoimgstown  Council,  X^o.  387,  of 
the  Royal  Arcanum. 

Mr.  X'^ourse  was  united  at  Springfield  in 
1884  with  Miss  Rose  J.  Henry,  and  they  have 
one  son.  Robert  C,  born  In  1889. 


JAMES   B    TITTERINGTON 


HISTORIC     ROCK     1  S  L  A  X  D     CO  U  N  T  Y 


129 


JAMES  B.  TITTERINGTON. 

ATYPICAL  example  of  the  virile  man- 
hood of  Rock  Island  County  is  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.  Born  in  Buffalo 
Prairie  Township,  he  resisted  the  lure  of  the 
city  and  of  the  great  west  to  which  so  many 
of  his  boj^hood  companions  yielded  and  set 
himself  to  the  task  of  extracting  wealth  from 
the  old  home  farm.  After  more  than  sixty 
years  spent  there  he  has  now  retired  and  is 
enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  labors  as  a  resident 
of  the  City  of  Rock  Island. 

Mr.  Titterington  is  a  descendant  of  one  of 
the  oldest  and  most  honored  families  of  the 
county.  His  father,  James  Titterington,  sen- 
ior, was  born  in  1809,  in  Yorkshire,  England, 
and  came  to  America  with  his  parents  when 
a  lad  of  twelve  years.  The  grandfather, 
Thomas  Titterington,  settled  first  in  Ross 
County,  Ohio,  but  after  a  few  years  removed 
to  Rock  Island  Coimty  (in  1838)  to  make  his 
home  with  his  children,  John,  James,  Moses 
and  Charles,  all  now  deceased.  Before  leav- 
ing Ohio  the  father  of  our  subject  was  married 
to  Mi.ss  Lena  Beall,  daughter  of  William 
Beall.  l^pon  coming  to  Illinois  he  entered 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Buffalo 
Prairie  Township  and  devoted  the  remainder 
of  his  life  to  its  cultivation  and  improvement. 
He  died  on  the  old  homestead  in  1876.  His 
wife  passed  away  in  1893. 

James,  the  son,  was  born  May  30.  1843,  and 
was  one  of  a  family  of  six  children,  the  others 
being:  Mrs.  David  Bopes,  now  dead  some 
years;  Jane,  widow  of  the  late  Robert  S. 
Montgomery,  and  now  of  Rock  Island;  Mary 
E.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years; 
William  T.,  who  died  July  2,  1907,  and 
Thomas,  who  passed  away  in  infancy.  James, 
when  he  reached  manhooil,  settled  upon  the 
old  home  farm  and  eventually  became  its 
owner,  buying  out  the  other  heirs.  He 
added  to  the  original  two  hundred  acres  till 
he  had  fo>u-  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  as  fine 
soil  for  agricultural  jnu-poses  as  is  to  be  found. 


As  may  be  imagined  from  his  material  ])ros- 
]3erity,  Mr.  Titterington  was  industrious  and 
enterprising.  He  was,  in  fact,  one  of  the 
most  progressive  farmers  of  the  community, 
and  attained  a  high  standing  in  the  esteem  of 
his  fellow  men  besides.  Stock  feeding  was 
his  specialty,  and  he  also  dealt  in  live  stock 
with  success.  He  retired  from  the  farm  and 
became  a  resident  of  Rock  Island  in  1907. 

Mr.  Titterington  cast  his  first  vote  for 
Abraham  Lincoln  and  has  since  steadily  sup- 
ported the  nominees  of  the  Republican  party. 
Locally  he  was  accorded  a  considerable  degree 
of  political  leadership  and  was  honored  by 
his  party  in  various  ways.  He  served  four 
terms  as  member  of  the  board  of  supervisors, 
and  was  highway  commissioner  for  a  number 
of  years.  Besides  he  often  served  as  delegate 
to  county  and  district  conventions.  Unlike 
many  who  leave  the  farm,  Mr.  Titterington 
did  not  delay  his  removal  to  the  city  till 
broken  in  health.  '  He  is  still  in  full  mental 
and  i)hysical  vigor  and  the  same  qualities 
that  won  him  high  regard  as  a  resident  of 
Edgington  are  still  tlaily  making  him  new 
and  firm  friends. 

!g    Jg    !8 

DAVID  W.  MATTHEWS. 

DA\'I1)  W.  .MATTHEWS,  supervisor  of 
Black  Hawk  Township,  president  of  the 
Black  Hawk  Good  Roads  Association, 
and  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  is  a  native  of 
Illinois,  having  been  born  in  Mercer  County 
March  22,  1854.  His  parents  were  Dr. 
James  S.  and  Mary  J.  (Willson)  Matthews, 
both  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  and  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent.  Mr.  Matthews  was  born  Jan- 
uary 1,  1825,  and  his  wife  August  18,  1829. 
They  were  united  in  nuirriage  in  their  native 
state  and  in  the  fall  of  1853  removed  to 
Mercer  County,  Illinois,  and  settled  at  Pre- 
emption. There  Dr.  Matthews  took  up  the 
practice  of  medicine,  which  he  had  followed 
before  coming  west.  In  1863  the  family 
removed  to  the  Citv  of  Rock  Island  and  two 


130 


HISTORIC     ROCK     I  S  L  A  X  D     COU  X  T  Y 


years  later  settled  en  a  farm  two  miles  south- 
west of  Milan.  There  the  doctor  continued 
to  practice  medicine  till  his  death,  December 
3,  1893.  The  widow  still  survives.  To  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Matthews  were  born  four  children: 
Willson,  Clarence  (deceased),  David  W.,  and 
Wilhelmina  (deceased). 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  on 
the  farm  and  agriculture  has  been  his  chief 
occupation.  He  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Rock  Island  and  Milan. 
At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  began  teaching 
school  and  followed  that  vocation  contin- 
uously for  thirteen  years.  Then  he  settled 
on  the  farm  on  which  he  .has  continuously 
made  his  home  since. 

Mr.  Matthews,  until  1888,  was  a  Republi- 
can in  politics,  but  at  that  time  became  a 
Democrat  and  has  since  affiliated  with  the 
latter  party.  In  1897  he  was  elected  clerk 
of  Black  Hawk  Townshij),  and  in  1898  he 
was  chosen  collector.  In  1904  he  was  elected 
supervisor  of  Black  Hawk  Township,  and 
was  re-elected  two  3'ears  later.  In  1904  and 
1906  he  was  the  choice  of  his  party  for  con- 
gress in  the  Fourteenth  district.  In  each 
case  he  reduced  a  normal  Republican  major- 
ity, the  second  time  by  sixtj^-five  per  cent. 

]Mr.  Matthews  is  an  energetic  and  public 
spirited  man  with  a  character  above  reproach. 
He  has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in  all 
movements  for  the  betterment  of  the  com- 
munity. His  activit}-  in  the  good  roads 
movement  led  to  his  being  sent  as  delegate 
from  the  county  to  the  State  Good  Roads 
convention  at  Springfield  in  1904,  from  which 
place  he  was  also  sent  as  state  delegate  to 
the  nternational  Good  Roads  convention  at 
St.  Louis  in  the  same  j'ear. 

Mr.  Matthews  was  marrieil  at  Milan  Sep- 
tember 13,  1877,  to  Miss  Mary  M.  Bradley. 
The  latter  was  born  in  Milan  September  .5, 
1855.  the  daughter  of  Xathaniel  I),  and 
Elizabeth  (Dickson)  Bradley.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
.Matthews  became  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren:    Elizabeth   (deceased),  C.  Stanley  and 


Jessie  D..  both  at  home.  .Mr.  Matthews  is  a 
gentleman  in  every  sense  and  deservedly 
popular  with  all  who  have  the  pleasure  of  his 
acquaintance.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Mystic 
^^'orkers  of  the  World  and  Court  of  Honor. 
He  and  his  wife  are  leading  members  of  the 
Milan  Presbyterian  Church. 

m  m  ^ 
HENRY  HOWLAND  CHASE,  M.  D. 

HOLDING  in  high  estimate  the  duties  and 
responsibilities  which  his  position  in- 
volved, and  more  than  ordinarily  suc- 
cessful as  a  medical  practitioner  surgeon.  Dr. 
Henry  H.  Chase  is  well  remembered  in  Rock 
Island,  the  city  in  which  he  spent  the  later 
vears  of  his  life.  He  was  an  American  of  the 
highest  type,  and  of  pm-est  blood,  as  well. 
His  lineage  on  both  sides  is  traceable  for 
man}'  generations  back  on  American  soil. 
His  mother  is  a  direct  descendant  of  John 
Howland  of  Mayflower  fame.  His  father 
was  a  relative  of  the  late  Chief  Justice  Chase 
of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court. 

Henry  How-land  Chase  was  born  October 
7.  1858,  in  Ambo}',  Lee  County,  Illinois,  and 
died  May  22,  1906.  at  Rock  Island.  His 
father  was  Albion  Pierce  Chase,  himself  a 
physician,  and  his  mother,  Deborah  Gushing 
(Howland)  Chase.  The  father  was  a  native 
of  Maine  and  the  mother  of  JIassachusetts. 
The  couple  came  west  and  located  at  Amboy. 
Illinois,  in  1856,  living  there  till  the  husband's 
death  May  27,  1879.  The  father  graduated 
in  the  School  of  .\la]iaplion.  and  after  coming 
west  took  up  the  practice  of  Homeopathy,  and 
has  practiced  in  both  schools  after  that. 

Our  subject  received  his  general  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Amboy,  at  a  school 
for  boys  at  Waltham,  Massachusetts,  and  the 
State  Normal  at  Bloomington,  Illinois.  His 
professional  training  was  received  at  the 
Chicago  Homeopathic  College,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  1881. 

Dr.  Chase  first  began  practicing  at  Geneseo, 
Illinois,    where   he   was   located   eight   years. 


CHAS.  McHUGH 


HISTORIC     ROCK     I  S  L  A  X  D     COUNTY 


131 


Then  he  removed  to  Diihith.  Minnesota,  and 
remained  seven  years,  hecomin^  a  member  of 
the  state  medical  examining  boanl  of  Minne- 
sota. In  1S97  he  purchased  the  practice  of 
Dr.  C.  B.  Kinyon,  who  left  Rock  Island  to 
accept  a  chair  in  the  I'niversity  of  Michistan 
at  Ann  Arbor  at  Rock  Island  and  took  up 
his  residence  in  that  city,  where  he  remained 
till  his  death.  A  few  months  before  his 
demise  he  formed  a  partnershi|i  with  Dr.  K. 
Bradford. 

Dr.  Chase  was  an  attendant  of  the  Episcopal 
Church.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican. 
He  was  active  in  fraternal  work,  being  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  ilodern 
Woodmen,  National  Union,  Modern  Brother- 
hood of  America,  Woodmen  of  the  World 
and  Independent  Order  of  Foresters.  His 
surviving  family  consists  of  his  wife  and 
two  children,  the  latter  being  .John  Albion, 
liorn  August  30,  1888,  and  Katherine  Trus- 
dell.  born  May  22,  1892.  The  wife's  maiden 
name  was  Adelaide  Eugenia  Trusdell,  and 
she  was  married  to  the  doctor  December  5, 
1882,  at  Dixon,  Illinois.  Her  home  jtrior 
to  the  marriage  was  at  Xewark,  New  Jersey, 
she  being  the  daughter  of  John  Givean  and 
Catherine  (Decker)  Trusdell.  The  father  was 
a  leading  Democrat  and  served  as  judge  and 
state  senator.  He  died  July  14,  1903.  his 
wife  having  passed  away  in  March,   1858, 

His  father  was  chief  surgeon  of  the  North- 
ern division  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad 
from  the  time  of  his  residence  in  Amboy 
until  his  death. 

JS  JS  !S 

CHARLES  McHUGH. 

AMONG     those     prominent     in     business, 
social  and  club  life  in  the  City  of  Rock 
Island,  is  Charles  McHugh,  a  man  who 
through  persistent  industry  and  commercial 
acumen  has  wrought  for  himself  a  successful 
career. 

His  parents  were  Thomas  Edwin  and  Ellen 
(House)   McHugh.     His  mother  was  born  in 


Syracuse,  New  York;  his  father  was  a  native 
of  Inniskillin,  Ireland,  but  removed  to  this 
country,  where  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  boi-n  September  3,  1863,  at  Syracuse, 
New  York.  Four  years  later  his  parents 
came  west  and  located  at  Tiskilwa,  in  this 
State,  where  his  mother  is  still  living.  Here 
their  son  received  a  common  school  educa- 
tion. 

•Mr.  McHugh  remained  in  Tiskilwa  until 
1881,  when  he  came  to  Rock  Island.  Seeking 
employment,  he  obtained  a  position  as  bell- 
boy at  the  Harper  House,  the  hotel  of  which 
he  is  today  manager  and  associate  proprietor, 
liut  which  was  then  owned  and  managed  by 
the  late  Benjamin  Harper.  As  a  bell-boy 
Mr.  McHugh  received  the  princely  salary  of 
ten  dollars  a  month,  but  with  a  firm  determi- 
nation to  deserve  and  to  attain  a  higher  posi- 
tion he  paid  diligent  attention  to  his  duties. 
This  determination  upon  his  part  was  re- 
warded by  a  promotion  to  a  position  as  clerk 
in  the  hotel,  which  position  he  held  until 
1894  when  he,  together  with  J.  E.  Montrose, 
piu'chased  the  management  of  the  hotel  from 
the  Harper  estate.  This  required  an  invest- 
ment on  their  part  of  .$3.5,000. 

The  investment  was  a  financial  success,  and 
in  1898,  desiring  to  enlarge  the  scope  of  their 
business,  these  gentlemen  took  over  the 
National  House,  of  Peoria.  Illinois,  the  lead- 
ing hotel  of  that  city,  at  an  expense  of 
840,000.  Again  in  1903  they  assumed  con- 
trol of  the  Rock  Island  House,  expending 
$22,000  in  the  remodeling  and  improvement 
of  this  hotel. 

Success  and  prosperity  attended  each  suc- 
cessive expansion  of  their  business,  and  in 
1906  they  leased  the  Hotel  ^Montrose  at  Cedar 
Rapids,  Iowa — the  furnishing  of  this  hotel 
costing  over  $45,000 — and  in  turn  this  hotel 
was  brought  up  to  that  standard  of  excellence 
that  has  characterized  each  of  the  other 
hostelries,  and  is  considered  by  hotel  experts 
the  leading  hotel  west  of  Chicago. 


132 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


From  1895  until  1900  Mr.  McHufih  was 
lessee  of  the  Black  Hawk's  Watch  Tower, 
and  it  was  during  this  time  that  the  present 
spacious  and  popular  Watch  Tower  Inn  was 
built,  and  made  the  pojudar  resort  of  the 
three  cities. 

But  Mr.  McHugh's  busine.ss  talents  are  not 
wholly  confined  to  the  control  and  manage- 
ment of  hotels.  He  owns  a  large  ranch  near 
Aberdeen.  South  Dakota,  and  a  six  hundred 
and  forty-acre  farm  near  Olney,  Illinois,  and 
to  these  he  gives  some  share  of  his  personal 
attention.  He  is  also  one  of  the  direc- 
tors of  the  Peoples  National  Bank  of 
Rock    Island. 

Whatever  pertains  to  the  progress  and 
advancement  of  the  City  of  Rock  Island 
finds  a  hearty  supporter  and  sincere  co- 
operator  in  Mr.  McHugh.  During  the  year 
1904  he  was  president  of  the  Rock  Island 
Club,  an  institution  devoted  to  the  fostering 
of  the  commercial  interests  of  the  city.  In 
politics  Mr.  McHugh  is  a  Democrat,  and 
takes  an  active  part  in  the  counci's  of  his 
party. 

His  religious  connection  is  with  the  Catholic 
Church. 

On  September  1.  ISSS.  he  was  married  to 
Mary  Elizabeth  ('rul)augh,  daughter  of  John 
and  Sarah  A.  Crubaugh  of  Rock  Island,  and 
to  the  couple  one  daughter,  Sarah  Elizabeth, 
has  been  born. 

Mr.  McHugh  owns  a  beautiful  nu'al  home 
on  Aiken  Street  in  South  Rock  Island,  and 
here  he  and  his  family  spend  the  summer 
months,  interspersed  with  numerous  cruises 
npim  the  Mississippi  River  and  its  triluitaries 
upon  his  house  boat.  "The  Ramliler.'"  and 
steamer,  the  "  Mary  Mc." 

Coming  to  Rock  Island  a  poor  boy  without 
friends  or  influence  here  to  aid  him,  he  has 
forged  his  way  to  the  front  and  in  a 
few  brief  years  has  become  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial and  influential  men  of  the  city. 
Foresight  and  industry  have  been  the  keys 
that  have  unlocked  for  him  the  door  of  success. 


NICHOLAI  JUHL. 

Ox  I-',  of  Rock  Island's  best  known  and 
most  busily  employed  building  con" 
tractors  is  Xicholai  Juhl.  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  In  the  large  and  continuous 
btiilding  growth  which  Rock  Island  has 
tmdergone  during  the  past  few  years,  he  has 
taken  a  conspicuous  part,  some  of  the  largest 
and  handsomest  edifices  that  have  been 
erected  being  his  creation. 

He  was  born  ^March  3.  1853.  in  the  province 
of  Schleswig-Holstein.  Germany,  his  parents 
being  Peter  and  Jlartha  (Peterson)  Juhl. 
Neither  of  Mr.  Juhl's  parents  ever  came  to 
the  United  States,  and  both  are  now  deceased. 

Mr.  Juhl's  early  education  was  obtained  in 
the  common  schools  of  his  native  land,  and 
later  in  evening  schools  in  this  country,  to 
which  he  emigrated  in  1873.  being  then 
twenty  years  of  age.  Upon  landing  in  New 
York  he  looked  about  for  an  opportunity  to 
establish  himself  in  some  useful  employment, 
but  soon  came  to  the  conclusion  that  a  young 
man's  chances  were  much  better  further 
west,  and  consequently  he  came  to  Rock 
Island,  which  city  has  since  been  his  home. 

Here  he  learned  the  carpentering  and 
brick  laying  trades,  and  found  plenty  of 
employment,  especially  in  the  former  trade. 
For  sixteen  years  after  coming  to  Rock 
Island  he  worked  for  one  man.  believing  in 
and  acting  upon  the  old  proverb  that  a  rolling 
stone  gathers  no  moss. 

In  1890  Mr.  Juhl  began  business  on  his 
own  account  as  a  contractor  and  builder, 
since  which  time  he  has  made  a  specialty  of 
building  churches,  of  which  he  has  erected 
about  forty  in  different  ])arts  of  the  country. 

On  January  14.  1877.  .Mr.  Juhl  was  joined 
in  marriage  to  ^liss  Christina  Lalfs,  a  young 
lady  who  was  a  native  of  the  same  town  as 
Mr.  Juhl,  and  who  came  to  this  country  in 
1875.  To  them  five  children  have  been  born, 
they  being  Mary  C,  wife  of  Philip  Scherer,  of 
Rock  Island;  Herman  C.  now  foreman  in  his 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


133 


father's  establishment;  Amelia  C.  C,  wife  of 
John  Cleman,  of  Rocl<  Island;  Nicholai  M., 
employed  by  his  father,  and  Otto,  who  is 
now  attending  the  Rock  Island  High  iSehool. 

In  religious  faith  Mr.  Juhl  is  a  Lutheran, 
and  for  thirteen  years  he  has  been  a  trustee 
of  the  German  I'.nianuel  Lutheran  Cluu-cli  of 
Rock  Island.  In  politics  he  has  always  lieen 
a  Republican,  but  while  a  strong  adherent  to 
his  party  he  has  always  striven  to  vote  for 
the  man  he  considered  best  qualified  to  fill 
the  office  and  to  serve  the  peojjle.  He  ha.s 
never  sought  party  office  for  himself,  being 
too  actively  engaged  in  business  pursuits  to 
accept  party  favors. 

IMr.  Juhl  is  in  every  respect  a  self-made 
man.  Coming  to  this  country  without  money, 
he  has,  by  frugality  and  industry,  accumu- 
lated a  modest  fortune.  He  is  a  man  of 
boundless  energy  and  business  foresight. 
The  high  grade  and  cnuility  of  his  work  is  a 
monument  to  his  skill  and  integrity  as  a 
contractor.  He  is  one  of  Rock  Island's  best 
citizens,  one  of  the  stable,  prosperous  men 
that  go  to  compose  a  stable  and  prosperous 
city. 

«   5S   !S 

GEORGE  T.  WILSON. 

NOT  alone  to  the  men  of  (.laring  initiative 
in  the  fields  of  manufacture  and  merchan- 
dising does  Rock  Island  County  owe  its 
greatness  in  the  world  of  commerce,  but  also 
to  the  mechanics  whose  unsurpassed  skill  and 
industry  have  contributed,  in  larger  measure 
than  we  always  realize,  to  our  world-wide 
reputation  for  all  that  is  best  in  our  manifold 
lines  of  product.  In  the  front  ranks  of  these 
skilled  artisans  is  Mr.  George  T.  Wilson,  the 
well  known  carriage  iron  worker,  foreman  of 
the  blacksmithing  department  of  the  V^elie 
Carriage  Company.  Mr.  Wilson  was  l)orn 
under  Her  Brittanic  ^Majesty's  Flag,  in  the 
Province  of  Quebec,  in  October,  1839.  Fifty- 
three  years  later,  namely.  1892.  he,  with  his 
wife,  Marv  E.  and  their  two  sons,  Edgar  H., 


a  sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this 
book,  and  Ross  P.,  removed  to  Moline. 

As  foreman  of  the  iron  department  of  the 
D.  M.  iSechler  Carriage  Company,  he  con- 
tinued for  tlie  period  of  seven  years,  when, 
his  health  declining,  he  resigned  that  charge 
and  engaged  in  partnership  with  his  elder 
son.  Edgar  H.,  in  the  grocery  business,  which 
the  latter  was  co'nductng  at  the  time,  on 
Thiril  Avenue,  Moline.  His  health  failed  to 
improve  and  he  was  obliged  to  retire  from 
til  is  business  also. 

"Time  heals  all  wounds"  and  often  restores 
broken  health,  as  happily  was  the  case  with 
Mr.  Wilson,  so  that  in  October,  1902,  he  was 
able  to  once  more  take  up  his  regidar  business, 
this  time  as  foreman  of  the  blacksmithing 
department  of  the  Velie  Carriage  Company, 
where  he  is  now  engaged. 

Mr.  Wilson  has  been  an  active  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  from  the 
days  of  his  young  manhood.  He  is  a  member 
of  Doric  Lodge,  No.  319,  Ancient,  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons,  and  is  regarded  by  judges 
as  one  of  the  best  carriage  iron  workers  in 
the  state,  and  that  means  one  of  the  best  in 
the  world. 

jg    jg    5g 

CHARLES  J.  LARKIN. 

THE  City  of  Rock  Island  has  several  con- 
tractors and  builders  whose  operations 
are  upon  a  very  extensive  scale,  and 
whose  work  is  known,  not  only  in  the  imme- 
diate vicinity  of  their  home  city,  but  through- 
out the  entire  western  part  of  the  United 
States,  where  they  have  been  engaged  to 
erect  large  public  buildings,  manufacturing 
plants,  railway  depots  and  other  edifices 
requiring  the  expenditure  of  thousands  of 
dollars,  .\niong  the  men  so  engaged  is 
Charles  J.  Larkin. 

Mr.  Larkin  was  born  September  13,  1852, 
in  Schenectady,  New  York,  and  lived  in  that 
city  until  he  was  four  years  of  age,  when  his 
jxirents,   Michael   and   Mary   (Smith)   Larkin, 


134 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


came  with'tlieir  family  to  Rock  rslaiul.  Mr. 
Larkin's  parents  were  natives  of  Ireland,  the 
father  heinp;  from  Galway  and  the  mother 
from  Athboy,  County  Meath.  After  coming 
to  Rock  Island,  Mr.  Larkin's  parents  made 
that  city  their  home  until  their  death,  the 
father  passing  away  in  1S93  at  the  advanced 
age  of  seventy-five,  and  the  mother  six 
months  later  at  the  age  of  seventy-four. 
Mr.  Larkin,  senior,  was  a  blacksmith,  anil 
during  his  lifetime  he  was  of  great  assistance 
to  his  son  in  the  contract  work,  in  which  he 
was  actively  engaged. 

Charles  J.  Larkin  attended  and  graduated 
from  the  public  schools  of  Rock  Island,  and 
after  laying  aside  his  school  books  he  learned 
the  stone  cutter's  trade,  beginning  his  work 
as  an  independent  contractor  when  only 
twenty  years  of  age.  It  would  be  impossible 
in  this  lirief  sketch  to  enumerate  the  many 
large  and  imposing  structures  that  have  been 
erected  liy  Mr.  Larkin.  It  was  he  who  built 
Rock  Island  County's  handsome  Court  House, 
and  also  the  magnificent  home  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America  in  Rock  Island.  The 
eighty  tho\isand  dollar  ]iost  office  at  Daven" 
port  is  another  ind)lic  building  that  he  was 
called  upon  to  erect,  while  as  a  builder  of 
magnificent  churches  Mr.  l.ai'kin  can  point 
with  pride  to  the  Catholic  Cathedral  at  Des- 
Moines,  Iowa,  for  it  was  he  who  erected  that 
great  house  of  worship. 

On  October  20,  1873,  Mr.  Larkin  married 
Miss  Annie  T.  Ford,  a  daughter  of  William 
and  Ann  (Broderick)  F'ord,  of  Sheflield, 
Illinois.  Eight  children,  four  daughters  antl 
four  sons,  have  been  born  to  them,  they  being 
the  Misses  May,  Katherine,  .Annie  and  Hattie, 
and  Leo,  Harry,  Charles  J.  and  W'illard,  all 
of  the  children  making  their  home  with  their 
parents.  Mr.  Larkin's  elder  sons  are  engaged 
with  him  in  his  contracting  operations.  His 
daughters  are  cidtivated  and  talente<l  young 
ladies  who  have  received  man\-  advantages, 
l)oth  in  the  schools  of  Rock  Island  and  elsc- 
wiiere.     Miss    Katherine    Larkin    is   a   reader 


and  impersonator  of  great  ability  and  power, 
and  frequently  is  heard  before  Tri-City 
audiences. 

In  politics  Mr.  Larkin  has  always  been  a 
Republican,  and  he  has  represented  his  home 
ward  as  Alderman  for  several  terms  during 
past  years.  He  is  always  ready  to  con- 
tribute willingly  and  liberally  either  of  his 
time  or  his  money  to  his  party's  cause,  and 
although  not  an  office  seeker  himself,  he 
gives  his  support  to  those  in  his  party  whom 
he  considers  best  qualified  to  fill  the  offices 
to  which  they  aspire. 

His  home  is  at  No.  556  Elm  Street,  and 
here  Mr.  Larkin  spenfls  most  of  his  leisure 
hours,  as  he  is  a  man  of  domestic  tastes,  and 
finds  much  of  his  happiness  in  this  life  in  the 
companionshi]j  of  his  family.  He  is  a  man 
of  pleasing  personality,  kind-hearted,  genial 
and  always  to  be  fouiul  in  the  forefront  of 
any  movement  calculated  to  advance  the 
welfare  of  his  city.  In  religious  conviction 
Mr.  L;u'kin  is  a  Catholic.  He  has  many 
friends  throughout  Rock  Island  who  speak 
highly  of  his  high  integrity  and  sterling  worth. 

m  m  m 
HENRY  B.  HUBBARD. 

THERE  is  no  happier  hour  in  the  life  of 
the  conscientious  and  circumsjiect  biog- 
ra])her  than  one  which  affords  him  the 
occasion  f<ir  picturing  in  words  the  record  of 
a  virile,  useful,  energetic  and  honorable 
person.  There  is  always  a  fascinating  some- 
thing about  such  a  person,  whether  old  or 
young,  which  forcibly  ap]jeals  to  the  pen,  and 
brings  forth  latent  thought  and  effort  which 
are  too  often  ])ermittel  ti  Ije  dormant- 
lethargic,  as  it  were. 

The  mere  conviction  of  a  man's  astuteness 
and  sterling  worth  is  all  sufficient  to  ins])ire 
one  with  a  desire  to  write  endless  pages  of 
e\il)gies  concerning  hi:n:  l)ut  alas!  the  write-; 
never  did  nor  never  will  live  who  can  fittiu'ily 
portray  the  virtues,  services  and  p-it-i)tisai 
of  an  u])right,  thrifty  and  substantial  citizen. 


H  I  S  T  0  R  I  C     ROC  K     I  S  L  A  N  D     CO  U  N  T  Y 


135 


And  so,  in  our  simple  way,  with  the  ad- 
vance knowledge  that  our  language  is  wholly 
inadequate  to  suitably  elucidate  the  many 
redeeming  traits  of  our  friend,  but  with  tlie 
realization  that  our  efforts  will  be  appre- 
ciated in  the  same  felecitous  spirit  in  which 
it  is  imparted,  we  summon  the  temerity  to 
place  before  the  reader  Mr.  Henry  B.  Hub- 
bard, as  he  is,  and  has  always  been. 

Mr.  Hubbard  is  a  product  of  the  Buckeye 
State.  He  was  born  at  New  Mat  a  moras, 
Ohio,  September  30,  1S63,  being  a  son  of  \V., 
A,  and  Anna  Hubljard.  His  father  was  a 
native  of  Ohio,  his  mother,  who  before  her 
marriage  was  Miss  Anna  (loldsmith,  was  also 
an  Ohioan  by  birth. 

In  1868,  when  Mr.  Hubbard  was  five  years 
of  age,  his  ]iarents  migrated  westward, 
arriving  in  Edgington  Township,  near  Taylor 
Ridge.  Henry  B.  Hultbard  is  an  exemplary 
specimen  of  what  an  enterprising  and  ]irac- 
tical  man  may  accomplish.  Up-to-date,  well 
educated,  of  uniisual  business  acumen  and 
logical  on  all  matters  pertaining  to  his  office 
and  the  people  who  have  twice  elected  him, 
he  does  not  hesitate  to  again  go  before  his 
constituents  and  request  approval  of  his  acts 
and  methods,  and  neither  is  he  timorous  in 
his  solicitation  of  )iul)lie  sanction  for  his  con- 
duct of  their  affairs. 

He  was  married  in  the  year  of  18SS,  his 
wife  being  Miss  Etta  Genuuill,  of  Shannon, 
Illinois.  They  have  been  blessed  with  three 
children,  Clifford,  I^ois  and  Marian. 

Mr.  Huhb.nnl  is  an  active  and  earnest 
worker  in  the  Mystic  Shriners,  Kaaba  Temple 
of  Davenport,  and  he  is  a  member  of  long 
standing  in  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 
He  also  is  nuniljered  amf)ng  the  Fraternal 
Tribunes  :md  numerous  other  societies  whicii 
are  well  and  |io])ularly  kmiwn.  He  first 
attracted  general  public  notice  in  the  year 
of  1898,  when  he  was  elected  County  Clerk 
of  Rock  Island  ('(uinty  l)y  a  pluarality  of 
abiiut    1,S(I()   votes  o\-('r  his  (ip])onent.      Foui' 


years  later  he  was  chosen  his  own  successor, 
and  was  elected  again  in  1906,  and  the  people 
iiave  been  given  no  reason  upon  which  to 
base  a  complaint  against  his  official  stand- 
ardship  since  the  hour  he  assumed  the  duties 
wliich  fell  to  his  lot. 

Mr,  Hubbard  has  l)een  a  hard  worker  all 
his  life,  and  consequently  has  learned  that 
labor  is  the  only  true  nobility,  whether  one's 
efforts  is  confined  to  manual  or  official  labor, 
or  to  the  control  of  vast  industries.  A  child 
of  our  free  institutions,  he  is  naturally  of  a 
comi)anionable  and  jileasing  disposition — a 
hap])y  facu  ty,  and  a  priceless  asset  to  any 
man.  He  is  one  who  sees  things  clearly,  and 
acts  with  a  celerity  that  is  amazing  when  the 
question  of  equity  is  at  stake.  He  has  a 
comprehensive  mind,  a  di-oU  sense  of  humor 
that  is  pleasing  to  hear,  and  is  with  all  a  man 
of  rank  and  file,  a  sincere  believer  in  the 
doctrines  expressed  by  Al)raham  Lincoln, 
is  a  patriot  of  the  first  water,  and  represents 
a  true  type  of  American  manhood  and 
sturdiness. 

In  the  councils  of  his  party,  and  in  the 
minds  of  his  adherents.  Mr.  Hubbard  com- 
mands a  position  equal  to  that  of  any  one. 
In  the  eye  of  the  public',  his  re-election  he- 
speaks  the  trust  imposed  in  him. 

Since  his  incunibence  the  office  of  the 
County  Clerk  has  undergone  many  changes 
which  are  of  material  benefit  to  taxpayers 
and  tiie  ])ul)lic  generally.  Old  systems  have 
been  simplified,  red  tape  has  become  a  non- 
entity, and  practical  methods  of  business  in 
the  interest  of  speed  and  convenience  have 
superceded   ancient  and  out-of-date  routine. 

m  m  m 
HERBERT  B,  HAYDEN. 

HERBERT  B.  HAYDEN,  Superintendent 
of   City    Schools   of    Rock    Island,    is    a 
native  of  Massachusetts.     He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  graded  and  high  schools  of  his 
native   state,    and    at    Wesleyan    University. 
SiiH'e    1SS3    he    has    been   engaged    in    public 


136 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


school  work,  either  as  hijih  scliool  ])rinci]ial 
or  superintendent  of  city  schools,  and  has 
been  in  cluirge  of  the  schools  of  Rock  Island 
since  August,  1900. 

^  IS  m 

CHARLES  J.  SEARLE. 

AN  ATTOl^XEV  whose  marked  ability 
has  been  repeatedly' recognized  not  only 
in  Rock  Island  County,  by  whose  Bar 
Association  he  has.  at  the  time  this  sketch  is 
written,  recenth-  been  honored  by  the  elec- 
tion as  its  president,  but  throughout  the 
State  of  Illinois,  is  Charles  J.  Searle.  of  Rock 
Island.  A  biographical  sketch  of  a  man  so 
well  and  widely  known,  seems  almost  super- 
fluous, for  there  are  but  few  in  Rock  Island 
County,  and  indeed  in  this  section  of  Illini)i.s. 
who  do  not  en,ioy  a  personal  accjuaintance 
with  the  gentleman  himself.  And  were  these 
sketches  written  and  published  merely  for 
the  perusal  of  the  present  generation  many  of 
them  would  be  indeed  unnecessary,  but  the 
compilation  of  a  work  of  this  kind  is  under- 
taken with  the  thought  that  it  will  be  an 
enduring  memorial  to  those  th  records  of 
whose  lives  are  herein  inscribed,  and  while 
to  the  living  it  may  recount  no  fact  that  was 
before  to  them  imknown  yet  to  jioster  ty  it 
will  possess  an  ever  increasing  value  as  the 
conscientiovis  gleaning  of  facts  in  the  lives 
of  men  who  have  long  since  been  gathered 
unto  their  fathers. 

Charles  J.  Searle  w-as  born  at  Fort  Smith, 
Arkansas.  May  16.  1S65.  his  parents  being 
Colonel  Klhanan  J.  (recently  deceased)  and 
Cassie  H.  (Pierce)  Searle.  Six  children  were 
born  to  this  c()U])le.  but  only  two  are  living, 
Charles  J.  and  Blanche  Searle,  both  of  Rock 
Island.  .Mr.  Sear!  's  |iarents  made  their  home 
in  Fort  Smith  for  about  three  years  after  liis 
birth,  and  then  removed  to  Arkadelphia  in 
the  .same  state,  and  from  there  to  Little  Hock. 
Our  subject  attended  the  jMiblic  sciiools  and 
later,  when  his  ])arents  came  north,  he 
attended    the   high    scluiol    at    I'ana,    in    this 


state.  Finishing  his  high  school  course.  Mr 
Searle  went  to  Marshall  County,  Kansas,  and 
here  he  improved  a  farm,  later  teaching  school 
for  a  term.  He  attended  the  Campbell 
Normal  I'niversity  at  Holton,  Kansas,  for 
one  year,  showing  such  diligence  and  appli- 
cation as  a  student  that  he  carried  off  the 
class  honors.  The  young  man  was  obliged 
to  depend  upon  his  own  resources,  and  in 
order  to  acquire  an  education  it  was  necessary 
that  he  should  earn  the  money  with  which  to 
pay  for  his  tuition  and  defray  his  expenses 
while  attending  school.  At  the  end  of  his 
year  at  the  Normal  University,  he  found  it 
necessary  to  again  assume  the  role  of  ])eda- 
gogue  in  order  to  accumulate  -enough  funds 
to  continue  his  education,  so  he  again  taught 
another  term  of  school,  this  time  in  Brown 
County.  Kansas.  Then,  having  decide  1  to 
study  law,  Mr.  Searle  entered  the  State 
University  of  Iowa,  at  Iowa  City,  and  here  for 
two  years  he  pursued  a  law  course.  In  this 
school  also  he  showed  marked  ability  and 
took  the  highest  honors  of  his  class,  both 
during  his  junior  and  senior  years.  After 
graduating,  Mr.  Searle  cast  about  for  a  loca- 
tion in  which  to  practice  his  newly  acquired 
profession.  The  result  of  this  quest  was  that 
he  finally  decided  u])on  Rock  Island,  and  in 
that  city  he  opened  an  office  August  12.  1889. 
He  soon  learneil  by  experience  that  the 
accjuiring  of  a  clientele  was  not  a  sjieedy 
process,  and  in  common  with  nearly  all  young 
lawyers  he.  in  the  course  of  that  evolution 
which  every  attorney  must  undergo,  success- 
fully passed  through  the  "starvation  stage." 
While  wa  ting  for  clients,  he  devoted  his  time 
assiduous'y  to  study  and  reading  along  ])ro- 
fessional  !ines,  this  supplementing  the  legal 
training  he  had  received  while  at  Iowa  City. 
But  lis  ability  was  so  nuirked.  especially  as 
an  advocate,  that  it  made  such  an  impression, 
not  (inly  ujjon  the  general  pulilic.  but  u])on 
his  fellow  members  of  the  bar  as  well,  that  lie 
sjieedily  got  into  practice,  and  in  1892  was 
elected     States     .\ttornev     o'     Rock     Island 


C    J.  SEARLE 


II I  S  r  0  R  I  C     ROC  K    I  S  L  A  N  D     CO  U  N  T  Y 


137 


County,  upon  the  Republican  ticket.  He  was 
a  vigorous  and  successful  prosecutor,  and  at 
the  expiration  of  his  four  years  term  he  was 
re-elected  and  served  another  term  in  that 
office.  During  his  administration  he  secvu-ed 
a  large  number  of  convictions,  and  in  the 
fulfillment  of  that  office  gave  general  satis- 
faction to  the  people.  In  1S9S  he  was 
appointed  by  Governor  Tanner  as  trustee  of 
the  Western  Illinois  State  Normal  School, 
which  was  then  about  to  be  located  and 
built,  the  board  of  trustees  having  the  selec- 
tion of  the  site,  it  was  decided  to  locate  the 
new  institution  at  Macomli.  Mr.  Searle  was 
chosen  as  president  of  the  board  and  devoted 
much  time  to  the  duties  involved  in  the  sui)er- 
vision  of  the  erection  of  an  institution  of  such 
magnitude:  after  the  institution  was  coni- 
jileted  and  fully  and  successfully  started,  he 
resigned.  In  190-i  he  was  appointed  l)y 
Richard  Yates,  junior,  then  Governor  of 
Illinois,  as  a  member  of  the  Court  of  Claims, 
this  office  carrying  with  it  the  rank  and  title 
of  Judge.  It  is  the  duty  of  this  Court,  con- 
sisting of  three  Judges  and  sitting  at  Spring- 
fie'd,  to  conside  •  and  adjudicate  all  disjiuted 
claims  arising  against  the  State  of  Illinois, 
and  its  many  institutions.  This  office  Mr. 
Searle  still  holds.  Roth  the  latter  offices 
were  conferred  on  Mr.  Searle  entirely  without 
solicitation  on  his  jxirt. 

On  A])ril  7,  1898,  ^Ir.  Searle  married  Miss 
^lary  Pryce,  the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  ^Irs. 
John  J.  Pryce,  of  Coal  \'alley,  this  County. 
Miss  Pryce  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  living 
in  Racine,  Wisconsin,  where  she  was  engaged 
as  a  teacher  in  the  ]iiiblic  schools  of  that 
city.  To  them  have  l)een  born  three  children, 
two  boys  and  a  girl. 

Political  y  Mr.  Searle  has  always  been  a 
Republican  and  has  been,  and  is,  a  political 
power,  not  merely  in  Rock  Island  County, 
l)ut  his  ])restige  has  been  generally  recognized 
throughout  Illinois,  and  especially  this  part 
of  the  State.  He  has  twice  been  presented 
to  the  Congressional  Districts  embracing  Rock 


Island  County,  by  Rock  Island  County  as  its 
candidate  for  Congress.  He  has  labored 
diligent  y  and  efficiently  for  the  success  of  his 
]iarty  at  the  polls;  and  as  a  jjowerful  speaker 
upon  |)olitical  and  economic  subjects  he  is 
constantly  in  demand.  He  is  in  thorough 
sympathy  with  the  spirit  of  determination  for 
corporate  regulation  that  is  sweeping  over 
the  country,  and  indeed  has  been  a  pioneer 
in  that  cause  and  for  years  past  has,  both  in 
political  s]ieeches  and  in  private  conversation, 
portrayed  the  dangers  that  threatened  the 
welfare  and  prosperity  of  the  American 
citizen  through  the  inirestrained  formation 
of  vast  monopolies.  His  Republicanism  is  of 
the  type  of  that  of  Roosevelt,  LaFollettc  and 
Cummins,  and  is  opposed  to  that  of  Aldrich 
and  Elk  ns. 

A  vigorous  and  virile  man,  an  astute  and 
discerning  attorney  and  a  gifted  orator,  ]\Ir. 
Searle  embodies  in  his  ])ersonality  those 
(pialit  es  that  connnand  the  respect,  the 
ap])roval  and  the  regard  of  humanity.  He 
is  a  man  imusually  independent  in  thought 
and  speech,  without  the  slightest  vestige  of 
self-conceit,  easy  of  approach  and  of  broad 
sympathy:  truly  a  "man  of  the  jieople." 

In  1899  Mr.  Searle  entered  into  jiartnership 
with  C.  B.  Marshall,  forming  the  legal  firm  of 
Searle  &  Marshall.  The  partnesrhip  was  an 
advantageous  one  for  both  gentlemen,  bring- 
ing into  conjimction  the  brilliant  powers  as 
an  advocate  possessed  by  Mr.  Searle  and  the 
more  tranquil  and  studious  nature  of  Mr. 
.Marshall.  The  firm  has  jirospered  and  is 
today  one  of  the  eading  law  firms  in  Rock 
Island  County. 

But  little  remains  to  be  said  in  conclusion. 
The  life,  the  character,  and  the  political 
])rinc  pies  of  Charles  J.  Searle  have  been 
laithfu  y  delineated.  The  reader  can  udge 
for  h'mself  what  numner  of  man  he  is.  He 
has  obtained  and  retained  the  confidence  of 
his  fellow  men,  and  not  merely  their  confi- 
dence but  their  warm  regard  as  well;  a  man 
whose     thoughts,     whose     acts     and     whose 


138 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


principles  expressed  in  speech  and  deed  are 
his  best  and  truest  hiocraphy 

iS  m  m 

GUY  V.  PETTIT. 

IX  none  of  the  walks  of  life,  jierhaps.  does 
the  personality  of  the  man   impress  itself 

so  thoronsi'hly  ujion  the  ])ubUr  with  which 
he  deals  as  in  the  case  of  the  editor  of  a 
country  newspajier.  While  he  does  not  reach 
the  thousands  that  the  editor  of  a  metro])oI- 
itan  daily  does,  he  offsets  this  disadvantage 
through  the  close  personal  relations  he  sus- 
tains with  his  patrons  and  thereby  his  posi- 
tion in  the  community  is  rendered  the  more 
ditiicult  of  the  two  to  maintain.  While  the 
head  of  the  news  gathering  department  of  a 
big  paper  may  strike  right  and  left  with  but 
small  chance  of  offending  any  considerable 
])ortion  of  his  clientele,  the  scribe  of  the 
country  weekly  must  exercise  care  and  tact, 
for  his  financial  success  requires  the  support 
of  at  least  half  of  the  people  of  his  territory. 
Therefore  the  trenchant  pen  is  not  his  to 
wield.  He  must  attain  his  ends  by  other  means. 

A  successful  country  editor  is  Guy  Y.  Pettit 
of  the  Reynolds  Press — a  man  who  has  the 
rare  gift  of  being  able  to  give  expression  to 
his  own  ideas  of  right  and  wrong  and  still 
retain  the  personal  friendship  of  practically 
every  individual  who  reads  his  news]3aper. 

Mr.  Pettit  was  born  .July  17.  1868,  seven 
miles  south  of  Geneseo,  on  a  farm  in  Henry 
County.  Illinois.  He  is  a  son  of  Charles  E. 
and  Ellen  M.  Pettit,  and  dates  his  ancestry 
on  American  soil  well  back  into  the  seven- 
teenth century.  His  paternal  grandjxirents 
were  Pennsylvanians  and  his  maternal  grand- 
parents New  Yorkers.  His  father  was  a 
private  in  Company  E.  Eighth  Illinois  ^'olun- 
teer  Infantry,  and  was  private  secretary  to 
General  U.  S.  Grant  at  Cairo  in  1862.  His 
mother  was  educated  at  Lombard  University. 
Galesburg. 

Mr.  Pettit  attended  country  school  till 
fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he  became  a  student 


at  Northwestern  Normal  at  Geneseo.  After 
pursuing  a  scientific  and  literary  course  there 
for  three  years  he  turned  his  attention  to 
pedagogy.  He  began  teaching  school  at  the 
age  of  seventeen,  and  so  well  did  lie  do  his 
work  that  when  he  had  barely  attained  his 
nuvjoritj-  he  was  called  upon  to  act  as  prin- 
cipal of  the  schools  at  Hampton,  Rock  Island 
County.  Here  he  taught  two  years,  going, 
in  August.  1889,  to  Reynolds,  to  accept  the 
principalship  of  the  schools  there.  At  the 
end  of  three  years  he  accepted  a  similar  posi- 
tion at  Brimfield,  Peoria  County,  where  he 
remained  two  years. 

In  January,  1897,  Mr.  Pettit  purchased  the 
Reynolds  Press,  taking  personal  charge  July 
1  following,  and  conducting  it  successfully  up 
to  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Pettit  has  found  time  to  take  an  interest 
in  village  affairs,  having  for  three  years  filled 
the  oflfioe  of  village  clerk,  and  subsequently 
served  two  terms  as  president  of  the  board 
of  trustees,  retiring  in  1895.  Politically  he 
has  always  been  a  Republican. 

Patriotic  and  fraternal  societies  have  en- 
gaged much  of  Mr.  Pettit's  attention.  He  is 
a  past  captain  in  the  Sons  of  A'eterans,  past 
chancellor  commander  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  has  been  consul  of  the  Reynolds 
Camp  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America 
for  eight  years,  holds  membership  in  the 
Order  of  the  Eastern  Star  and  the  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  is  affiliated 
with  the  various  branches  of  the  Masonic  order. 

Mr.  Pettit  was  united  in  marriage  Jime  19, 
1S91).  with  Miss  Jennie  Repine,  of  Galesburg, 
Illinois,  formerly  of  Pennsylvania.  They 
have  two  sons,  Royce  Edgar,  born  May  5, 
1895,  and  Clyde  Earl,  born  April  19.  1902. 

oP.       5p!       oV' 

DR..  LOUIS  OSTROM. 

DR.   LOUIS   OSTROM.    A.    B.    M.   1)..  was 
liorn    in    Helsingland.    Sweden,    May    1, 
1 874,  and  came  to  .\merica  when  six  years 
old.     His    father    is     a    pipe-organ    builder. 


HISTORIC     ROCK     IS  L  A  N  D     CO  U  N  T  Y 


139 


known  among  hundreds  of  churches  all  over 
the  country.  Young  Ostrom  attended  public 
schools,  and  as  soon  as  he  was  able  to  work, 
was  at  one  time  or  another  employed  during 
vacations  in  nearly  all  the  shops  of  Moline. 
After  becoming  a  student  of  Augustana 
College,  he  worked  during  the  different  vaca- 
tions as  section  hand  on  the  street  car  line, 
printer  in  a  joti  office,  and  pressman  to  the 
Moline  Daily  Dispatch,  etc.  While  a  student, 
he  also  studied  music  under  Dr.  Gusta\- 
Stolpe;  was  director  of  the  band,  orchestra, 
and  mandolin  clubs,  cornetist,  and  later 
claeionetist  with  the  Sixth  Regiment  Band. 
Illinois  National  Guard,  of  Moline,  and 
Strasser's  Second  Regiment  Band  of  Daven- 
port, Iowa.  He  also  took  active  part  in  all 
college  atheletics,  being  a  member  of  both 
base  ball  and  oot  ball  teams.  He  graduated 
from  Augustana  College  in  1895,  in  the  English 
classical  course,  receiving  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Arts.  During  the  summer  before 
graduation  he  was  assistant  organist  to  Dr. 
Stolpe  in  the  Moline  Lutheran  Church,  and 
after  graduation  was  at  Moore's  Prairie, 
Minnesota,  as  organist  and  music  teacher. 
While  there  he  received  a  call  from  Augus- 
tana College  to  become  professor  of  wind 
and  stringed  instruments  in  the  Conservatory 
of  Music,  but  declined  because  of  intended 
medical  study.  He  studied  medicine  at  the 
State  University  of  Iowa,  at  Iowa  City,  where 
he  earned  his  way  through  l)y  playing  with 
orchestras  and  in  churches,  caring  for  a 
doctor's  office  for  his  room  rent,  and  earning 
his  board  by  serving  as  waiter  at  a  restaurant 
until  the  end  of  his  course.  After  leaving 
Iowa  City,  he  was  employed  by  the  State 
Hospital  at  Independence,  Iowa,  but  wishing 
to  continue  his  medical  st utiles,  he  resigned 
and  went  to  St.  Louis  to  the  Missoiu'i  Medical 
College  and  Policlinic.  During  his  medical 
studies  he  paid  most  jjarticidar  attention  to 
the  eye  and  ear,  but  after  his  course  at  St. 
Louis,     located     in     1S99     at     Leonard  ville. 


Kansas, 


and    engaged    in    general    practice. 


While  there,  he  received  a  call  from  the 
Kansas  Medical  College  at  Topeka,  Kansas, 
to  the  Chair  of  Chemistry,  and  as  director  of 
the  Chemical  laboratories,  a  position  he  held 
for  one  year,  but  as  this  interfereti  with 
private  practice,  he  resigned  and  located  in 
Rock  Island.  Illinois,  as  a  specialist,  devoting 
all  his  professional  attention  to  diseases  of 
the  eye,  ear,  nose  and  throat.  In  the  spring 
term  of  1903  he  was  acting  professor  of 
Botany  at  Augustana  College,  during  the 
al)sence  of  Professor  J.  A.  Udden,  and  later 
w-as  professor  in  anatomy,  physiology,  his- 
tology and  the  ]:)re-medical  department. 
While  doing  post  graduate  work  at  New 
York,  was  professor  of  Natural  History  at 
Upsala  College,  Kenilworth,  New  Jersey.  Dr. 
Ostrom  is  adjunct  to  St.  Anthony's  Hospital 
and  e.xaminer  for  more  than  a  dozen  insur- 
ance companies.  Since  his  graduation  in 
medicine,  he  has  taken  post  graduate  courses 
with  some  of  the  most  noted  specialists  in 
America. 

In  the  S])ring  of  19(17,  Dr.  Ostrom  was 
elected  alderman  of  the  Seventh  Ward. 

In  1899  Dr.  Ostrom  was  married  to  Miss 
Sophia  Huh,  formerly  secretary  to  the  busi- 
ness manager  of  Augustana  College.  They 
have  one  child,  Meredith. 


MRS.  MARY  FAY  HAWES. 

MRS.  MAPvY  FAY  HAWES,  wife  of 
Major  Charles  W.  Hawes,  and  a  member 
of  the  board  of  supreme  managers  of 
the  Hoyal  Neighbors  of  .\mer  ca,  is  an 
admirable  type  of  the  purposeful  woman  of 
the  day.  She  proves  in  her  own  person  that 
the  American  woman  may  exert  a  powerful 
influence  in  t'.ie  enlargement  of  woman's 
sphere  without  loss  to  any  of  the  attributes 
of  true  womanhood. 

Mrs.  Hawes  was  born  in  Pulton.  Illinois, 
.July  22.  1856,  the  daughter  of  .Mr.  and  Mrs. 
J.  M.  Fay,  and  the  eldest  of  a  '.'amily  of  nine 


140 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


children,  all  living  at  this  date.  She  grad- 
uated from  high  school  in  May.  1<S(S3,  and 
spent  the  following  two  years  in  the  Northern 
Illinois  College  at  Fulton. 

In  1887  Mrs.  Hawes,  then  Miss  Fay,  en- 
gaged in  a  clerical  capacity  with  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  the  head  offices  of 
which  were  at  that  time  located  at  Fulton. 
She  continued  with  the  Society  for  several 
years,  a  valued  attache  of  the  head  office,  and 
thus  met  Major  Hawes,  who  was  elected 
head  clerk  of  the  Society  in  1890.  Her 
marriage  to  Major  Hawes  on  December  25, 

1894,  marked  her  retirement  from  the  Wood- 
men Society's  employ;  but  shortly  thereafter, 
having  been  actively  identified  with  the 
Royal  Neighbors  of  America,  the  ladies 
auxiliary  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  o  America, 
she  was  chosen  as  one  of  its  board  of  supreme 
managers.  She  has  been  re-elected  at  each 
succeed'ng  national  convention  since  January, 

1895,  and  her  present  term  expires  in  May, 
1908. 

Mrs.  Hawes,  in  American  fraternal  circles, 
is  widely  known;  indeed,  is  one  of  that  circle 
of  able  women  who  have  pioneered  the 
woman's  fraternal  movement  to  its  present 
commanding  place.  She  is  a  pleasing  speaker, 
a  thorough  student  of  the  system  she 
serves  officially,  and  of  its  ife  msurance 
features,  and  is  in  great  demand  as  a 
lecturer. 

Mrs.  Hawes  is  an  earnest  memlier  of  the 
Broadway  Presbyterian  Church  of  Rock 
Island,  and  very  active  in  its  Sunday  School 
work.  Her  ideal  home  ^ife  with  husband 
and'  son.  John  Marcus  Hawes,  her  work  in 
the  chiu'ch  and  as  an  official  of  the  Royal 
Neighbors  of  America,  the  leading  fraternal 
beneficiary  association  for  women,  demon- 
strates her  character  and  capacity,  and  as 
well  the  fact  that,  while  womanly  and  true 
to  the  mission  of  the  sex,  the  American 
woman  may,  with  honor,  engage  in  activities 
outside  the  home  circle,  but  making  for  the 
protection  of  the  home. 


WILLIAM  H.  BEAN. 

RAl'lDl.V  the  ranks  of  those  who  took 
active  [lart  in  the  Civil  War  are  thinning. 
One  after  another  the  gray  haired  veter- 
ans are  going  to  join  their  comrades  in  a  land 
where  bloodshed  and  sufTering  are  unknown. 
Few  of  the  defenders  of  the  flag  in  the  sixties 
are  now  left  who  are  able  to  hold  their  own 
in  the  keen  struggle  of  pre.sent  day  commercial 
life.  Physical  infirmities,  have  with  few 
exceptions  long  since  compelled  the  great 
majority  of  the  survivors  to  drop  out  of  the 
race.  Yet  here  and  there  are  exceptions. 
Now  and  then  a  stiu'dy  old  warrior  is  found 
whose  eye  is  as  bright  and  whose  step  s  as 
firm  as  that  of  the  younger  generation  and 
who  yet  finds  keen  enjoyment  in  a  struggle 
in  which  he  is  pitted  against  the  sons  and  the 
grandsons  of  his  comrades  of  other  days. 

Such  a  man  is  William  H.  Bean,  the  pioneer 
merchant  of  Rock  Island.  Though  whitened 
by  sixty-five  winters  he  continues  in  active 
charge  of  the  grocery  store  he  established 
thirty-two  years  ago.  He  has  not  fallen  be- 
hind in  the  rapid  march  of  American  progress. 

yir.  Bean  was  born  at  St.  Louis.  Missouri, 
February  10,  1842,  the  son  of  J.  L.  and 
l\Iarilla  (Smith)  Bean.  His  father  was  a 
native  of  Palmyra,  New  York,  being  born 
January  S,  1814,  and  died  March  28,  1890, 
in  Rock  Island.  His  mother  was  born  in 
Parkman,  Ohio,  May  24,  1818,  and  died  May 
1,  1898,  in  Rock  Island.  The  parents  were 
married  September  24,  1838.  at  Parkman, 
Ohio,  and  came  to  Rock  Island  for  permanent 
residence  when  their  son  was  two  months  of 
age.  Mr.  Bean,  the  elder,  was  a  contractor 
and  builder  and  followed  this  vocation  for  a 
number  of  j-ears.  Then  he  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  wagons.  He  was  a  memlier 
of  the  City  Council  in  the  early  daj^s.  When 
Ben  Har])er  was  mayor,  and  served  the  City 
of  Rock  Island  in  several  capacities.  He  was 
the  father  (while  in  the  council)  of  the  first 
street    opened     in    the    City — Ninth    Street, 


/ 

\ 

\. 

i 

/ 

J.  L.  BEAN. 


FRANK   B.    HAWKS 


II  I  ST  0  RI  C     R  0  C  K     I  S  L  A  N  D     CO  U  N  T  Y 


141 


rmining  north  and  south.  In  the  early  sixties 
he  hauled  freiglit  by  oxteams  to  Pike's  Peak. 
From  1S7()  till  his  death  he  lived  a  retired 
life.  Three  children,  other  than  the  subject 
o''  this  sketch,  were  born  to  the  couple:  Louis 
H.  M.  Bean,  born  October  Id,  1S;3<),  and  died 
January  15,  1S61,  at  Black  Hawk  Mills.  Pike's 
Peak,  Colorado;  John  Liberty  Bean,  junior, 
born  October  21.  1843,  and  now  living  at 
LaPlata,  Missouri,  and  Marilla  Jane  Bean, 
born  January  26.  1846,  and  now  the  wife  of 
W.  L.  Minchen,  living  at  Seattle,  Washington. 

Oiu'  subject  attended  the  pul)lic  schools 
and  the  Rock  Lsland  liigh  school.  He  left 
the  latter  to  become  salesman  in  a  general 
store  in  1860.  Then  came  the  call  to  arms, 
and  August  8,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company 
I,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-sixth  Illinois 
Infantry,  and  served  till  July  12,  1865,  when 
he  was  mustered  out  and  returned  to  Rock 
Island.  He  then  reuinied  his  place  in  the 
store  and  renuiined  there  two  years.  Later 
he  spent  three  years  on  a  farm,  and  in  1S75 
he  opened  the  grocery  store  he  now  owns  at 
1201  Third  Avenue. 

Novemljer  25,  1880,  Mr.  Bean  was  united 
in  marr'age  with  Mrs.  Sarah  A.  Cameron,  a 
native  of  Scotland,  but  for  sixteen  years  prior 
to  her  union  with  Mr.  Bean  a  resident  of  Rock 
Island.     Their  wedded  life  has  lieen  childless. 

Mr.  Bean  has  always  been  a  Repidilican, 
but  has  not  actively  engaged  in  politics.  He 
has  not  been  a  seeker  after  the  spectacn  ar 
but  has  kept  the  even  tenor  of  his  way  He 
has  been  content  with  the  ordinary  rewards 
of  a  quiet  and  ^cU  orilered  life  and  thus  it  is 
that  we  find  him  today  one  of  the  few  of  his 
generation  who  are  still  able  to  continue  the 
routine  of  daily  Inisiness. 

m  m  is 
FRANK  B.  HAWES. 

FRANK  B.  HAWKS,  son  of  David  Hawes 
and  brother  of  Major  Charles  W.  Hawes, 
was  born  in  the  City_  of  Rock  Island  on 
November  14,  1844.     (See  biographies  David 


Hawes  and  Major  Charles  W.  Hawes).  Since 
April  13,  1891,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  has 
been  prominently  connected  with  the  head 
offices  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 
For  years  he  was  the  society's  statistician, 
hut  of  late  years  he  has  discharged  the 
responsible  duties  of  chief  of  the  final  account- 
ing department.  He  has  supervision  over  the 
most  imi_)ortant  set  of  accounts  maintainetl 
by  the  Motlern  Woodmen  Society — the  finan- 
cial. It  is  naturally  to  be  inferred  that  Mr. 
Hawes  possesses  superior  ability  as  an 
accountant  and  nuithematician. 

Prior  to  the  establishment  of  his  connection 
with  the  ^lodern  Woodmen  Society,  Mr. 
Hawes  was  for  twenty-one  years  the  cashier 
of  the  E.  P.  Reynolds  &  Company  railroad 
contracting  firm.  During  the  period  1860- 
1890,  inclusive,  this  firm  built  thousands  of 
miles  of  western  railroad,  and  Mr.  Hawes  as 
cashier,  handled  millions  of  dollars  without 
the  loss  of  a  single  cent. 

In  1875  Mr.  Hawes  was  united  in  wedlock 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  A  Rector,  of  Walworth, 
W'sconsin.  One  son,  David  R  ,  a  graduate 
of  the  Illinois  School  of  Dentistry,  University 
of  Illinois,  is  the  friiit  of  this  union.  Mr. 
Hawes  is  recognized  as  one  of  Rock  Island's 
most  ]irogressive  citizens.  He  is  active  in 
his  support  of  all  policies  and  measures  mak- 
ing for  the  bet  erment  of  Rock  Island  and  the 
country  at  large.  In  national  politics,  he 
has  always  Ijeen  an  ardent  and  influential 
supporter  o"  Republican  jirinci])  es.  With 
his  family,  he  resides  in  a,  well-appointed 
homo  at  718  Seventeenth  Street. 

m  IS  ^ 
CHARLES  TITTERINOTON 

FOR  si.\ty-seven  years  Charles  Titterington 
lived  on  the  farm  in  Edgington  Townshi]) 
that  he  entered  from  the  Oovernment. 
His  children  grew  to  manhood  aiul  woman- 
hood, married,  grandchildren  came  and  at- 
tained maturity,  and  still  this  doughty 
])ioneer   was  tilling  the  soil  of  the  old  home 


14_' 


HIS  T  ()  R  I  (■     R  O  (•  K     I  S  L  A  N  D     COUNTY 


jihu-o  iniido  dear  to  liiin  liy  decades  of  asso- 
ciation. He  came  to  Rock  Island  ("oiuity  in 
1S35,  and  at  once  selected  and  ]nn-cha.soil 
from  the  Ciovernment  the  fertile  acres  that 
were  his  al>iiling  |)lace  for  so  long  a  period. 

Charles  Titterington  was  born  in  the  parish 
of  Worley,  West  Yorkshiie,  England.  ■January 
22,  1814.  His  father.  Thomas  Titterington, 
came  to  America  three  months  after  the 
birth  of  Charles,  and  he  died  February  26. 
1857.  The  mother  died  in  England  a  short 
time  afte-  his  birth.  .At  the  time  of  his 
death,  July  13,  1902,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  the  last  svu'vivor  of  a  family  of 
six  sons,  the  others  being:  John,  born  Sep- 
tember 4,  1795,  and  died  in  1855;  Thomas, 
born  July  22,  1806,  and  died  September  7, 
1823;  James,  born  November  2,  1807,  and  died 
June  5,  1876;  Moses,  born  September  28,  1810, 
and  died  February  24,  1890,  and  Eli,  born 
April  20,  1812,  and  died  September  20,  1825. 

When  Charles  was  scarcely  beyond  the  age 
of  infancy  the  family  removed  to  Ross  County, 
Ohio.  There  he  attended  the  public  schools 
and  from  there,  on  attaining  his  majority,  he 
came  to  Rock  Island  County,  and  settled  on 
the  farm  in  Edgington  Township.  December 
20,  1838,  he  married  Sophia  Eberhart,  daugh- 
ter of  Charles  Eberhart.  the  wife  passing  away 
September  11,  1898.  Of  the  eight  children 
born  to  the  coujjle  all  save  the  youngest  sur- 
vive, the  family  being  as  follows.  Thomas, 
born  October  29.  1839;  Charles,  born  August 
2,  1841;  Anna  Eliza  (Benjamine),  l)orn  July 
14.  1843;  .Maria  Elzabeth  (Lloyd),  born 
March  26.  1846;  Milton,  born  March  24,  1848; 
Frederick,  born  September  1,  1852;  David, 
born  June  7,  1855,  and  Emma  Louisa  (Kret- 
singer),  born  August  23,  1860. 

Mr.  Titterington  was  an  active  .Methodist. 
being  long  connected  with  the  Zion  Church 
of  Edgington,  built  in  1854,  and  demolished 
in  1906.  He  was  a  staunch  Republican  from 
the  time  of  organization  of  that  party.  He 
held  various  township  offices,  including  that 
of  supervisor  from  Edgington. 


FRED  TITTERINGTON. 

FEW  men  are  sufficiently  versatile  to  suc- 
cessfully pursue  two  separate  and  entirely 
different  vocations  during  their  lives. 
Rare,  indeed,  is  the  farmer  that  becomes  a 
dividend  earning  manufacturer,  especially 
after  he  has  attained  middle  age,  and  become 
a  man  of  substance  through  his  own  efforts 
in  tilling  the  soil.  Such,  however,  has  been 
the  achievement  of  Fred  Titterington,  form- 
erly a  farmer  in  the  vicinity  of  Edgington 
postoffice  and  now  secretary  and  general 
manager  of  the  Argillo  works  at  Carbon 
Cliff. 

Mr.  Titterington  is  another  native  of  Rock 
Island  Coimty,  having  been  born  at  Edgington 
September  1,  1852.  He  was  the  son  of 
Charles  and  Sophia  Titterington,  pioneers  of 
the  community.  His  early  education  was 
that  of  the  average  farmer  boy,  save  that  he 
had  the  additional  advantage  of  a  course  at 
Knox  Academy  at  Galesburg,  Illinois.  L'ntil 
he  was  nineteen  years  of  age  he  worked  on 
his  father's  farm  and  then  he  set  out  for  him- 
self, and  for  a  number  of  years  tilled  the  soil 
on  the  present  site  of  the  village  of  Reynolds. 
Later  he  farmed  in  Buffalo  Prairie  Township 
and  eventually  piu'chased  a  tract  of  land  in 
Edgington  Township,  which  was  his  home 
till  1899. 

Always  a  more  or  less  active  Republican, 
he  was  rewarded  by  his  party  by  election  to 
the  offices  of  treasurer  of  Rock  Island  County 
in  1894.  serving  one  term  of  four  years,  during 
which  time  the  present  Court  House  was 
erected.  Upon  retiring  from  this  service  of 
the  county  he  disposed  of  his  farm  interests 
and  became  connected  w'ith  the  Argillo 
Works,  manufacturing  clay  products,  and  was 
chosen  secretary  and  manager.  Under  his 
direction  the  company  has  prospered,  the 
l)lant  has  been  expanded  and  the  business 
put  on  a  liasis  that  insures  continued  success. 

Mr.  Titterington,  in  addition  to  having 
served  as  county  treasurer,  has  held  various 


O.  FREDERICK  ANDICRSON. 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAXD     COUXTY 


143 


townsliip  offices  as  well  as  that  of  supervisor 
from  J^uffalo  Prairie.  He  became  a  member 
of  the  Edgington  Presbyterian  Cluircli  at  the 
age  of  fifteen,  and  npon  removing  to  Rock 
Island  in  1899.  to  take  up  manufacturing, 
united  with  the  J-iroadway  Presbyterian 
Church.  He  .served  as  an  elder  in  both 
churches,  ilr.  Titterington  is  a  member  of 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the 
Knights  of  the  Globe. 

Sejitember  1,  1S74,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  married,  his  bride  being  Harriet 
Edgington,  daughter  of  John  and  Susan 
Edgington,  of  Buffalo  Prairie.  She  passed 
away  September  1,  1887,  leaving  three  chil- 
dren: Susan  E.,  Minnie  G.,  and  Fore.st  H. 
Mr.  Titterington  later  married  Rose  Powers, 
daughter  of  Z.  D.  and  Elizabeth  Powers,  a 
native  of  Edgington.  Two  children,  Beryl 
and  Adria,  were  the  issue  of  the  second  union. 
iS   5»   5i 

H.  W.  C.  TAPPENDORF. 

IN  other  articles  appearing  in  this  work 
frequent    mention   has   been    made   of   the 

astoimding  growth  Rock  Island  has  under- 
gone during  the  past  few  years,  and  of  the 
man}'  new  buildings,  especially  residences, 
that  have  been  erected  during  that  time. 
All,  or  nearly  all,  of  the  contracts  that  have 
been  let  for  these  have  been  placed  with  the 
city's  home  contractors,  one  of  the  most 
prominent  of  whom  is  H.  W.  C.  Tappendorf. 

He  was  born  July  4,  1862,  at  Provence, 
Holstein,  German}^,  the  home  of  his  parents, 
John  T.  and  Hannah  Tappendorf.  He  at- 
tended the  public  schools  of  his  native  town 
during  his  boyhood,  and  upon  the  completion 
of  his  school  days  he  took  up  anil  mastered 
the  carpenter's  trade  in  that  thorough  and 
systematic  manner  for  which  Germans  are 
renowned. 

In  1886  he  came  to  America  and  located  in 
Davenport,  Iowa,  where  for  two  years  he 
crked  at  his  trade  as  a  journeyman  car- 
penter.    In  1888  he  came  to  Rock  Island,  and 


here  he  continued  to  work  as  a  journeyman 
in  the  employ  of  others  until  1S96,  when  by 
his  industry  and  frugality  he  had  accumu- 
lated sufficient  money  to  start  as  an  inde- 
pendent contractor  in  a  small  way.  In  this 
he  was  successful,  the  growth  of  his  busine.ss 
being  steady  and  continuous  vuitil  it  has 
reached  its  present  proportions. 

Although  a  general  contractor,  Mr.  Tappen- 
dorf has  specialized  along  the  line  of  church 
building,  and  has  been  called  upon  to  erect 
some  of  the  largest  church  edifices  in  the 
country.  He  now  does  a  business  averaging 
about  $100, OUO  a  year,  a  splendid  record  for 
a  man  who  started  in  life  with  the  sole  assets 
of  a  determined  spirit  and  a  willingness  to 
work,  showing,  as  it  does,  that  these  are  the 
reall_v  essential  elements  in  a  successful 
career. 

Mr.  Tappendorf  was  married  November  8, 
1892,  to  Jliss  Freda  Smith,  the  daughter  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  M.  Smith,  of  Davenport. 
Their  marriage  has  been  blessed  with  four 
children,  Harry  W.,  Mathew,  Walter  and 
Helen,  all  of  whom  are  at  home. 

In  politics  Mr.  Tappendorf  was  formerly  a 
Democrat.  Now,  however,  he  owns  no  party 
allegiance,  but  gives  his  support  and  his  vote 
to  whichever  candidate  or  whichever  measure 
he  believes  to  be  best.  He  is  a  member  of 
Rock  Island  Lodge,  No.  18,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

In  this  Ijrief  l)iographical  sketch  are  told 
the  essential  facts  in  the  career  of  H.  W.  C. 
Tappendorf.  the  story  of  a  life  which  woven 
into  the  warp  and  woof  of  our  citizenship 
makes  its  texttu-e  firmer,  stronger  and 
brighter. 

^  ^  ^ 

0.  FREDERICK  ANDERSON. 

ONE  of  Moline's  progressive  and  popular 
citizens,     who,    by    his    own    unaided 
efforts  and  individual  worth,  has  gone 
forward  step  by  step  until  he  now  holds  the 
])osition    of    cashier    in    one    of    that    Citj^'s 


144 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


leading  banks,  is  O.  Frederick  Atiderson.  a  man 
who  merits  the  res])ect  and  rejtard  of  all  wIki 
know  him. 

He  was  horn  in  Trehoriia,  Sweden.  .July  1. 
1866.  the  home  of  his  parents,  Alfred  Ander- 
son and  Ama  Greta  (Johansdotter)  Anderson, 
the  former  of  whom  died  January  25,  1881, 
and  the  latter  is  still  livinj^.  October  27, 
1868,  Mr.  Anderson,  with  his  parents,  came 
to  America,  and  coming  West,  located  in 
Moline.  Here  their  son  attended  the  public 
schools,  and  after  completing  the  grammar 
department  left  the  Moline  schools  to  attend 
the  Davenport  Business  College,  from  which 
he  graduated.  He  began  his  business  career 
at  the  early  age  of  seventeen,  when  he 
accepted  a  position  as  collection  clerk  in  the 
Moline  National  Bank.  Conscientious  and 
faithful  in  his  duties,  his  rise  was  rapid,  until 
today  he  is  cashier  of  the  Moline  Trust  and 
Savings  Bank,  being  elected  to  that  position 
in  .July,  1900,  having  formerly  filled  the 
position  as  teller  of  that  bank. 

On  December  16,  1891,  lie  married  Jliss 
Sena  Nielsen,  a  Moline  young  lady.  Her 
father,  Peter  Nielsen,  was  a  native  of  Den- 
mark, and  her  mother  Nellie  Nielsen,  of 
Sweden.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nielsen  are 
living,  and  make  their  home  in  Moline.  To 
Mr.  Anderson  and  his  wife  one  son,  P^rederick 
Nielsen  Anderson,  was  born  December  4,  190,3. 

In  politics  Mr.  Anderson  is  a  staunch 
Re])ublican,  and  three  times  he  has  been 
honored  by  his  party  by  being  elected  City 
Treasurer  of  Moline.  Klach  time  he  received 
large  majorities,  and  the  strength  of  the  vote 
he  polled  is  a  striking  indication  of  the  con- 
fidence his  fellow  citizens  rejiosed  in  him. 
He  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  direc- 
tors of  the  Moline  Public  Library  continu- 
ously since  ,Iune  22,  189.5,  and  in  1904  was 
elected  jjresident  of  that  body,  a  position 
that  he  now  holds. 

Mr.  Anderson  has  always  taken  a  deep 
interest  in  civic  matters.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Moline  Club,  of  which  he  has  b§en  a 


director  and  vice-president.  He  is  a  promi- 
nent Mason,  and  has  been  master  of  Doric 
Lodge.  No.  .319.  of  Moline.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  and  Red  Men. 
He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Rock 
Island  County  Historical  Society,  and  has 
been  its  treasurer  since  its  inception.  He  is 
a  public  spirited  citizen  that  his  city  can  be 
proud  of. 

5^   5i   Sg 

MISS  MYRTLE  E.  DADE. 

B^'  her  work  as  beneficiary  recorder  of  the 
Royal  Neighbors  of  America,  the  woman's 
auxiliary  to  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  the  largest  fraternal  insurance 
society  in  the  world.  Miss  Myrtle  E.  Dade  has 
shown  herself  a  woman  of  rare  business  and 
executive  ability.  A  quality  no  less  rare,  she 
has  demonstrated  her  ability  to  efficiently 
supervise  a  considerable  body  of  women 
without  friction  and  in  a  manner  which  has 
accomplished  wonderful  results.  So  syste- 
matically  has  the  work  in  her  offices  been 
handled  that  other  similar  societies  have  paid 
her  the  compliment  of  adopting  many  of  the 
devices  which  she  originated  and  first  jiut  in 
use  in  the  beneficiary  department  of  the 
Royal  Neighbors,  the  headquarters  of  which 
is  at  Rock  Island. 

Miss  Dade  was  born  in  Fulton,  Whiteside 
Coimty.  Illinois,  which  was  the  early  home 
of  the  \\'oodmen  Society.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Rufus  E.  Dade  and  Elizabeth  R. 
Dade,  and  was  one  of  a  family  of  four  children. 
Her  father  was  a  shoe  dealer  at  Fulton  and 
one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  place.  He 
enlisted  in  the  Civil  War  in  the  Fifth  Michigan 
Volunteer  Infantry.  Company  F,  September 
10,  1861,  and  served  till  October  27,  1864. 
He  partici])ated  with  Grant's  command  in 
some  of  the  hardest  battles  of  the  war,  being 
wounded  at  the  Wilderness.  June  6.  1866, 
he  re-enlisted  in  the  Forty-third  A'eteran 
Reserve  Corps  and  performed  duty  two 
years     as    an    artificer    with    the    rank    of 


//  /  .S'  T  ()  h'  1  C     H  0  C  K     I  S  L  A  N  I)     C  O  U  N  T  Y 


145 


noncommissioned  officer,  being  stationed  at 
Fort  Mackinac.  Mr.  Dade  was  married  in  1871 
to  I'llizalietli  R.  WcliI).  He  served  as  mayor 
of  Fulton  and  held  other  offices  of  trust. 

Miss  Dade  was  educated  in  the  Fulton 
public  schools,  graduating  from  the  high 
school  in  1S99.  Prior  to  that  she  had  com- 
]ileted  a  course  in  stenography  at  the  Northern 
Illinois  College.  She  early  took  uj)  drawing 
as  a  pasttime,  and  being  gifted  with  a  taste 
for  art  and  unusual  natural  abilitj',  she  was 
successful  to  a  marked  degree.  Her  accomp- 
lishments were  further  l)roadened  during  a 
year  spent  at  a  musical  .at-ademy  for  girls  at 
Chicago,  which  she  attended  while  in  quest 
of  health  after  she  hail  taken  up  the  work  of 
her  life  with  the  Jlodern  Wootlmen. 

Miss  Dade  became  connected  with  the 
Woodmen  at  Fulton  in  the  Summer  of  1S90, 
being  permanently  employed  in  Novend)cr  of 
that  year  by  A.  F.  Morrison,  then  head  clerk. 
She  was  retained  by  Major  C.  W.  Hawes.  who 
was  elected  head  clerk  at  the  succeeding  head 
camp.  \'ajious  minor  positions  were  held  in 
the  head  office,  exjierience  being  gained  in  all 
lines  of  the  work.  Shortly  after  returning 
from  a  year's  absence,  deemed  necessary  on 
account  of  tem])oraril\'  im])aired  health,  Miss 
Dade,  in  .\pril.  1S95,  was  asked  to  assist  Mrs. 
Mary  Fay  Hawes,  who  was  then  beneficiary 
recorder  of  the  Royal  Neighbors  of  America. 
At  the  end  of  two  months  the  duties  of  the 
office  fell  entirely  upon  her  shoulders.  Late 
in  the  Summer  of  1905  she  was  a]>pointed 
beneficiary  recorder,  which  office  she  has  held 
ever  since,  being  reappointed  after  each 
supreme  camp  by  the  beneficiary  committee. 

At  the  head  camp,  held  at  Peoria,  Illinois, 
in  May,  190S,  the  social  and  benefici.nry 
dejiartments  were  consolidated,  tiie  head- 
(piarters  Ijeing  located  at  Rock  Island.  Miss 
Dade  was  elected  supreme  recorder. 

At  the  time  the  subject  of  this  sketch  took 
charge  of  the  ilepartment,  fraternal  insurance, 
especially  for  women,  was  just  emerging  from 
iufanc\-,     and     crudeness    characterized     the 


system  of  conducting  the  business.  It  re- 
mained fen-  Miss  Dade  to  introduce  order  and 
system,  and  this  she  did  in  a  maiuicr  that 
attracteil  nniclt  attention  in  the  fraternal 
world.  One  of  her  triumphs  was  the  intro- 
duction of  the  card  system  of  membershi]) 
record.  This  was  done  in  1899,  and  has 
been  the  means  of  saving  the  society  great 
e.xpense.  The  society  now  has  a  beneficiary 
membership  of  128,t)()(),  which  is  carefully 
taken  care  of  l)y  a  force  of  thirty  competent 
young  ladies,  and  the  office  has  the  reputa- 
tion of  doing  business  promptly.  The  work 
has  been  rendered  the  more  difficult  because 
of  the  fact  that  office  room  is  limited  and 
great  economy  must  be  e.xercised  in  the  dis- 
]iosition  of  the  records,  office  force  and 
furniture.  The  whole  soid  of  the  l)eneficiary 
recorder  has,  however,  been  in  her  work,  and 
she  has  spared  neither  time  nor  |)ains  in  her 
efforts  to  attain  perfection. 

Miss  Dade  became  a  resident  of  Rock 
Island  in  1N97,  when  the  headquarters  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  and  the  Royal  Neighbors 
was  removed  to  that  city  from  Fulton.  She 
united  with  the  Presliyterian  Church  at 
Fulton  and  became  a  memlier  of  the  Broad- 
way Presbyterian  Church  in   Rock  Island. 

5J2     jg     jjK 

VIRGIL  MARION  BLANDINO. 

VIRGIL  MARION  BLANDINC  was  b,,rn 
Decendjer  S,  1827,  at  Grenell  .Mills 
(now  Aldenville),  Wayne  County,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  died  March  3,  1907.  His 
father,  Reba  Blanding,  was  one  of  the  original 
proprietors  of  Grenell  Mills,  but  spent  his 
later  years  on  his  farm  nearby.  His  mother 
was  Beulah  Ann  Grenell.  Both  i)ranches  of 
the  family  were  of  Hugunot  stock;  the  known 
line  of  descent  on  the  father's  side  nmning 
from  \\'illiani  Blanding.  who  emigrated  to 
America  and  settled  in  lioston  in  1640,  where 
he  soon  after  became  "selectman." 

His  four  great  grandfathers,  Noah  Bland- 
ing, Jolm  Martin.  Michael  Grenell  and  l^lijah 


146 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


Marshall,  were  soldiers  in  the  Revolutionary 
War,  the  last  named  beinj;  a  member  of 
Arnold's  expedition  against  Quebec  and  one 
of  the  first  inside  the  enemies  works.  He 
was  wounded,  made  a  prisoner  and  exchanged, 
and  afterwards  fought  under  General  Wayne 
at  Stony  Point,  continuing  on  active  duty 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  from  which  he 
emerged  with  the  honorable  record  of  a 
brave,  faithful  and  gallant  patriot.  The 
maternal  great  grandfather.  Michael  Grenell, 
was  participant  in  the  battle  of  Saratoga,  and 
in  that  engagement  distinguished  himself  bj^ 
his  courage  and  devotion. 

Mr.  Blanding  received  a  thorough  common 
school  education,  and  after  courses  in  several 
academies  entered  Biicknell  University  at 
Lewisburg,  Pennsylvania,  the  leading  Baptist 
collegiate  institution  of  the  State,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  1852  as  valedictorian  of  his 
class,  with  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  Three 
}-ears  later  he  received  from  his  Alma  Mater 
the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts. 

After  graduation  he  started  to  read  law, 
but  shortly  after  was  made  cashier  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Coal  Company,  which  ]3osition 
he  resigned  because  of  failing  health,  and 
came  West,  arriving  in  Rock  Island  July  4. 
1856.  He  resumed  the  study  of  law  \uider 
Judge  Ira  0.  Wilkinson,  and  in  1858  was 
admitted  to  jiractice.  He  was  apjjointed 
City  Attorney  of  Rock  Island  about  this 
time  and  served  several  terms;  was  also 
elected  in  1858  County  Superintendent  of 
Schools.  He  was  twice  a  candidate  for 
County  Judge  on  the  Democratic  ticket ; 
though  defeated,  his  vote  cut  down  the  regu- 
lar Republican  majority  six  or  eight  hundred 
votes  each  time,  thereby  demonstrating  his 
])ersonal  strength  and  standing. 

In  1862  Mr.  IManding  went  to  St.  Louis  and 
entered  into  law  partnershiji  with  M.  L.  Gray. 
While  he  was  here  he  enlisted  in  the  militia 
of  the  State  of  Missouri  and  was  honorably 
discharged  on  accovmt  of  sickness;  re-enlisted 
in  Comijany  A,  St.   Louis  National  Guards. 


In  connection  with  this  it  is  interesting  to 
observe  that  nearly  every  member  of  the 
Company,  both  officers  and  privates,  was  a 
member  of  the  bar. 

After  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  .Mr.  Mland- 
ing  returned  to  Rock  Island  to  practice  law, 
until  1868,  when  he  engaged  in  bridge  and 
railway  construction,  which  business  he  con- 
tinued to  follow  to  the  end  of  his  active 
business  career. 

In  politics  Mr.  Blanding  was  a  Democrat. 
He  was  elected  Mayor  of  Rock  Island  in 
1888  and  his  record  as  an  accomplished  par- 
liamentarian and  impartial  presiding officerhas 
never  been  excelled  in  the  history  of  the  City. 

Mr.  Blanding  was  closely  identified  with 
Masonry  since  1855,  at  which  time  he  was 
made  a  Master  Mason  at  Honesdale,  Penn- 
sylvania. He  has  been  Worshipful  Master 
of  Trio  Lodge,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons;  High  Priest  of  Barrett  Chapter.  Xo. 
18,  Royal  Arch  Masons;  and  when  Everts 
Commandery,  Xo.  IS.  Knights  Templar  was 
organized  at  Rock  Island,  he  was  honored 
with  the  highest  position  in  the  gift  of  its 
members,  serving  as  Eminent  Commander; 
was  also  District  Deputy  Grand  Master 
imder  Grand  Master  DeWitt  C.  Cregier  of 
the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  State  of  Illinois;  was 
also  Grand  Orator  of  Illinois  Grand  Lodge, 
Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  for  the 
year  1901. 

Mr.  Blanding  was  married  in  1863  to  Anna 
McXeil,  who  was  born  in  Wheeling.  West 
Mrginia.  They  have  two  children,  Lowrie 
C.  and  ilarion  J.  Blanding. 

m  M  m 
HON.  GEORGE  W.  VINTON. 

IT  IS  a  pleasure  for  the  writer  to  take  up  the 
career  of  men  who,  through  long  years  of 
residence  in  Rock  Island  County,  have  by 
their  upright  lives  and  splendid  deeds  won 
for  themselves  the  enduring  respect  and  regard 
of  their  fellow  citizens.  In  this  class  the  Hon- 
orable George  W.   Vinton  stands  prominent. 


HISTORIC    ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


147 


He  was  Inirn  at  .Middlehury,  \'ermont, 
December  5.  1S34.  His  father  was  John  A. 
Mnton.  wlio  served  as  a  drummer  boy  duriii"' 
the  Win-  of  1812.  After  the  close  of  that  war 
the  father  received  from  the  United  States 
Government  a  tract  of  land  for  his  services. 
The  elder  Mnton  was  a  good  father,  and  gave 
his  son  sjilendid  advantages  for  that  early 
day.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  years  George  W. 
V  nton  graduated  from  the  Randolph  Acad- 
emy in  his  native  State.  Here  he  was  a 
class-mate  of  the  late  Judge  Austin  Adams, 
a  former  Judge  of  the  Iowa  Supreme  Court. 

After  his  graduation  from  the  Academy  he 
was  engaged  in  teaching  for  six  terms.  Tiring, 
however,  of  the  life  of  a  pedagogue,  in  1855 
he  went  west,  settling  in  what  was  then  the 
Territory  of  Minnesota  Here  he  learned  the 
carpenter's  trade.  In  the  fall  of  the  same 
year  he  came  to  Moline,  where  he  took  the 
contract  to  build  the  Riverside  Academy. 
Afterward  he  entered  the  employ  of  his 
uncle.  John  Deere,  and  remained  with  the 
firm  until  1885.  The  scope  of  his  em|)!oy- 
ment  necessitated  liis  travelling  from  ocean 
to  ocean  establishing  agencies  to  absorb  the 
output  of  Mr.  Deere's  constantly  expanding 
business.  For  fifteen  years  he  was  also  a 
stockholder  and  director  in  the  firm. 

In  1875  Mr.  Vinton  removed  to  Hurlington, 
Iowa,  where  he  erected  the  Buffingtoii  Wheel 
Company's  works.  He  owned  a  considerable 
interest  in  this  industry  for  some  time.  In 
1887  he  returneil  to  Moline. 

In  jxilitical  conviction  Mr.  A'inton  was  for 
a  number  of  years  one  of  the  leading  Repulj- 
licans  of  Illinois.  At  one  time  he  was  that 
l)arty's  candidate  for  Lieutenant-Governor. 
However,  when  Horace  Greeley  was  a  can- 
didate for  President  of  the  United  States  Mr. 
Vinton  gave  his  support  to  the  Democratic 
party,  and  this  latter  party  has  been  the  one 
of  his  choice  ever  since. 

While  a  resident  of  Burlington  he  served  as 
Alderman  for  four  years.  He  was  for  many 
years   chairnuui   of   the   old   Town   Board   of 


Moline.  and  was  also  ]iresident  of  he  Scliool 
Board.  In  1892  Mr.  Vinton  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Legislature. 
He  received  a  majority  of  more  than  seven 
thousand,  although  the  district  he  repre- 
sented had  always  been  strongly  Republican. 
While  a  member  of  the  Legislature  he  was 
chairman  of  the  following  important  com- 
mittees; Public  charities.  State  institutions, 
and  militia.  During  the  session  in  which  he 
was  one  of  the  representatives  from  this 
district,  he  introduced  a  bill  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  hospital  for  the  insane,  that  would 
be  located  west  of  the  Illinois  River.  This 
bill  passed,  and  the  asylum  was  located  at 
Watertown  in  this  County.  He  also  intro- 
duced a  bill  a|ipro]iriating  one  million  dollars 
to  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  held 
in  Chicago  in  1893.  By  the  terms  of  the  bill 
introduced  by  Mr.  Vinton,  nine  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  dollars  of  this  amount  was  to 
be  used  in  the  general  expense  fund,  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars  was  for  the  erection  of  the 
Woman's  Building.  The  State  Board  of 
Agriculture  selected  Mr.  Vinton  as  manager 
of  the  Illinois  Building  diu-ing  the  Exposition. 
Afterward  he  was  for  a  long  time  de]nity 
collector  of  interiud  revenue  for  the  Peoria 
District. 

In  his  fraternal  allegiance  Mr.  Mnton  is 
connected  with  the  Masonic  Order  anil  the 
Knights  of  Pythias. 

Diu'ing  his  long  residence  in  Rock  Island 
County  he  has  won  and  merited  the  regard 
and  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens.  As  a  ])ublic 
official  he  was  always  intrepid  in  perfornung 
his  duty  as  he  saw  it,  and  his  public  career 
was  one  of  unblemished  integrity,  as  w-as  his 
private  life. 

S?   !»   Jg 

DR.  CHARLES  CRAWFORD  CARTER. 

No  VOCATION  in  life  offers    opportvmity 
for  greater  genunie  service  to  mankind 
than  that  of    doctor  of    medicine,  and 
the     physician    who    fully    appreciates     his 


148 


//  /  N  T  (I  R  I  (•     R  O  C  K     1  S  L  A  \  D     CO  U  N  T  Y 


responsil)ilitics  and  conscientiously  responds 
to  every  call  made  upon  him  is  a  ])ublic 
benefactor  in  tlic  hisjhest  sense  of  the  term. 
There  can  be  no  cpiestion  as  to  the  reward 
that  will  be  his  in  the  after  hfe. 

Such  a  man  was  Charles  Crawford  Carter, 
one  of  the  best  known  and  most  generally 
beloved  medical  practitioners  who  ever  min- 
istered to  the  ills  (if  the  people  of  Rock  Island 
County.  Purity  of  mind,  lofty  ideals,  and 
unselfish  devotion  to  the  welfare  of  others 
were  manifested  strikingly  throughout  the 
quarter  of  a  century  he  ))racticed  his  ]:)ro- 
fession  in  Hock  Island  and  surrounding 
country,  and  in  return  he  was  esteemed  and 
loved  by  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 
Characteristic  disregard  of  his  own  physical 
welfare  where  the  needs  of  others  were  in- 
volved was  manifested  in  the  last  act  of  his 
life,  when  he  contracted  septic  pneumonia, 
which  quickly  claimed  him,  while  ministering 
to  a  patient. 

Dr.  Carter  was  born  in  San  Francisco 
December  20,  1852,  and  died  April  2,  1904, 
after  an  illness  of  one  week.  His  parents 
were  Elijah  and  Ann  Maria  Whitney  Carter, 
the  former  a  native  of  Vermont  and  the 
latter  of  Massachusetts,  and  of  ])uritan 
ancestry.  The  father  was  among  those  who 
braved  the  terrors  of  Cape  Horn  in  '49  to 
seek  the  golden  harvest  of  the  Pacific  slope, 
returning  a  few  years  later  to  make  his  iierm- 
anent  home  in  Rock  Island.  He  was  jiroini- 
nently  identifie<l  with  the  business  life  of  the 
young  city  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississipjii. 
He  served  a  term  as  mayor,  was  later  super- 
intendent of  the  Rock  Island  Glass  Works, 
and  for  a  nimiber  of  years  held  the  ollice  of 
giuiger.  His  marriage  to  .\nn  Maria  Whitncy 
took  place  in  1851.  He  died  January  14. 
1887,  and  his  wife  followed  March   14,  1888. 

After  receiving  a  comon  school  and  aca- 
demic training  at  Hock  Island  the  son,  in 
1873,  went  to  Pawtucket,  Hhode  Island, 
where  he  began  the  study  lA  medicine  undei- 
Dr.   James   Orne   Whitney,   a   ])hysician    who 


stood  high  in  his  profession.  In  the  year 
1876  Dr.  Carter  graduated  with  high  honors 
from  Bellevue  Medical  College,  of  New  York. 
Ten  years  later  he  took  a  post-graduate 
course  in  the  metropolis.  At  the  time  of  his 
demise  he  had  practiceil  twenty-eight  years 
in  Rock  Island.  At  first  he  was  associated 
with  the  late  Dr.  Calvin  Truesdale.  Then, 
for  a  time,  he  practiced  alone.  Eventuallj' 
he  formed  a  business  alliance  with  Dr.  C. 
Bernhardi  and  Dr.  G.  G.  Craig,  Sr.,  which 
held  until  his  death. 

Dr.  Carter  was  a  member  of  the  American 
Medical  Association  of  ^lilitary  Surgeons  of 
the  United  States,  Illinois  State  Medical 
Society,  Illinois  Association  of  Military  Sur- 
geons, Illinois  and  Iowa  Central  District 
Medical  Society,  and  of  the  Rock  Island 
County  Medical  Society,  being  vice-pre.sident 
of  the  last  named  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

He  had  many  times  served  as  delegate  to 
the  State  and  National  bodies  to  which  he 
belonged.  He  had  for  twenty  years  been 
surgeon  for  the  Illinois  National  Guard, 
attaining  the  rank  of  Lieutenant-Colonel, 
with  rankeil  as  A.ssistant  Surgeon  General  of 
Illinois.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  me- 
dical and  surgical  staff  of  St.  -Anthony's 
hospital. 

Aside  from  his  profession  Dr.  Carter  was  a 
faithful  member  of  Trinity  Episcoj^al  Church, 
serving  at  one  time  as  vestryman ;  he  was 
elected  to  membership  in  the  board  of  educa- 
tion; was  a  charter  memlier  and  ilirector  of 
the  Rock  Island  Club,  and  was  alliliated  with 
a  number  of  frateriuil  organizations. 

i«s  m  ■>j 
FRANK  H.  KELLY. 

FRANK  11.  KELLY,  one  of  the  younger 
members  of  the  Rock  Island  County  bar, 
is  a  luitive  and  a  lifelong  resident  of  the 
city  in  which  he  now  practices  his  profession. 
He  was  born  in  Hock  Island,  February  8, 
IS70,  the  son  of  P.  H.  and  Ellen  Kelly.  ' 
After    comijleting    u    course    in    the    public 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    CO  U  N  T  Y 


149 


schools  and  then  attenduig  high  school,  he 
chose  a  career  liefore  the  bar  and  began  the 
study  of  law  in  the  University  of  Michigan 
Law  School,  from  which  he  graduated  in 
1891.  The  following  year,  February  1,  1S92, 
he  began  practicing  and  lias. been  actively 
engaged  ever  since. 

Mr.  Kelly  was  apixiinted  Master  in  ('hanc7 
ery  in  T'ebruary,  1904,  and  served  one  term 
of  two  years.  In  March,  1906,  he  was  a].i- 
pointed  assistant  State's  Attorney,  and  holds 
that  office  at  jiresent.  he  and  J.  K.  Scott, 
State's  Attorney,  dividing  "the  duties  of  an 
unusually  active  administration. 

^h•.  Kelly's  spiritual  affiliations  are  Cath- 
olic. Politically  he  is  a  Republican  and  has 
devoted  much  time  and  met  with  considerable 
success  in  furthering  the  interests  of  his 
party.  Fraternally,  he  belongs  to  the  Benev- 
olent anil  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  Coiu't  of  Honor, 
Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles,  and  Mystic  Work- 
ers. Personally,  he  is  unassuming,  of  easy 
address,  and  popular  among  all  classes  to  an 
unusual  degree. 

June  5,  1S95,  Mr.  Kelly  married  Anna  A. 
Slattery,  of  Davenport,  Iowa,  and  the  union 
has  been  blessed  with  two  daughters,  JIary 
E.,  and  Anna  V.,  both  living. 

!i   Sg   SS 

CARL  0.  BERNHARDI,  M.  D. 

IT  IS  seldom  that  a  young  physician  entering 
upon  the  jiractice  of  his  profession  achieves 
instantaneous  and  striking  success.  The 
path  that  leads  to  a  large  and  lucrative 
practice  is  in  nearly  every  case  a  weary  and  a 
tortuous  one.  But  to  all  rules  there  are 
exceptions.  The  j'oung  physician  whose  life 
we  are  to  discuss  in  this  sketch.  Doctor  Carl 
O.  Bernhardi,  although  one  of  the  younger 
of  Rock  Island  County's  physicians,  has, 
nevertheless,  in  the  few  brief  years  that  he  has 
practiced  his  calling,  attained  an  eminence  that 
places  him  well  in  the  van  as  a  prominent  and 
successfid  member  of  the  medical  iirofession. 


He  was  born  January  3,  ISSO,  his  parents 
being  Dr.  Carl  and  Mrs.  Zoe  Julia  Bernhardi. 
A  sketcli  of  the  life  of  Dr.  C'arl  liernhardi 
ap])ears  upon  another  page  of  this  volume. 
Dr.  Carl  O.  Bernhardi's  early  education  was 
obtained  in  the  Rock  Island  Cerman  School, 
the  Rock  Island  Public  School  and  the  High 
School.  After  graduating  from  this  latter 
institution  he  entered  the  University  of 
Illinois,  where  he  pursued  a  specially  selected 
course  adapted  as  a  preliminary  to  the  medi- 
cal course  which  he  intended  to  follow  later. 
Upon  the  completion  of  his  course  in  the 
University  of  Illinois  he  entered  Rush  Medical 
College  at  Chicago  in  1898,  graduating  with 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  in  1902. 
After  his  graduation  he  servetl  as  house 
physician  for  two  years  in  the  Presbyterian 
Hospital  at  Chicago.  This  e.xperience  was  a 
most  valuable  one,  enabling  the  young 
physician  to  observe  many  and  varied  medi- 
cal and  surgical  cases,  as  well  as  to  come  in 
contact  with  some  of  the  most  skilled  and 
prominent  physicians  and  surgeons  in  the 
United  States,  and  to  note  their  methods  of 
diagnosis  and  treatment  in  difficult  and 
baffling  cases. 

In  1904  Dr.  Bernhardi  entered  the  medical 
field  at  Rock  Island,  where  his  father  had 
been  in  practice  for  many  years.  As  has 
been  said,  his  success  here  was  instantaneous 
and  complete.  Being  naturally  endowed  with 
a  genial  nature  and  agreeable  manners  he 
made  hosts  of  friends  and  the  extent  of  his 
practice  rapidly  increased.  He  is  the  attend- 
ing ])hysician  for  the  Old  Ladies'  Home, 
recently  established  here. 

In  politics  Dr.  Bernhardi  follows  in  the 
steps  of  his  father,  and  gives  his  allegiance  to 
the  platform  and  principles  of  the  Republican 
party.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  .\merica  and  the  Rock  Island  Lodge 
of  Elks,  Illinois  State  Medical  Society,  Rock 
Island  County  Medical  Society  and  the  Iowa 
and  Illinois  District  Medical  Society.  He  is 
a  learned  and  skillf\d  jiliysician.  and  a  young 


loO 


HISTORIC     ROC  K     ISLAND     CO  U  N  T  Y 


man  in  every  way  entitled  to  the  adniivation 
and  resj)eft  of  all  who  know  liini. 

'^  n  n 
CARL  BERNHARDI,  M.  D. 

ONE  of  Rock  Island's  long  established 
jihysicians  who  has  achieved  an  eiivi" 
al)le  reputation  in  liis  profession,  and 
who  is  held  in  high  ]iersonal  regard  by  all  who 
know  him.  is  Doctor  Carl  Bernhardi. 

He  was  born  [September  10,  1843,  in  the 
City  of  Koenigsberg,  P]ast  Prussia,  Germany. 
Here  he  spent  his  boyhood,  receiving  his  pre- 
liminary education  in  the  schools  and  col- 
leges of  his  native  city,  and  finally  entered 
the  medical  department  of  the  Univer.sity  of 
Koenigsberg  in  1863.  He  continued  his 
medical  course  in  this  university  imtil  the 
.Autumn  of  1860,  when  he  went  to  the  I'ni- 
versity  of  Berlin.  From  this  latter  institu- 
tion he  graduated  one  year  later,  August  15, 
1867. 

Previous  to  his  graduation  Doctor  Bern- 
hardi served  as  a  volu  teer  surgeon  during 
the  war  Ijetween  Prussis  and  Austria  in  1866. 
He  was  ])resent  at  the  battles  of  Nathod  and 
Skalitz,  which  occurred  Juue  27  and  28  of 
that  year,  and  also  the  battle  of  Koenigraetz, 
which  occurred  July  3.  He  was  discharged 
at  the  close  of  the  war  which  terminated 
September  3,  1866.  He  remaind  in  Germany 
until  March.  1869,  when  he  came  to  the 
United  Stats,  going  immediately  to  old 
friends  at  St.  J^ouis.  While  there  he  learned 
that  there  was  an  ojjening  for  a  German 
physician  at  Rock  Island  anil  conseque  tly 
decided  to  locate  here.  He  arrived  in  Rock 
Island  on  April  22,  1869,  and  has  ever  since 
been  one  of  this  city's  successful  physicians 
and  highly  respected  citizens. 

On  October  10,  1873,  occurred  the  nuptials 
of  Doctor  Bernhardi  and  Miss  Zoe  Olshausen. 
daughter  of  Dr.  .1.  .1.  Olshausen,  of  Daven- 
port, Iowa.  Doctor  Olshausen  had  formerly 
practiced  medicine  in  St.  Louis,  and  in  that 
city    Miss   Olshausen    was   liorn.     To   Doctor 


Bernhardi  and  his  wife  four  children  have 
been  born:  Claire  Marie,  married  October 
10,  1898,  to  Doctor  Alfred  Schalek.  then 
assistant  professor  of  dermatology  at  Rush 
^ledical  College  in  Chicago.  Doctor  Schalek 
is  now  ]5rofessor  of  dermatology  in  the  medical 
department  of  the  I'niversity  of  Nebraska 
at  Omaha.  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Schalek  have 
one  daughter.  Zoe  Carola.  about  six  years  of 
age;  Anne  Ottilie.  married  .Jime  3.  1903.  to 
H.  Woodworth  Clum.  of  Washington,  District 
of  Columl)ia.  Mr.  Clum  has  for  snme  time 
been  engaged  in  -newspajjer  work,  and  is  at 
]iresent  secretary  of  the  board  of  trade  of 
Trenton,  New  Jersey.  ^Ir.  and  Mrs.  Clum 
have  two  chiklren.  Elizabeth  Anne,  aged 
three  years,  and  Carl  Bernie,  aged  eight 
months;  Doctor  Carl  Oscar  Bernhardi.  a 
sketch  of  whose  life  is  given  elsewhere  in  tliis 
work  and  Miss  Zoe  Julie  Bernhardi  at  home. 

In  politics  Doctor  Bernhartli  has  always 
been  a  Republican,  and  is  ])rominently  identi- 
fied with  that  party  locally,  for  altliough  the 
many  demands  of  his  professional  calling  left 
him  but  little  time  to  devote  to  active 
political  work,  yet  he  was  always  ready  to 
assist  his  party  in  any  manner  that  la}-  in 
his  power.  He  was  twice  appointed  a  member 
of  the  public  library  board;  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  board  of  education  for  a 
three  years  term  in  the  early  nineties,  and 
was  County  Physician  for  several  years. 

Doctor  Bernhardi  is  a  member  of  the  medi- 
cal staff  of  St.  Anthony's  Hospital  in  Rock 
Island,  and  an  honorary  member  of  the  stafT 
of  Mercy  Hospital  at  I)aven])ort,  Iowa.  He 
has  also  been  a  member  of  the  American 
Medical  Association  since  1888,  and  of  the 
Illinois  State  Medical  Society  since  1872.  He 
was  the  first  president  of  the  Rock  Island 
County  Medical  Society,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Iowa  and  Illinois  District  Medical  Society. 

For  years  Doctor  Bernhardi  was  an  active 
member  of  the  Rock  Island  Turner  Society. 
He  is  now  an  honorary  memljcr  of  that  organ- 
ization.     He    is    ex-president    of    tiie    former 


WII.MAM    M(F,MHY 


HISTORIC     ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


151 


German-English  School  Society,  and  a  charter 
member  of  (iermania  Lodge,  Ancient  Order 
of  United  Workmen.  He  is  also  a  charter 
member  of  Cam]3  No.  309,  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America,  and  of  Home  Tribunal,  No.  1, 
Fraternal  Tribunes.  He  is  a  memlier  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  having  passed  through 
the  Blue  Lodge,  Chapter  and  Commandery, 
and  is  a  member  of  Kaalia  Temple  of  the 
Order  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  at  Davenport, 
Iowa.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Benevolent 
anil  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 

So  widely  known  is  Doctor  Bernhardi  that 
it  seems  indeed  unnecessary  to  even  attempt 
a  delineation  of  the  character  of  the  man. 
The  collective  opinion  of  thqse  to  whom  he 
has  ministered  in  sickness  and  who  know  his 
kind  and  gentle  ways  in  the  sick  room,  and 
his  untiring  efforts  to  alleviate  suffering  and 
to  cond^at  disease,  is  the  best  tribute  that 
can  be  paid  him. 

Jig    5S    !fe 

WILLIAM  McENIRY 

AW/ILLIAM  McENIRY,  one  of  the  early 
^y  settlers  of  the  County  of  Rock  Island, 
was  born  in  Charlevill,  County  Cork, 
Ireland,  a  village  near  the  line  of  County 
Limerick,  on  February  15,  1817,  where  he 
received  his  education  and  where  he  was 
engaged  in  mercantile  business  two  years 
prior  to  his  departure  for  America  which  was 
in  April  1840,  having  heard  much  of  the 
United  States  from  an  uncle  who  at  that 
time  lived  in  Albany,  New  York,  he  concluded 
to  pay  a  visit  to  his  uncle,  and  in  com])an_y 
with  his  eldest  sister,  departed  for  America, 
arriving  in  New  York  City  on  a  sailing  vessel, 
steam  vessels  not  being  in  use.  He  proceeded 
up  the  Hudson  River  on  a  steamboat  to  the 
City  of  Albany,  and  while  visiting  with  his 
uncle  he  learned  much  of  the  country  west  of 
the  H\idson  River  along  the  Erie  Canal 
which  had  recently  been  opened  to  naviga- 
gation.  He  decided  to  take  a  trip  up  the 
canal  to  Svracuse,  and  while  there  formed  the 


acquaintance  of  John  White,  brother  of  the 
late  Sjiencer  White  of  Moline,  who  induced 
him  to  take  charge  of  the  office  of  a  brick 
factory  he  was  operating.  In  the  Spring  of 
1841  John  White's  father  and  mother  were 
desirous  of  coming  to  Peoria,  Illinois,  to  make 
their  home  with  a  flaughter  in  that  city. 
John  White  induced  him  to  take  the  old 
couple  by  team  from  Syracuse  to  Peoria, 
driving  across  the  country.  After  reaching 
Peoria  the  old  people  desired  to  send  a  letter 
to  their  son,  Spencer  White,  who  was  in 
Moline,  and  he  vohmteered  to  bring  the 
letter  to  Moline,  walking  over  in  two  days. 
He  was  ambitious  to  see  the  Mississipjn 
River  and  took  advantage  of  this  opportunity 
to  arrive  at  its  banks.  When  he  arrived  in 
Moline  Spencer  White,  having  heard  of  him 
from  his  brother  John  White  of  Syracuse, 
induced  him  to  join  with  him  in  the  manu- 
facturing of  brick,  which  he  did,  e.xpecting 
all  the  time,  however,  to  sooner  or  later 
return  to  his  home  in  Ireland,  but  the  longer 
he  remained  in  Moline  the  more  he  became 
attached  to  the  country,  and  finally  decided 
to  cast  his  lot  with  the  early  settlers  of  this 
community  and  as  a  result  enlarged  tha 
I)rick  business  and  acquired  considerable  real 
estate  in  Moline,  Rock  Island  and  Davenport. 
After  being  in  Moline  five  years,  the  Summer 
of  1846  he  returned  to  Ireland  to  pay  a  visit 
to  his  family,  and  before  returning  to  America, 
in  the  Spring  of  1847,  he  was  married  to 
Elizabeth  Coughlin,  and  after  relating  to  his 
brothers  the  wonderful  opportunities  there 
were  in  this  country  and  the  liljerties  guaran- 
teed by  the  Government,  three  of  them  and 
another  sister  decided  to  come  to  America 
with'  him  and  his  bride,  arriving  in  Moline  in 
the  Summer  of  1847,  crossing  the  Atlantic 
on  a  sailing  vessel  taking  the  better  part  of 
a  month  to  reach  New  York  (steam  vessels 
still  not  being  used  to  cro.ss  the  Atlantic), 
traveling  vip  the  Hudson  River  to  Albany 
by  boat  and  from  Albany  to  Buffalo  by 
canal,  and  from  Buffalo  to  Chicago  liy  Lake 


152 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


vessel,  ami  by  stage  from  Chicago  to  Galena, 
and  down  the  Mississippi  River  by  boat  from 
Galena  to  Rock  Island.  He  continued  in 
the  manufacturing  of  brick  in  Moline.  and 
dealing  in  real  estate,  till  1853  when  he 
decided  to  go  farming  and  bought  the  Gorton 
farm  on  the  banks  of  Rock  River  in  Zuma 
Township,  where  he  was  engaged  in  extensive 
farming  and  stock  raising  up  to  the  time  of 
hi.s  death,  which  occurred  on  the  18th  day  of 
February,  1874.  He  left  surviving  him  his 
widow  and  six  children:  Mrs.  T.  T.  Dwyer, 
of  St.  Louis;  M.  F.  McEniry.  of  Lenox,  Iowa; 
.John,  JLitthew  and  Mary  McEniry,  of  Moline; 
and  Honorable  William  McEnirj-,  of  Rock 
Island.  After  his  death  his  wife  remained 
on  the  farm  with  the  family,  giving  them  all 
a  collegiate  education,  and  when  the  last  of 
the  children  decided  to  leave  the  farm  she 
removed  to  Moline  in  1893,  her  former  home, 
where  she  lived  until  the  time  of  her  death, 
the  30th  of  May,  1907. 

^Ir.  McEnirjr  was  the  first  English  speaking 
Roman  Catholic  to  reside  in  the  County  of 
Rock  Island,  and  his  wife  was  the  first  Roman 
Catholic  lady  who  resided  in  ^loline,  and  the 
first  Mass  celebrated  in  Moline  was  cele- 
brated in  his  house  by  Father  Pelemoreus, 
resident  ]H-iest  of  Davenport.  Iowa,  in  July, 
1S47. 

On  arriving  in  tliis  country  he  affiliated 
with  the  Democratic  party,  the  principles  of 
that  party  of  equal  rights  for  all  and  special 
privileges  for  none  appealed  to  his  idea  of 
government,  the  principles  of  government  he 
advocated  in  Ireland  and  for  which  the  Irish 
peo]ile  had  demanded  from  the  English 
Government  for  centuries.  Although  a  firm 
believer  in  the  ])rinciples  of  his  party  he  was 
adverse  to  holding  a  public  ofhce. 

He  belonged  jjarticularly  t.T  that  class  of 
men  who  were  possessed  of  courage  and 
determination  and  who  built  up  the  Great 
West  and  did  so  much  to  leave  the  magnificent 
heritage  which  is  now  enjoyed  liy  the  i)resent 
generation. 


WILLIAM  H.  MARSHALL. 

THE  combination  of  human  attributes 
which  yields  success  in  many  fields, 
though  a  rare  one.  is  embodied  in  the 
subject  of  this  review.  The  drug  business, 
manufacturing,  stock  raising,  what  ever  he 
has  turned  his  hand  to,  has  given  a  balance 
on  the  right  side  of  the  ledger,  so  carefully 
has  he  studied  and  so  well  has  he  wrought. 

William  H.  Marshall  was  born  April  23, 
1851,  in  Warren  County.  Indiana.  He  was 
the  youngest  of  eleven  children,  five  of  whom 
are  still  living.  His  father  was  Edward  P. 
Marshall  and  his  mother  Ann  (Kellam) 
Mar.shall,  both  being  natives  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  of  Quaker  ancestry  and  belief.  The 
parents  in  the  early  forties  settled  in  Indiana, 
where  the  father  followed  farming  and  stock 
raising  till  1854.  when  he  removed  to  Ver- 
million. Illinois,  where  he  died  in  1857.  His 
mother  having  passed  awa}'  in  1852.  our 
subject  was  thrown  upon  his  own  resources 
at  an  unusually  earh'  age.  His  education 
was  obtained  in  the  common  schools,  and  at 
the  age  of  twenty  he  obtained  a  place  in  a 
drtig  store  at  Rossville.  Illinois.  Here  he 
remained  two  years,  rapidly  mastering  the 
details  of  the  business.  Leaving  Rossville 
he  located  at  Shipman.  Illinois,  and  there 
soon  found  a  friend  who  made  it  possible  for 
Mr.  Mar.shall  to  start  in  business  for  himself. 
Success  smiled  upon  him  from  the  beginning, 
and  at  the  end  of  five  years  he  sold  out  and 
came  to  Rock  Island  in  search  of  wider 
opportunities.  This  was  in  April,  ISSO.  He 
bought  the  Harper  House  Pharmacy,  which 
he  conducted  twenty-two  years,  retiring  in 
1902  to  be  able  to  give  more  attention  t:)  his 
other  interests.  These  include  holdings  in  a 
number  of  Rock  Island  manufacturing  con- 
cerns by  which  he  lias  been  honorei  witli 
important  offices,  and  tracts  of  laud  in  Rock 
Island  County  and  in  Oklahoma. 

-Mr.     Marshall.    SejHember    3.    1S93.    was 
united  in  marriage  with   Miss  Elise  Augusta 


WILLIAM  H.  MARSHALL. 


HISTORIC    ROC  K    ISLAND    COU  N  T  Y 


153 


Denkmann,  daughter  of  Frederick  ('.  A. 
and  Catherine  Denkmann,  of  Rock  Island. 
Two  children  have  blessed  their  union, 
Robert  Denknninn  JIarslndl  and  .\nn  Cath- 
erine Marshall. 

Mr.  Marshall,  while  he  has  never  taken  an 
active  part  in  politics,  is  a  subscriber  to  the 
doctrines  of  the  Republican  jiai't}'.  I'ratern- 
a'h',  he  is  a  Mason. 


JOHN  W.  PARKER. 

AMONG  the  younger  b\isiaess  men  of 
Rock  Island  County  few  have  demon- 
strated their  ability  in  as  many  different 
fields  as  has  .John  W.  Parker.  City  bred,  and 
trained  originally  f(n'  commercial  pursuits,  he 
has  been  successful  alike  in  traile,  manufac- 
turing, politics  and  even  agricuhure.  In 
addition,  he  has  through  his  own  efforts, 
secured  a  liberal  education,  including  a  fair 
knowledge  of  law,  although  dependent  u])on 
his  own  resources  since  the  age  of  sixteen. 

Mr.  Parker  was  born  November  1,  l.S7(),  at 
Henry ,  Illinois,  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Anna 
Parker.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Ohio 
and  his  mother  was  born  in  Ireland  of  Scotch- 
Irish  ancestry.  He  attended  the  grammar 
and  high  schools  of  Chicago  before  going  to 
work  at  the  age  of  sixteen  as  stockkee]ier  for 
the  Western  Electric  Company.  He  ad- 
vanced rapidly,  becoming  timekeeper,  pay- 
master, assistant  cashier  and  ]nu'chasing 
agent,  finally  resigning  after  six  years  tt) 
engage  in  the  real  estate  business.  Two 
years  later  he  took  up  the  study  of  law  in  the 
ofl'ices  of  William  E.  Mason,  at  the  same  time 
being  employed  as  teacher  in  the  Chicago 
public  night  schools.  During  Mr.  Mason's 
successful  campaign  for  the  I'nited  States 
Senate  Mr.  Parker  was  his  secretary  and 
active  jjolitical  lieutenant,  acriuiring  in  this 
way  an  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  lead- 
ing men  of  the  State. 

In  ISOG  .Mr.  Parker  was  appointed  assistant 
City    Sealer   for   Chicago,   serving   two   years 


and  imtil  his  appointment  as  assistant  Secre- 
tary iif  the  State  Board  of  Charities  by 
Governor  Tanner.  This  ddicc  he  resigned  to 
acce]it  the  chief  clerkship  of  the  Western 
Hos])ital  for  the  Insane  at  Watertown. 
.^fter  four  years  service  there  he  resigned  and 
became  general  manager  of  the  Tri-City 
Pasteurized  Milk  Company,  for  wlmm  he 
planned  and  developed  the  large  dairy  farm 
in  Black  Hawk  Township.  In  1905  he 
])urchased  an  interest  in  the  Rock  Island 
Skirt  Company,  becoming  manager  of  that 
concern,  although  continuing  as  secretary 
and  director  of  the  Milk  Company  vmtil 
.January  1,  1907,  when  his  connection  with 
it  ceased.  Mr.  Parker  is  also  actively  en- 
gaged in  local  timber  operations,  owning 
several  tracts  of  standing  timber  in  the 
County. 

From  his  father,  who  s  one  of  the  oldest 
newspaper  writers  in  the  State  and  a  life-long 
Re]nil)lican,  Mr.  Parker  inherited  an  interest 
in  ]iublic  matters  which  has  manifested  itself 
in  his  active  work  in  jjolitics.  This  has  been 
more  than  local,  his  counsel  carrying  weight 
among  the  State  leaders.  He  has  been 
secretary  of  the  Illinois  League  of  Republican 
Clubs  and  later  president  of  that  organiza- 
tion, also  having  been  one  of  the  executive 
committee  of  the  National  Re])ul)Iir:in 
League. 

Mr.  Parker,  during  his  residence  in  Rock 
Island,  has  l)een  active  in  almost  every 
movement  for  public  good.  Several  years 
ago  his  personal  efforts  brought  the  then 
Secretary  of  War,  Elihu  Root,  to  inspect  the 
Arsenal,  resulting  in  greatly  increased  appro- 
priations for  the  small  arms  plant.  Mr. 
Parker  was  also  one  of  the  committee  of 
fifty  which  rai.se  1  the  $100,000  fact  jry  fund, 
and  is  a  direct. ir  of  that  organization.  Fra- 
ternally, he  alfiliates  witli  the  Mas:ins  and 
Modern  Woodmen. 

Mr.  Parker  marriel  i^l.'irah  Nichols  .June  23 _ 
1906,  at  Chicago.  Tlicy  lia\'e  but  mie  child, 
Samuel. 


154 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


WILLIAM  COYNE,  SENIOR. 

ROCK  ISLAND  Comity  owes  much  to  its 
Irish  sons.  The_v  have  tilled  its  soil, 
built  up,  developed  and  directed  its 
industries,  and  are  today  among  its  most 
substantial  and  energetic  citizens.  In  no  ease 
is  the  obligation  more  real  than  in  that  of 
William  Coyne,  senior,  "Uncle  Billy,"  as  he 
is  popidarly  known.  He  was  one  of  the 
earliest  comei's  to  this  locality  from  Erin's 
Isle,  and  after  more  than  sixty-two  years 
residence  here  is  still  a  man  of  remarkable 
activity.  He  has  been  one  of  the  county's 
heaviest  land  holders,  and  though  he  has 
turned  the  greater  portion  of  his  estate  over 
to  his  children  he  still  directs  the  cultivation 
of  a  small  farm  and  continues  to  actively  look 
after  his  other  business  interests. 

William  Coyne,  seinor,  is  a  native  of  Ire- 
land, born  June  11,  1822,  the  son  of  Thomas 
and  Martha  (Brown)  Coyne.  His  parents 
were  Irish  and  the  father  died  in  that  country 
when  the  son  was  young.  The  mother  late 
in  life  came  to  America  and  spent  her  last 
days  among  her  children,  dying  in  Rock 
Island  about  1887.  There  were  six  children: 
Mariah,  Margaret,  Matilda.  .lane,  \A'ilIiam 
and  Robert.  .lane  died  in  the  mother 
country,  but  the  others  all  became  citizens 
of  the  United  States.  William  is  now  the 
sole  survivor  of  the  family. 

Our  subject  was  reared  a  farmer  and  has 
followed  that  vocation  practically  all  his  life. 
He  received  but  a  limited  education,  but  in 
later  life  found  time  to  remedy  the  defects  of 
his  earl}'  training  and  become  thorongldy 
posted,  both  in  relation  to  liusiness  affairs 
and  in  a  general  waj'.  He  sailed  for  America 
in  1845  on  the  sailing  vessel  "Liverpool," 
which  "was  eighteen  weeks  traversing  the 
Atlantic.  Mr.  Coyne  reached  Rock  Island 
June  11  of  that  j-ear  with  just  one  shilling  in 
his  pocket.  Being  accomjianied  by  a  friend 
named  James  McCabe.  wiio  desired  to  go  to 
Galena  but  needed  funds,  our  subject  loaned 


his  last  shilling,  and,  ]5enniless,  went  to  work 
at  a  brickyard  in  Moline  for  thirteen  dollars 
per  month,  his  employer  being  William  Mc- 
Eniry.  At  the  close  of  the  season  Mr.  Coyne 
returned  to  Rock  Island  purchased  a  horse 
and  draj^,  with  which  he  earned  a  livelihood 
in  Rock  Island  and  Davenport  for  a  couple 
of  j-ears.  During  this  time  he  ha\ded  mail 
from  the  postoffice  to  the  boats,  which 
were  then  the  principal  carriers  in  this 
vicinity. 

ilr.  Coyne  next  became  a  farmer,  purchas- 
ing and  settling  upon  eighty  acres  of  land  in 
Bowling  Township.  On  this  old  homestead 
he  lived  till  the  Spring  of  1901.  when  he 
removed  to  the  place  on  which  he  now 
resides  in  Black  Hawk  Townshi]),  two  miles 
.south  of  Milan.  Beginning  as  a  farmer  with 
small  capital,  ^Ir.  Coyne's  energy,  progress- 
iveness  and  economy  soon  won  him  substan- 
tial rewards.  As  his  fortune  grew  he  invested 
in  real  estate,  becoming  in  time  one  of  the 
most  well-to-do  citizens  of  the  community. 
At  one  time  he  owned  1,700  acres  of  land  in 
Rock  Island  County,  besides  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres  in  South  Dakota,  two  hundred 
and  forty  acres  in  Nebraska  and  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  in  Kansas.  In  late  years, 
however,  he  has  given  all  his  land  to  his 
children  with  the  exception  of  the  eight}' 
acres  upon  which  he  now  lives. 

ilr.  Coyne  has  been  thrice  married.  His 
first  union  was  with  Miss  Elizabeth  McKee, 
December  26,  1855.  One  child  was  born  to 
this  union,  but  died  in  infancy.  The  mother 
did  not  long  survive.  The  second  marriage 
was  with*  Miss  Margaret  Morrison,  July  4, 
1860.  She  was  a  native  of  Ireland  and  came 
to  America  with  her  jjarents  in  early  woman- 
hood. Eight  children  resulted  from  the 
second  union,  as  follows:  William  T.,  born 
June  16,  1861;  Elizabeth  J.,  born  June  14, 
1863;  Alexander  W.,  born  :\Iarch  15.  1866; 
.James,  l)orn  Novemi:)er  19,  1867;  Lydia  A., 
born  February  22.  1869:  Julia  A.,  born  June 
19.  1S7():  Udward  S..  lioni  October  25.  1873: 


HISTORIC    ROCK    I  S  L A N D     COUNT Y 


155 


and  Francis,  born  March  8,  1876.  The 
mother  of  this  family  died  in  Xovemljer,  1886. 
June  3.  1901.  Mr.  Coyne  married  Mrs.  Be.ssie 
Foster. 

Mr.  Coyne  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Churcli.  of  .Milan.  He  has  steadily 
espoused  the  cau.se  of  the  Republican  party 
and  taken  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of 
that  organization,  thouiili  he  has  never  sought 
political  f.'n-ors. 

m  '^  m 
JAMES  COYNE. 

THE  man  whose  name  appears  at  tlie  head 
of  this  sketch  is  known  as  one  of  the 
most  industrious  and  enterprising  farm- 
ers of  Howling  Townshi]),  wliere  he  was  born 
and  has  sjjent  all  his  life.  He  first  ojieneil 
his  eyes  upon  this  world  November  19,  1867, 
his  parents  being  William  and  Margaret 
(Morrison)  Coyne.  He  attended  the  pulilic 
schools  of  the  County,  and  February  18,  1S96. 
was  married  to  Miss  Eilza  A..  Hauer.  The 
latter  is  also  a  native  of  Bowling.  She  was 
born  September  3,  1869,  the  daughter  of 
.Jacob  and  Mary  (McDonald)  Hauer.  Her 
mother  was  a  native  of  Ireland  and  her 
father  a  native  of  Germany,  they  being  Ixn-n 
in  1845  and  1821  respectively.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bauer  were  among  the  early  settlers  of 
the  County.  They  were  married  here  in 
1868,  and  immediately  took  up  their  residence 
on  the  farm  they  still  occui)y.  Their  children 
are.  F'liza  A.,  Emma  J.,  Mary  E.,  anfl 
Sarah  A.,  besides  a  son  \\lio  died  in 
infancy. 

.Mr.  Coyne  after  his  marriage  began  the 
cultixation  of  a  farm  in  lilack  Hawk  Town- 
ship. In  .January.  1907,  he  removed  to  the 
place  he  now  occupies.-  He  is  the  owner  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Black 
Hawk  and  one  lnui<lrel  and  twenty  acres 
adjoining  in  Bowling.  In  his  methods  he  is 
practical  and  at  the  same  time  thoroughly 
up-to-date.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  Ijreed- 
ing  improved  Chester  White  hogs,  Short  Horn 


cattle  and  fine  horses.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coyne 
are  the  parents  of  one  child,  Elizabeth  A., 
liorn  February  21,  1897. 

m  ^  'M 
WILLIAM  T.  COYNE. 

V\  /Tl  LIJAM  T.  COYNE  is  one  of  the  enter- 
vy  prising  and  u])-to-date  agriculturists 
of  Rural  Township,  Rock  Island 
County,  and  a  mendier  of  one  of  the  pioneer 
families.  He  is  a  native  son  of  the  County, 
having  been  Ijorn  in  liowling  Township  June 
16.  1861.  He  is  a  .son  of  William  and  Mar- 
garet (iMorrison)  Coyne.  I^orn  on  the  farm, 
he  has  always  followed  that  vocation.  With 
a  limited  schooling  he,  l)y  study  and  close 
oliservation,  has  gained  through  his  own 
efforts  a  ready  fund  of  general  information, 
as  well  as  a  good  working  capital  of  special 
knowledge  of  iise  to  him  in  his  business.  He 
was  nuu'ricd  in  Rural  Townshij)  March  8, 
1893,  to  Miss  Carrie  JI.  Grifhth.  The  latter 
was  born  in  Rock  Island  January  23,  1870, 
the  daughter  of  Mlwuod  and  (Airrie  I^C.  (Hauldi) 
Griffith,  now  of  Rural. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Coyne  settled  on  tlie 
farm  he  now  occupies  in  Rural.  The  land  at 
that  time  was  badly  run  down  and  poorly 
im]:)roved,  but  by  hard  work  and  the  applica- 
tion of  ad\'anced  methods  of  agriculture  he 
has  brought  the  land  to  a  high  state  of  culti- 
vation, and  now  owns  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  of  the  best  jn-oducing  ground  in  the 
vicinity,  as  well  as  one  of  the  most  comfort- 
able homes. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Coyne  is  a  staunch 
Republican.  He  stands  liigh  in  the  com- 
munity as  a  citizen  and  neighl)or,  being  best 
likeil  by  those  who  know  him  best. 

m  m  "Us 
ALEXANDER  W.  COYNE. 

Tll.VT  farming  in    Fiork   Island  Coinity  is 
a    profitable  occu])ation   is  atte.sted    by 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  who,  thougli 
in  business  for  himself  but  a  few  xcars,  is  now 


156 


//  /  S  T  O  R  I  C    RO  C  K     ISLAND     CO  U  N  T  Y 


tlie  owner  of  two  hundred  and  .sixty  acres  of 
well  improved  land  in  section  eleven.  Bowline: 
Township.  He  was  born  in  the  same  Town- 
ship, the  son  of  William  and  Margaret  (Morri- 
son) Coyne,  March  1.5,  1S66.  After  the  usual 
schooling  of  the  coimtrv  boj-  and  the  practical 
preparation  for  life  on  the  farm,  he  married 
March  27,  1901.  Miss  Nora  S.  Doonan,  of 
Mercer  County,  Illinois  The  latter  is  the 
daughter  of  James  R..  and  Bessie  Doonan, 
and  was  born  in  Mercer  Coimty  October  .30. 
1876.  Mr.  Coyne  after  his  marriage  settled 
on  the  farm  he  now  occujiies.  and  has  culti- 
vated it  since  with  im varying  success.  He 
and  his  worthy  wife  are  the  parents  of  one 
son,  Everett  D.,  born  .March  13,  190.5.  Mr. 
Coyne  is  an  ardent  Rejiublican.  He  has 
served  two  terms  as  Townshij)  Tax  Col- 
lector. 

n  n  n 
FRANCIS  COYNE. 

OXE  of  the  prosperous  young  farmers  of 
Rock  Island  County  is  Francis  Coyne, 
son  of  William  and  Margaret  (Morrison) 
Coyne.  He  was  born  in  Bowling  Township, 
where  he  now  resides,  ^larch  S,  1876.  He 
received  a  common  school  education  in  the 
County  and  started  out  for  himself  in  1902, 
following  his  marriage,  when  he  established 
himself  on  the  old  homestead.  In  the  Fall 
of  1904  he  removed  to  the  farm  he  now 
occupies.  He  now  owns  two  hundred  ami 
twenty  acres  of  well  improved  land  and  is 
considered  one  of  the  well-to-do  and  sub- 
stantial citizens  of  the  County. 

Mr.  Coyne's  marriage  to  Miss  Theresa  M. 
Koch  took  place  in  Rock  Island  County 
February  5,  1902.  His  wife  is  the  daughter 
of  Rudolph  and  Ella  (Collins)  Koch,  and  was 
born  in  the  County  September  22,  1884.  Her 
parents  are  residents  of  Bowling  Township. 
The  father  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  having 
been  born  at  Erie  Jime  2,  1859.  The  mother 
was  born  at  Dixon,  Illinois,  Ma\'  17,  1862. 
Thev   were   marrietl   at  Ro.ck   Island   August 


15,  1883,  and  are  the  parents  of  three 
children,  Theresa  M.,  Raymond  (1.  and 
Sylvia  E. 

SS  «  « 

EDWARD  S.  COYNE. 

AWELL  known  native  son  of  Rock  Island 
County    is    Edward    S.    Coyne,    son    of 
William  and  Margaret  (Morrison)  Coyne. 
He  was  born  on  the  old  homestead  in  Bowling 
Township,  on  which  he  now  resides,  October 

25,  1 873.  Tilling  the  soil  has  been  his  sole 
occupation.  In  the  Spring  of  1896,  he 
settled  on  one  of  his  father's  farms  in  section 
eleven.  Bowling,  where  he  resided  till  the 
Spring  of  1900,  Then  he  removed  to  the 
farm  he  now  occupies  in  section  one.  same 
township.  He  now  owns  two  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  good  land,  which  he  cultivates 
with  much  success. 

ilr.  Coyne  was  married  in  Rock  Island 
December  23,  1895,  his  wife  being  Miss 
Margaret  .1.  Clark,  daughter  of  William  and 
Eliza  (Gauley)  Clark,  early  jnoneers  of  the 
community.  The  parents  are  natives  of 
Ireland,  who  took  up  their  residence  in  Rock 
Island  County  soon  after  their  marriage. 
The  children  born  to  them  are:  Robert  A. 
and  Sarah  E.,  both  deceased;  David  B.,. 
Lydia  A..  William  A.,  James  H,  and  Margaret 
J.,  the  last  named  being  l)orn  in  Bowling 
February  23,  1876. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coyne  are  the  parents  of  five 
children:  Florence  M..  born  May  21,  1897; 
Raymond  D.,  born  April  26,  1898;  Edward 
R.,  born  Jidy  22,  1900;  Mildred  E.,  born 
March   31,    1902;    and   Ethel   L.,   born    July 

26,  1905, 

Sg    Si    ?§ 

WARNER  L.  EDDY,  M.  D. 

0\'i'>  of  the  successful  medical  jiractition- 
ors  of  Rock  Island  Count}-  is  the  subject 
of  this  review,  who  for  fifteen  years  has 
fiillowed  his  profession  at  Milan  with  a  stead- 
il\-  increasinn;  business.      Dr.  Eddv  is  a  native 


HISTORIC     RO  C  K     I  S  L  A  N  D     CO  U  N  T  Y 


157 


of  the  Empire  State,  liaviii}!;  been  born  in 
Madison  County,  New  York,  December  17, 
1869.  He  is  a  son  of  Homer  and  lOditli  S. 
(Townsend)  Eddy.  His  father  was  born  in 
Madison  County,  New  York,  May  22,  lcS42, 
and  his  motlier  in  Ca]>e  ^lay  County,  New 
Jersey,  May  17,  1846.  The  parents  were 
nuirried  in  New  Jersey,  and  after  a  residence 
of  several  j-ears  in  New  York  settled  perma- 
nently on  a  farm  in  Cai)e  Maj-  Countw  New 
Jersey,  where  they  still  reside.  They  are  the 
parents  of  three  cliildren,  Lucien  C,  Arthur 
and  Warner  L.,  of  whom  this  sketch  treats. 
Tlip  last  named  grew  to  manhood  on  the 
farm,  obtaining  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  and  under  a  pri\'ate  tutor.  In  1887 
he  began  reading  medicine  under  the  instruc- 
tion of  Doctor  Julius  \\'ay  of  Cape  May 
Court  House,  New  Jersey.  Two  years  later 
he  took  up  a  regular  course  at  Rush  Medical 
College  at  Chicago,  graduating  in  March, 
1892.  After  a  few  months  spent  in  Chicago 
he  came  to  Milan  and  has  since  followed  his 
profession  there. 

Dr.  Eddy  was  married  April  5,  1893,  to 
Mrss  Alice  \ .  Fellows,  the  ceremony  being 
performed  in  Chicago.  Mrs.  Etldy  is  the 
daughter  of  Jonathan  H.  and  Charlotte  A. 
(Rich)  Fellows.  She  was  born  July  13,  1865, 
at  Arlington  Heights,  Illinois.  Two  children 
have  been  born  to  the  couple:  Allen  T.. 
May  7,  1895,  and  Edith  L.,  May  5,  1900. 
Doctor  Eddy  is  a  member  of  the  Rock  Island 
County  Medical  Society,  the  Illinois  State 
Medical  Society  and  the  American  Medical 
Association.  He  and  his  wife  are  mendjers 
of  the  Methodist  Church  of  Milan. 
SI  ig  sg 

PETER  F.  TRENKENSCHUH 

BORN  in  Rock  Island  in   1875.  the  above 
named   gentleman,   young   though   he  is, 
has,    by    persistency    and    application    to 
his  chosen  vocation,  forged  to  the  front  until 
he  is  now  one  of  the  best  known  and  capable 
contractors  and  builders  in  the  Citv.     Maiiv 


structures  throughout  the  City  attest  his 
mastery  of  the  building  trade,  and  the  several 
large  contracts  which  he  now  has  (ui  hand 
indicate  that  his  ability  and  workmanshiii 
are  fully  appreciated. 

Mr.  Trenkenschuh  is  a  son  of  Phillip  and 
Elizabeth  Trenkenschidi,  who  were  of  German 
descent.  In  1902  he  married  Louise  M.  Nold, 
of  Rock  Island,  and  the  fruit  of  this  union 
was:  Paul,  born  1903,  and  Florence,  born 
1905. 

Mr.  Trenkenschuh  received  a  common 
school  education,  supplemented  by  a  course 
at  the  Davenport  Commercial  College.  He 
began  his  trade  when  but  sixteen  years  of 
age,  and  he  tenaciously  clung  to  it  until  his 
present  success  has  rewarded  him.  He  is  a 
member  of  Rock  Island  Lodge,  No.  658, 
Ancient,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and  of 
Rock  Island  Chapter,  No.  IS,  Royal  Arch 
Masons.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and 
was  at  one  time  alderman  from  the  Third 
Ward.  During  his  entire  business  and  polit- 
ical activity  he  has  been  esteemed  for  his 
integrity,  his  progressiveness  and  alertness, 
and  for  his  generous  and  congenial  disposi- 
tion. 

5^    ig    i^ 

ROBERT  J.  MONTGOMERY 

ROBERT  J.  MONTGOMERY,  the  Moline 
manufacturer,  was  born  May  20,  1864, 
on  a  farm  near  Orion,  Henry  CountV' 
Illinois.  His  parents  were  Alexander  E.  and 
Margaret  ilontgomery.  When  but  eight  years 
of  age  the  family  removed  and  took  up  resi- 
dence on  Rock  Island  Arsenal,  where  the  son 
grew  to  manhood.  After  completing  a  course 
in  the  Moline  piUilic  schools  our  subject  learned 
the  tinner's  trade  at  Rock  Island  Arsenal, 
but  being  ambitious  to  enter  business  for 
himself,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
brothers  to  operate  a  machine  shop,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Montgomery  Brothers.  This 
was  done  in  1891.  Two  years  later  the  con- 
cern    was     consolidated     with     the     Moline 


158 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


Elevator  Company,  and  Mr.  Miint^oiiiery  has 
been  actively  connected  with  tliis  firm  since. 
He  has  had  charge  of  the  outside  con.struc- 
tion  of  the  coni])any  and  as  sujierintendent 
of  the  erection  of  elevators,  operating  in 
nearly  every  city  of  any  size  in  the  United 
States  and  Canada.  In  addition  to  his  hold- 
ings in  this  particular  factory  Mr.  ^lont- 
gomery  was  one  of  those  interested  in  the 
Deere-Clark  ilotor  Car  Company,  and  holds 
stock  in  the  Moline  Automobile  Comjiany, 
Root  iV:  \'andervoort  Engineering  Company, 
and  the  American  Harvester  Company.  He 
has  also  extensive  land  holdings  at  Alberta, 
Canada. 

In  politics  Mr.  ^Montgomery  is  a  Rejnibli- 
can.  He  joined  the  United  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Rock  Island  in  1SS3  and  trans- 
ferred his  membership  to  the  Jloline  Church 
when  the  latter  was  formed  in  1898. 

Our  subject  married,  October  24,  1893, 
Lillie  R.  Matthews,  the  nuj)tials  being  cele- 
brated at  ^IcPherson,  Kansas.  Mrs.  Mont- 
gomery was  the  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Rose  Matthews.  ])ioncer  settlers  of  vScott 
County,  Iowa.  They  lived  on  a  large  farm 
near  Davenport,  when  tlie  father's  ill  health 
compelled  his  retirement,  and  eventually  the 
reuio\al  of  the  family  to  McPherson,  where 
he  died  in  April,  1894.  three  years  after 
leaving  Scott  County.  Mrs.  Matthews  came 
fi'om  McPherson  two  years  ago  to  li\-e  in 
Moline.  Mrs.  Montgomery  was  educated  in 
the  Davenport  pulilic  schools,  graduating 
fi-(un  the  high  school.  She  has  borne  her 
husband  two  children:  Royal  Ewert,  aged 
eleven,  and  Margaret  Rose,  aged  nine 
years. 

iS   K   !S 

ALEXANDER  OWENS. 

JUNE  17,  1830,  near  Jielfast,  Ireland,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  born.     He  was 
the  son  of  Archibald  and  Mary  (McMaster) 
Owens,  both  lifelong  residents  of  the  Emerald 
Isle.     Their  children  were  Jane,  Mary,  Alex- 


ander. -Margaret,  Anna,  \\'illiam  and  .Icnnie, 
all  of  whom  l)ecame  citizens  of  the  United 
States,  and  all  of  whom,  with  the  exception 
of  .Icnnie  and  the  subject  of  this  review,  are 
now  deceased.  Alexander  came  to  America 
when  but  sixteen  years  of  age  and  settled  ali 
Pittsburg,  Penn.sylvania.  There  he  earned 
the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  has  followed 
the  greater  part  of  his  life.  At  Pittsburg, 
October  1.5,  18.52,  he  married  Miss  Helen 
W'ymaii.  a  native  of  New  York,  born  January 
31,  1834.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Closes  C. 
and  Ann  (Lamb)  Wyman.  A  year  after  his 
marriage  Air.  Owens  removed  to  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  where  he  followed  his  trade  for  three 
>ears,  at  the  end  of  that  time  becoming  a 
resident  of  Rock  Island,  Illinois.  In  the 
Spring  of  1857  he  settled  in  the  Village  of 
Milan,  then  a  thriving  young  manufacturing 
place,  and  has  made  this  his  home  since,  with 
the  exception  of  two  years  spent  in  Cali- 
fornia. 

After  coming  to  Milan  Mr.  Owens  engaged 
extensively  as  a  builder  and  contractor, 
operating  in  Rock  Island,  Mercer  and  Henry 
Counties.  In  1891  he  was  appointed  master 
carpenter  on  the  western  section  of  the 
Illinois  and  Mississip])i  Canal,  which  was 
begun  at  that  time.  Mr.  Owens  first  had 
charge  of  the  carpenter  work  on  the  locks 
and  gates  and  of  the  erection  of  the  houses 
on  the  western  part  of  the  canal.  When 
this  work  was  done  he  was  appointed  overseer 
for  this  part  of  the  waterway,  and  he  has  held 
this  position  ever  since,  serving  with  great 
success. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Owens  became  the  parents  of 
seven  children:  Anna  L..  William  A.  (de- 
ceased), Charles  C,  Jennie,  Helen,  Elizabeth 
B.,  and  Emma  A.  Mr.  Owens  is  a  Republi- 
can and  has  been  honored  with  various 
offices.  He  served  as  supervisor  of  Black 
Hawk  Township  two  terms  and  as  president 
of  the  Milan  Milage  Board  eight  terms.  He 
is  a  Mason  and  he  and  his  wife  hold  member- 
ship in  the  Presbyterian  Church. 


SAMUEL  S.  GUYER. 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     C  OU  N  T  Y 


150 


HON.  SAMUEL  S.  OUYER. 

THE  HONORABLE  SAMUEL  S.  GUYER 
was  born  at  Lewistcnvii,  Pcnns^-lvania, 
December  26,  1814.  In  his  early  man- 
liDciil  he  was  a  contractor  in  New  York  City 
and  in  the  constrnction  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Canal  System.  In  1839,  with  his  mother, 
sister  and  two  brothers,  he  removed  to 
Peoria,  Illinois,  from  which  base  he  engaged 
in  the  business  of  building  flat  boats  and 
carrying  cargos  of  merchandise  to  trade  with 
the  planters  between  Natchez  and  New 
Orleans.  In  the  great  tornado  at  Natchez 
in  1842,  he  lost  all  his  possessions  and  barely 
escaped  with  his  life.  Returning  to  Peoria 
he  studied  law  and  qualified  for  the  bar  in 
the  office  of  Mr.  Knowlton,  father  of  our 
former  townsnuui,  William  S.  Knowlton.  In 
1843  he  came  to  Rock  Island  to  practice  his 
profession. 

He  was  ajjpointed  by  the  Court  to  defend 
the  Hedings,  indicted  for  complicity  in  the 
iMiii-<lcr  of  George  Davenport,  and  he  suc- 
cectled  in  securing  their  acquittal.  In  1847 
he  was  elected  Sheriff  of  Rock  Island  County, 
which  oflice  he  held  for  two  terms. 

He  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the 
Coal  Valley  ^lining  Com])any,  and  of  the 
iiock  Island  ami  Peoi'ia  Railway  Company, 
which  road,  then  built  only  as  far  as  Coal 
\'alley,  -was  under  his  management  vmtil  1861 
wlu'H  he  sold  his  interests  to  the  late  P.  L. 
Cable.  In  this  enter]irise  he  had  been 
associated  with  Charles  Buford,  Holmes 
Hakes,  N.  B.  Buford  and  Ben  Harper. 

He  secured  the  charter  for  the  Chip])iannock 
Cemetery  Association,  of  which  he  was  a 
director  until  his  death. 

After  tlisposing  of  his  mining  and  railroad 
nterests  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Hakes,  Guyer  it  Company,  in  the  ojieration 
of  a  jiajier  mill  on  the  present  site  of  the 
Standard  Oil  Cloth  Comjiany.  This  mill  was 
several  years  afterwards  iiought  liy  Mi-. 
Hakes  and  mo  veil  to  Rock  River. 


In  1871  he  was  elected  Judge  of  the  County 
Court  and  re-elected  in  1873. 

He  was  married  June  3  1847,  to  Annette 
Holmes,  daughter  of  the  late  George  K. 
Holmes,  of  Port  Byron,  who.  together  w'ith 
his  son,  Edward  H.  Guyer,  and  his  daughter, 
Annette,  now  Mrs.  James  R.  Kimball,  sur- 
vived him. 

He  died  at  Rock  Island,  Feljruary  20,  1883. 
Si  !g  5g 

FREDERICK  C.  LIEKEFETT. 

BOliN  in  Germany  and  brought  to  America 
by  his  parents  at  a  tender  age,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  is  one  of  the  many 
German-Americans  who  has  made  his  mark 
in  Rock  Island  County.  His  birth  and  early 
training  started  him  aright  and  he  has  hewed 
to  the  line  and  become  one  of  the  most  pros- 
l)erous  and  substantial  citizens  of  the  com- 
munity. Mr.  Liekefett's  native  province  was 
Hanover,  where  he  first  saw  the  light  Novem- 
ber 28,  1848.  The  ])arents  from  whom  he 
descended  were  Franz  and  Christina  (Gilt- 
nuicher)  Liekefett,  who  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1855,  first  settling  at  St.  Louis, 
Missouri.  Here  they  remained  but  a  short 
time,'  removing  to  near  East  St.  Louis  and 
taking  up  farming.  After  two  years  they 
came  to  Rock  Island  and  the  husband  and 
father,  being  a  tailor  by  trade,  followed  that 
occupation  for  two  years.  At  the  end  of  that 
jieriod,  satisfied  that  there  were  greater 
o])])ortunities  on  the  farm  tiuui  in  tlie  sho]i, 
Mr.  Liekefett  jmrchased  land  in  Bowling 
Townshii)  and  settled  thereon.  Some  years 
later  this  pro])erty  was  disjiosed  of  and  the 
farm  in  Black  Hawk  that  the  co\iple  occupied 
till  death  and  on  which  the  subject  of  this 
review  now  resides,  secured. 

Frederick  C.  Liekefett  was  mari-ied  in  Rock 
Island  County  December  19,  1S7().  his  wife's 
maiden  name  being  Maria  Simscr.  She  was 
born  in  this  County  November  7,  LS58,  the 
(hnigliter  of  Henry  and  Mary  (J^runcr)  Siniser, 
earl\-  settlers.     Mr.  anil  Mrs.   Liekefett  have 


160 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


l)een  blessed  witli  the  foUowinf!;  children : 
Mary  C,  born  August  12.  1880,  now  the  wife 
of  Carl  Belshouse  of  this  County;  Clarence  F.. 
liorn  .March  28.  1883;  Elizabeth  E..  born 
March  28.  1880;  Sadie  E..  born  Xoveniber 
21,  1889,  and  Herman  J..,  born  October  12, 
1892. 

^Ir.  Liekefett  after  his  marriage  settled  on 
the  home  farm  and  still  resides  there.  He 
owns  four  hundred  acres  of  fine  and  well 
improved  land  and  is  accounted  one  of  the 
progressive  and  influential  citizens  of  the 
County.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  Church. 

m  'M  m 
JAME5  BRACKETT. 

JAMI':S   J5RACKETT,  a  prominent   lawyer 
of   Cherry    Valley.    Otsego    County,    New- 
York,   who  graduated   in   the   class   with 
Daniel  Webster,  at  Dartsmouth  College,  came 
to  Rock  Island  in  1847  to  spend  the  last  years 
of  a  long  and  useful  life. 

John  Ely  Brackett.  eldest  son  of  James 
Brackett,  graduated  from  West  Point  and 
later  was  appointed  a  Lieutenant  in  the* 
Second  Regiment  of  Artillery.  Later  he 
became  a  Captain  in  Colonel  Stevenson's 
Regiment,  which  was  to  sail  for  California  to 
serve  during  the  war  with  ^lexico,  and  after- 
wards, as  Major-General  John  Ely  Brackett, 
was  verv  active  during  the  troublous  Cali- 
fornia clay.s  in  1849.  and  is  much  lauded  in 
the  annals  of  that  State.  He  died  in  Rock 
Island  some  years  later. 

Joseph  Warren  Brackett,  second  son  of 
James  Brackett.  was  ap]>ointed  midshipman 
in  the  navy,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  in  1830, 
from  which  he  resigned  four  years  later.  In 
1840  he  was  admitted  tt)  the  bar  of  New 
York,  and  practise<l  nine  years  in  Cherry 
\'alle3',  his  birthjilace.  He  then  went  to 
Rock  Island,  where  he  remained  till  his  death. 
At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  Colonel 
Brackett  joined  the  Ninth  Illinois  Cavalry, 
and    was    appointed    successively    Battalion 


(Juartormastcr  and  Regimental  Commissary. 
Tliis  Regiment  made  a  record  second  to  none 
in  brilliancy  and  secured  the  special  thanks 
of  General  Curtis  and  Thomas.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  John  Buford  Post,  No.  243, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  one  of  its 
Post  Commanders.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
79,  and  was  born  January  19,  1815.  in  Cherry 
Valley.  New  York. 

William  Brackett.  fourth  son  of  James 
Brackett,  was  born  in  Cherry  Valley,  New 
York,  in  1820.  He  was  educated  at  Harvard 
College  and  Harvard  Law  School.  He  went 
to  Rock  Island  in  1848,  moved  to  Chicago  in 
1852.  where  he  practised  law  until  1874.  He 
was  an  excellent  \\Titer,  having  a  style  clear, 
jiure  and  classical,  and  was  a  charming  com- 
panion.    He  died  in  Chicago  June  14,  1888. 

Doctor  James  W'.  Brackett,  third  son  of 
James  Brackett,  was  born  in  Cherry  ^'alley, 
New  York.  October  8.  1816.  and  came  to 
Rock  Island  in  1846.  When  the  Civil  War 
broke  out  Doctor  Brackett  was  appointed 
surgeon  to  the  Ninth  Illinois  Cavahy.  In 
1863  he  became  a  contract  surgeon  at  the 
I'nited  States  military  jirison  on  the  Island 
of  Rock  Island.  He  died  at  Rochester, 
Indiana,  and  was  buried  at  Chipinaiuiock 
Cemetery,  March  25,  1886. 

Albert  Gallatin  Brackett,  the  j'oungest  of 
James  Brackett's  seven  sons,  was  born  in 
Cherry  Valley.  New  York.  February  14.  1829. 
Ill  June,  1847,  he  became  First  Lieutenant 
ill  the  Fourth  Indiana  \'olunteers.  He  par- 
ticipated in  a  number  of  battles  in  the  Mexican 
War,  and  was  honorabh-  discharged  at  its 
close.  He  then  went  to  Rock  Island  where 
he  lived  till  iMarch  3,  1855.  when  he  was 
a])pointed  Captain  in  the  Second  Regiment 
of  LTnited  States  Cavalry  and  sent  to  Texas 
to  fight  the  Indians.  When  the  Civil  War 
broke  out  he  became  Colonel  of  the  Ninth 
Illinois  Cavalry.  July  17.  1S62.  he  was  made 
Major  in  the  First  Cavalry.  Regular  Armv, 
and  sent  to  the  L^epartment  of  the  Missouri. 
Ill  January,  1864,  he  was  placed  in  command 


//  I  ST  0  HI  C     ROCK     I  S  L  A  N  D     C  0  IJ  N  T  Y 


161 


of  the  Second  Brigade  of  the  Cavalry  Division, 
.Sixteenth  Army  Corps,  and  in  July  of  the 
same  year  was  ap])ointed  Acting  Inspector- 
(leneral  of  Cavalry  for  the  Cavalry  Burean, 
Army  of  the  Cumberland.  During  the  next 
thirteen  years,  as  Colonel  of  the  Third  Ca^■- 
alry,  he  was  engaged  in  constant  campaigning 
against  the  Indians.  He  dieil  in  A\'ashingtoii 
and  wa.s  buried  at  Arlington  with  military 
honors. 


ROBER.T  E.  LITTLE. 

ROBiaiT  E.  LITTLE,  for  ten  years  post- 
master of  the  \'illage  of  Milan,  is  one  of 
the  successful  native  sons  of  the  County. 
He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Bowling  Township 
May  22,  1861.  His  parents,  William  and 
Elizabeth  (Rea)  Little,  were  both  of  Irish 
birth,  the  former's  natal  day  being  December 
7,  1815,  and  the  latter's  August  16,  1819. 
Thev  were  married  in  their  native  land  and 
immigrated  to  America  and  to  Rock  Island 
County  in  1844.  The  farm  on  which  they 
settled  and  which  they  occujiied  till  death 
was  entered  by  them  from  the  Government. 
Mr.  Little  passed  away  August  6,  1891,  his 
wife  having  preceded  him  to  the  lieyond 
Septeini)er  12,  1884.  Their  children  are: 
Margaret  C..  wife  of  O.  C.  Wells,  of  Bruning, 
Nebraska:  Ann  ,].,  widow  of  Arthur  O'Neal, 
of  Milan:  Francis  A.,  of  Conway  Springs, 
Kansas;  Mary  L.,  widow  of  Robert  Elliott, 
of  Conway  Springs:  William  R.,  of  Gushing, 
Oklahoma:  David  T.,  of  Conway  Springs; 
I'^xaliiK-  Iv,  wife  of  William  L.  Heath,  of 
Davenport,  Iowa;  and  Robert  Iv.  the  subject 
of  this  review. 

The  last  named  received  his  early  training 
on  the  farm,  being  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  at  the  Dixon  Business  College. 
He  continued  to  make  the  farm  his  home  till 
1892,  when  he  removed  to  Milan  and  took  a 
position  as  salesman  in  the  hardware  store  of 
his  brother-in-law,  Phil  F.  Zahn,  remaining 
there  three  years.     July  7,   1897,   .Mr.   Little 


received  the  a|>)iointmcnt  as  postmaster  of 
Milan  and  has  since  discharged  the  duties  of 
that  olhce  to  the  satisfaction  of  all.  In 
addition  he  engages  extensively  in  the  insur- 
ance business  and  is  owner  of  the  old  Little 
homestead  in  Bowling,  one  hiuidred  and 
eighty  acres  of  well  improved  land. 

Mr.  Little  was  married  in  Rock  Island 
Gunity  October  27,  1886,  to  Miss  Harriet 
Zahn,  also  a  native  of  the  County.  She  was 
born  August  21,  1866,  the  daughter  of  Phillip 
and  Harriet  (Orth)  Zahn. 

Politically,  Mr.  Little  affiliates  with  the 
Republican  party  and  is  active  in  the  councils 
of  that  organization.  He  was  County  com- 
mitteeman in  1896-97.  Among  the  offices  he 
has  held  are  those  of  highway  commissioner 
of  Bowling  and  clerk  of  Black  Hawk. 

Fraternally  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  order,  the  Court  of 
Honor,  and  the  Eastern  Star,  his  wife  also 
holding  memljership  in  the  last  named. 

m  m  n 
DOUGLAS  E.  HALL. 

\"\  /ylllLE  not  a  long  time  resident  of  Hock 
yy  Island  County,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  son  of 
pioneers  of  the  State,  and  is  descended  from 
an  ancestry  that  has  participated  in  all  the 
wars  that  the  United  States  has  waged.  Mr. 
Hall  was  born  in  JMenard  County  April  6, 
1861.  his  parents  being  James  P.  and  Mary 
J.  (Pierce)  Hall.  His  father  was  born  in 
Lawrence  County,  Ohio,  July  1,  1818,  and 
his  mother  in  Sangamon  County.  Illinois, 
August  16,  1830.  James  P.  Hall  was  a  son 
of  Elisha  Hall,  a  native  of  Bedford  County 
Virginia,  and  a  descendant  of  the  early  pio- 
neers who  settled  in  that  State  long  before 
the  Revolutionary  War.  F]lisha  Hall  married 
Nancy  Overstreet,  also  born  in  Bedford 
County  and  of  pioneer  ancestry.  Her  father, 
John  Overstreet,  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier 
under  General  Washington,  and  participated 
in  the  battles  of  the  Cow  Pens,  Brandywine 


162 


//  /  N  T  0  R  I  C     ROC  K     I  S  L  A  \  D     CO  U  N  T  Y 


and  Monmouth,  ainoni!;  others,  and  was  at 
the  siege  of  Yorktown.  when  Lord  Connvallis 
was  forced  to  surrender.  During  the  War 
of  1812,  Elisha  Hall,  his  son-in-law,  was 
drafted,  and  being  the  father  of  a  large  family 
who  needed  his  support,  he  offered  $100  for  a 
substitute.  Mr.  Overstreet  accepted  the  offer 
and,  though  well  advanced  in  years,  again 
bore  arms  against  the  British. 

Elisha  Hall,  in  an  early  day,  settled  in 
Lawrence  County.  Ohio,  where  he  resided 
till  the  fall  of  1826.  Then,  with  his  family, 
he  removed  to  what  is  now  Menard  County, 
then  Sangamon  County,  Illinois.  He  settled 
on  a  farm  near  Athens,  jjassing  the  remainder 
of  his  daj's  thei'e  and  going  to  his  reward  in 
1838.  Hi.s  wife  survived  till  1862.  James 
P.  Hall,  son  of  Elisha  and  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  a  lifelong  resident  of  ilenard 
County,  passing  nwsxy  there  October  11.  1892, 
his  wife  following  September  21,  1905.  The 
latter  was  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Malinda 
(Anderson)  Pierce,  natives  respectively  of 
Tennessee  and  Kentucky,  who  settled  in 
Sangamon  County  in  1825.  Charles  Pierce 
was  First  Lieutenant  in  Abraham  Lincoln's 
Company  during  the  Black  Hawk  War  and 
campaigned  through  Rock  Island  County  at 
that  time.  To  James  P.  Hall  and  wife 
foiu'teen  children  were  born,  seven  surviving. 
They  are  Charles  W.,  Emma,  Caroline,  Rosa, 
Laura  J.,  Douglas  E.  and  Mollie. 

Douglas  E.  Hall  was  reared  on  a  farm  in 
Menard  County,  receiving  a  limited  education 
in  the  public  schools.  Later  in  life  he  em- 
l)raced  every  opportunity  to  overcome  his 
lack  of  advantages  early  in  life  and  is  now  a 
fair  tyi)e  of  what  is  known  as  the  self-made 
man.  After  reaching  his  majority  he  traveled 
extensively  for  two  years  through  the  west 
and  .south.  On  returning  he  took  charge  of 
the  old  homestead  and  conducted  it  till  his 
father's  death.  In  1904  he  came  to  Rock 
Island  Count}'  and  purchased  a  farm  on  Big 
Island,  just  outside  the  corporate  limits  of 
the  Village  of  Milan.     He  owns  three  hundred 


and  thirty-seven  acres  of  highh'  productive 
land  and  has  become  recognized  as  one  of  the 
substantial  farmers  of  the  community.  Mr. 
Hall  is  nut  married. 

;§  S^  Si 

JOHN  H.  WILSON. 

JOHN  H.  WILSON  has  been  a  con.stant 
factor  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  Cities  of 
Rock  Island  and  Moline  for  half  a  century- 
As  president  of  the  Wilson  Moline  Buggy 
Company  and  in  other  business  enterprises  in 
which  he  has  engaged  since  coming  to  this 
comnnmity  in  1856  he  has  given  employment 
to  many  men  and  has  directed  their  energies 
into  channels  that  have  brought  adequate  re- 
wards to  themselves,  to  their  employers  and  to 
the  cities  in  which  they  have  lived  and  labored. 

Like  many  another  of  the  substantial  earh' 
residents  of  Rock  Island  Count}',  Mr.  Wilson 
is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  having  been  born 
in  fiercer  County.  His  parents  and  grand- 
parents were  tillers  of  the  soil  and  established 
one  of  those  elegant  old  homesteads  which 
excite  the  admiration  of  visitors  to  the  Key- 
stone State  nowadays,  and  which  exert  a 
powerful  influence  in  drawing  the  absent  sons 
home  from  time  to  time  to  renew  the  associa- 
tions of  their  childhood.  Mr.  Wihson  often 
goes  back  to  the  old  farm  home  built  over 
eighty  years  ago,  but  still  in 'a  ])erfect  state  of 
preservation. 

During  his  youth  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
attended  the  public  schools,  and  when  about 
eighteen  years  of  age  took  a  coiu'se  at  Alle- 
ghany College  at  Meadville.  Pennsylvania. 
For  several  years  afterward  he  worked  on  his 
father's  farm  in  summer  and  taught  school 
in  winter.  Subsequently  he  engaged  in 
general  merchandising  at  Clarksville.  Penn- 
S3'lvania,  and  as  he  accumulated  property 
became  interested  in  coal  mining,  a  business 
that  he  followed  to  some  extent  after  coming 
west. 

From  coal  .Mr. Wilson  turned  to  oil,  investing 
in  a  territorv  on  the  Ohio  and  Pennsvlvania 


//  /  ,S'  r  O  RI  C     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


163 


line  in  which  several  flowing  wells  were 
developed.  With  rare  business  foresight  he 
sold  his  holdings  at  a  favorable  o])portunity 
to  Philadeljihia  parties  and  removed  to  Rock 
Island.  That  was  in  1856,  and  he  has  made 
his  home  here  since.  Conservative  in  his 
business  habits  he  has  met  with  luiiform 
success  in  his  various  ventures. 

Mr.  Wilson  was  united  in  marriage  with 
.Miss  Siisanna  A.  Ho.xie  in  Erie  Comity,  Penn- 
sylvania, in  1850.  Three  children  were  born 
of  this  union.  Clara  .J.,  is  the  wife  of  George 
W.  Kretzinger,  an  attorney  of  Chicago;  Mary 
E.,  is  the  wife  of  F.  A.  Head;  and  Nettie,  is 
the  wife  of  W.  A.  Ross.  Mrs.  Wilson  died 
in  1882,  and  two  years  later  Mr.  Wilson 
married  Mrs.  Ella  Case,  daughter  of  Marvin 
Case,  of  Greenville,  Pennsvlvania,  and  widow 
of  the  late  Dr.  Case,  of  Chicago. 

Mr.  WiLson  affiliates  with  the  Republican 
party. 

m  m  m 
HENRY  E.  BROWN. 

MR.  HENRY  E.  RROWN  was  born  and 
educatetl  in  Elm  wood.  Peoria  County, 
Illinois,  until  his  sixteenth  year  when 
lie  moved  to  Peoria  and  entered  the  high 
school,  afterwards  entering  Grinnell  College 
in  Grinnell,  Iowa,  from  wliich  he  graduated 
in  1899,  with  tiie  degree  of  Rachelor  of  Physics. 

Since  then  he  has  been  connected  with  the 
Rock  Islantl  Pulilic  Schools,  starting  as  a 
teacher  and  five  vears  ago  becoming  principal 
of  the  high  school. 

Mr.  Brown  has  always  been  greatly  inter- 
ested in  all  educational  matters  and  has 
received  much  recognition  for  his  interest  by 
educational  associations.  He  is  at  the  present 
time  president  of  the  Western  Section  of  the 
Northern  Illinois  Teachers'  Association.  He 
is  also  author  of  a  text  book  which  has  had  a 
very  wide  sale  among  the  schools  of  the  country. 

Mr.  Brown  is  at  present  thirty-five  years 
old,  and  was  married  in  1906  to  Miss  Bertha 
Hanna 


GEORGE  LOUGHEAD  EYSTER,  M.  D. 

AMONC;  Rock  Island  physicians  none  have 
a  wider  practice  or  a  more  successful  one 
tlian  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  Doctor 
George    L.    Eyster,    one    of    that    city's    old 
established    and    jirominent    physicians    and 
surgeons. 

He  was  born  May  14,  1853,  at  Chambers- 
burg,  Penn.sylvania.  his  parents  being  William 
F.  and  Lucretia  (Gibson)  Eyster.  His  father 
was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  his  mother 
of  A'ermont.  His  father's  family  was  of 
(ierman  origin,  the  Eysters  being  among  the 
early  settlers  in  the  colony  of  Pennsylvania. 
Doctor  Elyster's  father  was  for  many  years  a 
clergyman  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  being 
also  engaged  in  the  educational  work  of  that 
church.  For  some  years  he  was  president  of 
the  Hagerstown  Female  Seminary,  a  Lutheran 
educational  institution  located  in  Jlaryland. 
In  1876  he  came  to  Rock  Island,  where  for 
ten  years  he  occupied  the  chair  of  English 
Literature  at  Augustana  College.  He  after- 
ward removed  to  Crete,  Neliraska,  where  he 
lived  a  retired  life. 

.\fter  the  removal  of  the  Eyster  family  to 
Marvhind,  where  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
received  a  imblic  school  and  academic  educa- 
tion, filling  himself  to  enter  Pennsylvania 
College,  an  instituticnr  from  which  he  grad- 
uated in  1871.  He  then  entered  the  medical 
school  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
three  years  later  he  graduated.  One  year 
later  he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession 
in  Nebraska,  but  in  1876  he  removed  to  Rock 
Island,  which  City  has  been  his  home  ever 
since. 

Doctor  Eyster's  ability  and  skill  both  in 
the  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery  was 
recognized  early  in  his  professional  life,  and 
his  practice  has  been  a  constantly  increasing 
one.  He  is  a  member  of  the  staff  of  St. 
Anthon3''s  Hospital,  was  County  Physician 
of  Rock  Island  County  for  about  ten  years, 
and  for  six  vears  was  Healtli  Commissioner 


164 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


in  the  City  of  Rock  lt;laiul.  He  is  a  member  of 
several  leading  medical  associations,  among 
them  being  the  American  Medical  Association, 
the  American  Public  Health  Association,  the 
Illinois  State  Medical  Society,  and  the  Iowa 
and  Illinois  Central  District  iledical  Associa- 
tion. He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Rock  Island 
County  Medical  Society,  and  from  time  to 
time  has  held  several  offices  in  that  Society, 
and  has  contributed  many  valuable  papers  at 
its  meetings. 

February  17.  1876,  Doctor  Eyster  was 
joined  in  marriage  to  Miss  Fannie  P.  Wright, 
a  daughter  of  John  K.  Wright  of  Philadelphia. 
Both  the  Doctor  and  his  wife  are  prominent 
in  the  society  circles  of  the  tri-cities  and 
frequent h'  entertain.  The  Doctor  is  a  genial 
host  and  his  wife  a  charming  hostess. 

In  politics  Doctor  Eyster  has  always  been 
a  Republican,  and  although  having  no  dis- 
position or  time  to  engage  in  active  conquest 
in  the  political  arena  he  has  been  the  recipient 
of  several  appointive  offices  akeady  mentioned 
requiring  a  specialist  along  medical  lines. 
These  he  filled  ably  and  with  credit.  Fra- 
ternally Doctor  Eyster  is  connected  with  the 
Masons,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the 
Jlodern  Woodmen  of  America.  In  his  college 
daj's  he  was  connected  with  the  Sigma  Chi, 
a  Greek  letter  fraternity  of  national  scope. 

He  is  one  of  Rock  Island's  best  citizens,  a 
man  who  enjoys  the  regard  and  respect  of  all 
who  have  ever  had  occasion  to  call  him  in  a 
professional  capacity  as  well  as  many  others 
of  his  friends  and  acquaintances  wlio  know 
him  to  be  a  generous,  kindly  man. 
>g  jg  Jg 

ELMER  E.  MORGAN. 

EI.M1:R  i:.  .morgan  is  a  lineal  descendant 
of  General  Morgan  of  revolutionary  fame. 
His  grandfather,  Isaac  Morgan,  was  born 
in  Kentucky  in  lS79^and  fought  in  the  War 
of  1812.  Later  he  built  the  first  slab  house 
at  what  is  now  Dayton,  Ohio.  He  came  to 
Davenjiort  in  1836.     Isaac  F.  Morgan,  father 


of  Elmer  ^lorgan.  grew  to  manhood  in  the 
vicinity  of  Davenport,  married  Sarah  E. 
Williams,  a  Tennessee  lady,  and  settled  near 
DeWitt,  Clinton  County,  Iowa.  There  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  September  13. 
1861.  His  early  life  was  spent  on  his  father's 
farm  and  his  ojiportimities  for  schooling  were 
few.  In  later  life  by  consistent,  painstaking 
study,  he  obtained  an  excellent  education,  and 
one  which  he  was  able  to  turn  to  practical 
account. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-three  ^Ir.  Morgan 
sought  wider  fields  of  endeavor  and  took  up 
his  residence  in  Moline,  then  just  beginning 
to  show  promise  of  becoming  a  great  manu- 
facturing city.  He  began  reading  law  in  the 
office  of  William  A.  Meese  and  soon  there- 
after ojiened  a  collection  agency,  which  he 
still  conducts  and  which  is  the  oldest  one  in 
this  part  of  the  State. 

Mr.  Morgan  has  traveled  extensively  in  the 
United  States  and  Eurojje.  In  1S96  he  toured 
France,  Holland  and  the  British  Isles  on  a 
bicycle.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Unitarian  Church  in  Moline  and  remains  a 
leading  member  of  that  institution.  Politi- 
cally he  is  a  Republican  and  exerts  consider- 
able influence  in  the  party.  He  is  a  member 
of  Doric  Lodge,  Ancient,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons;  the  Eastern  Star;  Benevolent  and 
Protective  Order  of  Elks;  Knights  of  Pythias; 
Select  Knights;  Moilern  Woodmen  and  Home 
Forum. 

i8  «  ig 

HON.  JOHN  T.  BROWNING. 

THE  oldest  member  of  the  Rock  Island 
Comity  Bar,  a  lawyer  of  ripe  learninig 
and  wide  experience,  who  has  now  re- 
tired from  the  active  practice  of  his  profession. 
is  the  Hcnoratde  John  T.  Browning,  of  iloline. 
He  was  born  in  Genesee  County,  New  York, 
June  11,  1830,  his  parents  being  John  L.  and 
Lucy  (Tillotson)  Browning.  He  received  an 
academic  education  at  Rochester,  where  later  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  Autumn  of  1858. 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


165 


He  came  west  in  December  of  that  same 
year  and  located  at  Moline,  where  he  imme- 
diately engajietl  in  the  practice  of  law,  being 
that  city's  first  City  Attorney.  Of  course 
one  of  his  duties  in  this  position  was  to  com- 
pile and  arrange  a  code  of  ordinances  govern- 
ing the  affairs  of  the  City,  and  this  work  was 
done  in  a  highly  creditable  and  systematic 
manner.  In  1S76  he  formed  a  law  partner- 
ship with  Mr.  Kntriken,  the  well  kn  >\\n 
Moline  attorney  who  has  served  this  Count}' 
as  State's  Attorney  and  Master  in  Chancery, 
the  firm  being  known  as  Browning  tt  Entri- 
ken.  Two  years  previous  to  the  formation 
of  this  jiartnership  Mr.  Browning  had  been 
elected  to  represent  this  Senatorial  District 
in  the  Illinois  General  Assembly.  He  was 
re-electeil  in  1S76  and  served  through  anitlier 
session  of  the  Legislature. 

During  Mr.  Browning's  young  manhood  he 
entertained  very  ])rcnounced  anti-slavery 
views  and  was  in  fact  an  ardent  Abolitionist. 
Ujion  the  formatiiin  of  the  Republican  ])arty 
in  1856  he  immediately  allied  himself  with 
that  organization  and  was  earnest  in  his 
support  of  Fremont  and  Dayton.  Since  that 
time  he  has  continued  in  his  allegiance  to  the 
Republican  party  and  while  zealous  in  its 
support  and  a  firm  believer  in  its  policies  he 
has  always  been  conservative,  considering  the 
welfare  of  the  country  and  the  cause  of  good 
government  of  far  greater  importance  than 
mere  party  success. 

He  was  engaged  in  the  famous  controversy 
between  the  river  and  railroad  interests  over 
the  construction  of  the  bridge  across  the 
Mississippi  here  at  Rock  Island.  In  this 
controversy  some  of  the  most  eminent  legal 
talent  in  Illinois  .]>articipated,  among  •wlioni 
was  Abraham  Lincoln. 

Mr.  Browning,  as  has  been  stated,  has  now- 
retired  from  active  practice  of  law.  He  now 
makes  his  home  on  a  fine  farm  that  he  owns 
outside  the  City  of  Jloline.  He  still  takes  an 
active  interest  in  pidalic  affairs  and  is  an 
extremely   well    informerl    man    upon    all    the 


]iertinent  questions  of  the  day.  He  has, 
during  his  professional  career,  been  a  great 
student,  and  as  a  councelor  he  had  no  super- 
ior in  ]Moline.  It  was  to  this  branch  of  legal 
work  that  he  gave  his  chief  attention,  rather 
than  to  the  more  exciting  life  of  a  trial  lawyer. 
Mr.  Browning  has  always  been  a  liberal  and 
generous  contributor  to  charitable  and  phil- 
anthro]iic  movements,  and  as  a  man  and  a 
lawyer  he  is  hclil  in  high  esteem  by  all  who 
know  him. 

MARTIN  THEODORE  RUDGREN, 

EYE'S  in  an  age  wliich  recognizes  young 
men  anil  places  responsibilities  upon 
them  which  in  the  past  have  been  laid 
only  u]ion  the  shouKlers  of  those  of  more 
mature  years  we  seldom  find  one  of  t\vpiit\-- 
eight  years  entrusted  with  the  complex 
details  of  the  business  end  of  the  administra- 
tion of  a  City  of  ;3().()()()  inhabitants.  Such, 
however,  is  the  confidence  ])laced  in  .Martin 
T.  Rudgren  by  the  ])e.ii)Ie  of  the  City  of  Rock 
Island  that  they  elected  him  City  Clerk  when 
he  hail  barely  passed  his  twenty-eighth  mile- 
stone, and  that  by  an  overwhelming  majority. 
Events  have  shown  that  the  trust  was  well 
merited. 

Mr.  Rudgren  was  l)orn  in  Rock  Island 
April  7,  1879.  His  parents,  Carl  J.  and 
Christina  W.  Rudgren,  were  both  born  in 
Sweden,  the  former  June  22,  1S36,  in  \'erin- 
land.  and  the  latter  March  13,  1858,  in 
Ostergotland.  The  father  came  to  Rock 
Island  in  18(38.  After  a  year  he  went  to 
Moline  and  made  his  home  in  that  City  seven 
years.  Then  he  returned  to  Rock  Island, 
and  has  resided  there  since.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Rudgren's  marriage  took  place  March  14, 
1878.  In  addition  to  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  they  had  one  son,  Carl  Ludwig,  who 
was  born  January  28,  1881,  and  died  June 
14  of  the  same  year.  Mrs.  Rudgren  died 
February  4,  1881.  .Mr.  Rudgren  is  now 
retired  and  is  care(l  fur  bv  his  son. 


166 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


Martin  attended  the  puhlic  schools  of  Hock 
Ishmd.  and  after  graduating  obtained  a 
commercial  education  at  Avigustana  lousiness 
College  and  the  Gustus  School  of  Business  in 
Moline.  Then  he  set  out  to  make  his  own 
way.  In  this  he  was  somewhat  handicapped 
by  an  accident  which  maimed  him  perma- 
nently. When  eight  years  old  he  was  injured 
by  being  thrown  from  a  sled  so  that  the 
removal  of  the  right  hip  joint  became  neces- 
sary. From  this  time  on  the  use  of  crutches 
was  required,  but  so  well  did  ^Ir.  Rudgren 
learn  to  handle  himself  that  his  handica]) 
after  all  proved  to  be  but  a  slight  one. 

llr.  Rudgren  was  first  employed  in  tlie 
office  of  an  implement  factory  in  Moline. 
where  he  remained  two  years.  Resigning  at 
the  end  of  this  period  he  accepted  a  position 
with  a  Rock  Island  manufacturer,  retaining 
it  till  the  Winter  of  1904-05.  Then  lie 
resigned  to  take  up  the  duties  of  tax  collector 
for  Rock  Island,  an  office  to  which  he  had 
been  elected  in  April,  1904.  He  served  with 
such  entire  satisfaction  that  liis  successor  the 
following  year  detailed  him  to  again  collect 
the  taxes  for  the  township.  In  the  Spring 
of  1907  H.  C.  Schaffer  declined  renommation 
for  the  office  of  Citj^  Clerk,  and  ilr.  Rudgren 's 
Republican  friends  saw  in  him  a  suitable  man 
for  the  place.  Tliej'  urged  him  to  make  the  race 
and  he  did,  with  the  result  that  he  defeated 
his  op]3onent  by  a  majority  of  over  1600  \-otes. 
He  took  up  the  duties  of  office  in  May,  1907. 

Mr.  Rudgren  is  an  active  member  of  the 
First  Swedish  Lutheran  Church  of  Rock 
Island  and  a  leader  in  young  people's  work. 
His  political  affiliations  have  always  been 
with  the  Republican  party.     He  is  unuuirried. 

■^  ^  m 
THOMAS  NESSLER.. 

THOMAS  NESSLER  is  one  of  Rock   Isl- 
and's   well    and    favoratily    known    (ler- 
man-.'\merican  citizens,  where  he  occu- 
pies the  position  of  brew  master  for  the  Rock 
Island  Brewing  Comjiany. 


He  was  born  December  IS,  1869,  at  Obern- 
hibeim,  Germany,  his  parents  being  Donatus 
and  Barbina  Nessler.  After  completing  a 
common  school  course  in  his  native  land  he 
entered  a  brewing  academy  at  Versuchs 
Statum,  Germany,  and  there  received  instruc- 
tion in  the  trade  w'hich  he  expected  to  follow- 
throughout  his  life,  having  previously  served 
two  years  apprenticeship  in  Aldvisebach, 
Germany.  After  being  emploA-ed  for  several 
years  in  brew-eries  of  Germany,  he  came  to 
the  L'nited  States  in  1892,  and  later  came  to 
Chicago,  where  from  1898  to  1899  he  took 
an  advanced  course  in  the  art  of  brew- 
ing in  Walil  c^'  Henius  Institute  in  that 
City. 

In  1892,  upon  locating  in  Chicago,  he  was 
connected  with  Joseph  Junk's  brewery  for 
three  years,  then  with  the  Standard  Brew-ing 
Comjiany  for  three  years  and  for  one  year 
was  with  Walker  A:  Burke  Brewing  Company 
of  the  same  city.  Then,  after  completing  his 
course  at  Wahl  iV:  Honius  Institute,  he  re- 
moved to  Danville,  where  he  was  brew  master 
for  the  Danville  Brewing  &  Ice  Company, 
which  position  he  held  until  1901.  wlien  he 
came  to  Rock  Island  to  accept  a  position  as 
brew  master  for  the  Rock  Island  Brewing 
Company,  which  position  he  now  holds. 
During  his  connection  with  the  Rock  Island 
Brewing  Company  he  has  devoted  his  knowl- 
edge and  energy  to  increasing  the  excellency 
of  that  companj-'s  product  and  how  well  he 
has  succeeded  is  attested  by  that  company's 
constantly  increasing  patronage. 

September  15,  1894,  Mr.  Nessler  was 
married  to  Miss  Katherine  Dimer,  and  to 
them  one  child  has  been  born,  a  daughter. 
Katherine  B.  Nessler. 

Mr.  Nessler  is  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  having  joined  that 
fraternal  organization  at  Danville.  Illinois, 
and  being  still  afliliated  witli  l.oilge  Xo.  499 
of  that  city. 

He  is  not  affiliated  with  any  of  tlie  regularly 
established    ]K>litiral    jiarties.    but    prefers    to 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


167 


give  his  support  to  men  and  measures  rather 
than  to  any  political  jtarty,  and  consequently 
casts  his  vote  indei^endently. 

He  is  a  master  of  the  art  of  brewing,  and 
constantly  strives  to  serve  the  interests  of  his 
employers  b_y  bringing  their  output  up  to  a 
standard  of  perfection  excelled  by  none  and 
ecpialled  bv  few. 

Ji  Sg  ss 

ALBERT  n.  BEAL,  M.  D. 

TH  K  technical  education  of  the  doctor  of 
medicine  avails  him  but  little  unless  he 
has  laid  a  foundation  for  it  of  broad 
general  knowledge  and  made  a  careful  study 
of  himian  nature.  When  he  took  up  the 
]3ractice  of  medicine  Doctor  Albert  M.  Beal 
brought  to  the  profession  a  mental  equipment 
such  as  few  men  acquire  in  a  lifetime.  For 
years  he  had  been  an  educator,  teaching  the 
common  I)ranches  in  the  public  schools  and 
later  specializing  in  college.  Having  as  a 
student  earned  the  degrees  of  Bachelor  of 
Arts  and  Master  of  Arts,  he  later  found 
ojiportunity  to  perfect  his  knowledge  of  law 
so  that  he  was  admitted  to  the -bar  after 
successfully  passing  the  prescrib.ed  examina- 
tion. With  this  preparation  the  mysterie.s  of 
medicine  and  surgery  were  quickly  mastered 
and  success  was  his  from  the  beginning  of  his 
professional  career. 

Doctor  Beal  was  born  October  31,  1S53,  in 
Zuma  Township,  Rock  Island  County.  His 
parents  were  Daniel  N.  and  Betsy  (Spencer) 
Beal,  pioneers  of  the  community.  The  son 
attended  the  country  schools  and  later  the 
])ublic  institutions  of  learning  of  Port  Byron 
and  Rock  Island.  At  the  age  of  seventeen 
he  began  teaching  school  at  what  is  now 
Barstow.  He  entered  Western  College  of 
Iowa  when  his  preparatory  studies  had  been 
com]ileted.  and  graduated  with  tlie  class  of 
1S76,  taking  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts. 
The  following  year  he  was  principal  of  the 
Ham])tiin.  Illinois,  schools.  In  1879  he 
received   the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  from 


his  alma  mater,  which  was  in  tliat  year 
removed  to  Toledo,  Iowa.  Mr.  Beal  at  this 
time  received  a  call  to  the  chair  of  physics 
and  chemistry  of  Western  College  and 
accepted  and  held  that  post  twelve  years. 
Previously,  however,  he  had  read  law,  being 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1879.  From  187G  to 
1879  he  acted  as  assistant  to  the  president  of 
the  Moline  Water  Power  Company. 

Having  decided  to  fit  himself  for  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine,  Mr.  Beal  in  1890  began 
attending  a  regular  course  of  lectures  in  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  at  Des- 
Moines,  delivering  at  the  same  time  a  course 
of  lectures  on  chemistry  and  medical  Latin. 
During  1891  and  1892  he  served  as  president 
of  Western  College.  In  1894  he  graduated 
from  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons. 
He  immediately  began  practicing  at  Toledo, 
Iowa,  but  after  a  few  months,  in  December, 
1894,  he  located  in  Moline,  where  he  has 
remained  since,  and  where  he  has  built  up  a 
large  ])ractice.  Doctor  Beal  is  a  meml.ier  of 
the  Illinois  and  Iowa  Central  District  Medical 
Association  and  of  the  Illinois  State  Medical 
Association. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen  Mr.  Beal  became  a, 
member  of  the  United  Brethern  Church.  He 
served  as  superintendent  of  tlie  Brethern 
Sunday  School  at  Toledo  for  some  time. 
Since  coming  to  Moline  he  has  become 
identified  with  the  First  Congregational 
Church.  He  has  always  been  an  ardent 
Republican.  Casting  his  first  vote  for  Ruth- 
erford B.  Hayes  for  President.  While  a 
resident  of  Toledo  he  served  three  successive 
terms  as  Mayor,  resigning  on  his  removal  to 
DesMoines.  He  was  the  first  clerk  of  South 
Moline  Township.  Fraternally  he  affiliates 
with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America. 

At  Andalusia,  Illinois,  October  31,  187G, 
Doctor  Beal  married  Miss  Etta  Thompson, 
daughter  of  Henry  L.  and  Mary  (Buffum) 
Thompson.  Slic  died  Novemljcr  11,  1880. 
leaving    one    daughter,     Mamie.     A    second 


168 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     CO  U  N  T  Y 


marriage  was  contracted  Jamiarv  1.  1SN4. 
with  Miss  Carrie  K.  Miildekauf.  dI'  Polo, 
Illinois,  a  native  of  Ogle  County.  Five 
children  resulted  from  the  second  alliance: 
Etta  Grace.  Daniel  Middekauf.  Althea.  .\lbert 
Milton,  who  died  when  one  year  old,  and 
Walter  Hubert. 

jg  iS  « 

JOHN  W.  ROCHE. 

LITTLE  woukl  the  visitor  of  today  suspect 
that  much  of  the  western  ])art  of  the  City 
of  Rock  Island,  now  built  up  with  modern 
homes,  business  houses  and  factories,  was 
once  an  uninhabitable  swamp;  worse  than 
that,  it  was  covered  with  water  to  a  great 
extent,  and  when  the  Mississippi  was  high  a 
rapidly  flowing  stream  ran  through  half  the 
present  length  of  the  citv,  and  skiffs,  rafts 
and  even  steamboats  passed  over  the  very 
place  where  hundreds  now  live  and  work  on 
dr}'.  firm  mother  earth  the  year  around.  The 
work  of  reclaiming  this  tract  of  land  has  been 
one  of  less  than  fifty  years,  and  the  process 
has  been  a  gradual  one.  full  of  hard  work  and 
patience  on  the  part  of  those  actively  engaged. 
Among  those  who  saw  the  possibilities  of 
this  ]iart  of  the  city  and  who  labored  long 
and  diligently  for  its  improvement,  none 
deserves  greater  credit  than  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  When  he.  in  1!S70.  purchased 
his  first  lot  at  the  corner  of  Fifth  Avenue  and 
Twelfth  Street,  water  stood  upon  it  at  all 
seasons,  varj'ing  in  depth  from  two  to  six 
feet.  Largely  by  hand  lal)or  he  and  his 
family  filled  it.  and  built  a  home  there.  Later 
they  bought  otiier  lots  till  they  owneil  two 
blocks,  which  were  gradually  improved,  and 
now  are  among  the  most  valualile  in  the 
residence  portion  of  the  city. 

John  W.  Roche  was  born  February  22, 
1S39,  in  County  Waterford,  Ireland,  cele- 
brated for  its  fisheries.  He  was  the  eldest  of 
three  sons,  his  parents  being  Michael  and 
Katherine  (Power  Roche.  Tradition  has  it 
that    the    ancestors    of    the    father    came    to 


Ireland  from  France  in  the  early  ]iart  of  the 
seventeenth  century  as  .soldiers  and  remained 
to  fight  for  the  island  of  their  adoption.  The 
parents  of  our  subject  lived  to  an  advanced 
age,  the  father  reaching  his  ninety-seventh 
}-ear  and  the  mother  her  ninety-third.  The 
son  obtained  a  limited  education  in  the 
national  schools.  One  of  his  earliest  recollec- 
tions is  of  incidents  connected  with  the 
famine  of  1846-47  when  the  potato  crop 
failed.  Mr.  Roche  came  to  America  in  1866, 
and  finally  reached  Wisconsin  with  fifty  cents 
in  his  pocket.  Here  he  worked  two  years  in 
the  lead  mmes  at  Shullsberg.  having  many 
interesting  experineces,  and  learning,  among 
other  things,  to  play  baseball,  with  the 
result  that  he  has  been  an  enthusiastic  sup- 
porter of  the  national  game  ever  since. 

At  the  end  of  two  3'ears  the  desire  to  obtain 
an  education  led  Mr.  Roche  to  go  to  Fon  dn 
Lac,  where  he  temporarily  took  up  railroad- 
ing. Seeing,  however,  a  better  opportunity 
for  financial  gain  and  mental  improvement 
he  soon  left  the  road  to  become  a  book  agent. 
Thus  it  was  that  he  came  to  visit  Rock 
Island.  Mr.  Roche  relates  that  when  he 
first  thought,  of  coming  to  the  city  he  has 
helped  build  up  he  was  advised  by  a  veteran 
police  magistrate  of  LaSalle,  Illinois,  where 
he  happened  to  be,  to  avoid  the  place,  on  the 
ground  that  human  life  and  i^rojjerty  were 
not  safe  there,  his  friend  adding  that  three- 
fourths  of  the  criminals  who  had  come  before 
him  were  from  Rock  Island.  Apparently,  the 
advice  did  not  make  a  deep  impression  for  in 
a  short  time  our  subject  found  himself  in 
Rock  Island,  and  so  well  pleased  was  he  that 
he  at  once  decided  that  he  would  never  settle 
elsewhere.  A  few  months  later,  November, 
1869,  he  was  married  at  Fulton,  Illinois,  to 
Miss  Ellen  Mulcahey.  and  March  25,  1870, 
the  couple  came  to  Rock  Island  to  stay. 

For  ten  years  thereafter  Jlr.  Roche  con- 
tinued in  the  book  business  and  made  a  suc- 
cess of  it.  Then  he  embarked  in  other  lines, 
among    which    was   life    insurance,    and    here 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


169 


again  he  demrnstrated  his  fitness,  standing, 
after  two  years,  eleventh  in  ]ioint  of  business 
written,  amcng  two  hundred  agents  of  the 
Prudential  Insurance  Compam'.  In  JiUy, 
1900,  Mr.  Roche  established  the  American 
Steam  Laundry  at  the  corner  of  Fifth  A\'enue 
and  Twelfth  Street,  which  he  still  owns  and 
operates. 

Mr.  Roche  has  never  held  public  office. 
Neither  has  he  affiliated  with  any  party, 
preferring  to  support  the  men  whom  he 
believes  fit,  rather  than  ])latforms  full  of 
glittering  generalities.  He  is  a  faithful  mem- 
ber of  St.  Joseph's  Roman  Catholic  Church, 
and  withal,  a  fine  e.\ample  of  the  self-made 
man. 

Eleven  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Roche.  Four  died  in  infancy,  the  others 
still  surviving. 

iS   JS   JS 

JOHN  H.  THORNTON. 

MR.  JOHN  H.  THORNTON,  veteran  of 
the  Civil  A^'ar  and  for  many  years 
employed  in  the  Government  service 
at  Rock  Island  Arsenal,  was  born  in  Ireland 
June  24,  1847,  and  died  at  his  home  in  ]\Ioline 
July  9,  1903.  He  was  the  son  of  Patrick  and 
Mary  Thornton  and  came  to  America  with 
his  parents  while  an  infant,  aged  nine  months. 
The  mother  died  in  Rochester,  New  York, 
after  which  the  father  removed  to  Phila- 
delphia, from  which  city,  at  the  age  of  sixteen, 
yoins  Thomtcn  enlisted,  July  26,  1862,  in 
Comptny  Fifty-three,  Twenty-Ninth  Regi- 
ment, Penn.sj-lvcnia  A'olunteers,  Third  In- 
fantry. His  Company  was  assigned  to  the 
First  Brigade,  Second  Divisicn,  Twentietli 
Corps,  Arm}-  of  the  Potomac. 

He  was  in  numerous  engagements,  among 
them  may  be  named  the  Battle  of  Antietam, 
Chancellorsville,  Gettysburg,  Lookout  Moun- 
tain, Missicnary  Ridge  and  Zurmell  Hill. 
In  1865  he  was  hcnorably  discharged  and 
returning  to  Philadelphia  he  followed  the 
arts  of  peace  for  the  succeeding  five  years. 


when  in  1870  he  enlisted  in  the  Ordnance 
Corps  of  the  Tnited  States  Army,  an  I  was 
assigned  for  duty  at  Rock  Isl:;n:l  Arsenal. 

Coming  here  «ith  Captain  Farley,  who  was 
n3xt  in  command  at  the  Arsenil,  when 
fieneral  Flagler  was  Commandant,  Mr.  Thorn- 
ten  served  on  the  Island  till  1894,  when  he 
was  placed  on  the  retired  list  as  Sergeant, 
after  a  total  of  thirty  years  of  service,  with 
]iay  of  forty  dollars  per  mcnth. 

After  retirement  from  the  service  he 
secured  a  position  in  the  shops  at  the  Arsenal, 
which  he  held  up  to  the  time  of  his  last  illness. 
Mr.  Thointcn  was  married  to  ilartha  J. 
Montgomery,  daughter  of  the  late  and  vener- 
able A.  E.  Montgomery,  September  17,  1885. 
No  children  were  bom  to  them,  and  his 
widow,  alone,  of  all  his  relatives,  so  far  as 
known,  survives  him. 

Mr.  Thornton  was  a  staunch  Republican, 
always  active  in  his  party's  interests.  He 
served  two  years  as  a  member  of  the  board 
of  Supervisors  from  South  MoLne  Township. 
and  also  as  school  du'ector  in  his  district  for 
several  terms.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  also  of 
Graham  Post,  Grend  Army  of  the  Republic, 
and  of  Ben  Butterworth  Command,  L'nion 
\'eterans  L'nion,  and  at  one  time  was  a 
member  of  the  Select  Knights  of  America. 
His  religious  affiliations  was  with  the  Ignited 
Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  Thornton  was  a 
genial,  whole-.souled  man  and  left  a  host  of 
friends  to  mourn  his  death. 


MAURICE  A.  HOLLINGSWORTH. 


M 


H.  MAURICE  A.  HOLLINGSWORTH, 

a  veterinary  surgeon,  now  practicing  his 
profession  in  the  City  of  Rock  Island, 
was  born  December  10,  1872,  at  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  and  has  been  a  resident  of  Rock  Island 
for  a  number  of  years. 

He  is  the  son  of  Abraham  and  Celestia  S. 
Hollingsworth,  who  gave  him  an  education 
in  the  Ontario  ^'eterinary  College  at  Toronto, 


170 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


Canada.  After  completing  his  studies  there 
he  took  up  his  residence  in  Rock  Island  and 
commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
which  he  has  gradually  built  u])  so  that  he 
now  ranks  aniong  the  foremost  of  his  ))ro- 
fession  in  this  vicinity. 

It  was  not  until  1904  that  Doctor  Hollings- 
«orth  decided  to  wed.  and  on  September  4 
of  that  }-ear  he  married  Miss  Isabel  J.  Mc- 
Conochie.  the  charming  and  well  known 
daughter  of  E.\-iIayor  William  McConochie. 

Doctor  Hollingsworth  ranks  high  in  his 
profession,  and  is  well  and  favorablj'  known 
throughout  the  County  of  Rock  Island. 

JOSIAH  G.  HECK. 

THE  subject  of  this  sketch.  Josiah  G. 
Heck,  of  Moline,  was  born  in  Harrison 
County.  Ohio,  May  S.  1840.  the  son  of 
.John  and  Sarah  (Wilde)  Heck,  and  has  been 
a  resident  of  Rock  Island  County  the  past 
sixty-four  years.  The  Heck  family  is  an  old 
one;  Phillip  Heck,  grandfather  of  Josiah 
Heck,  belonging  to  a  family  that  was  early 
established  in  the  United  States. 

John  Heck,  father  of  Josiah  Heck,  was  born 
September  10,  17S6,  in  Penns3'Ivania,  In 
1S33  he  emigrated  to  Harrison  County,  Ohio, 
staying  eleven  years  there.  There  he  married 
Jliss  Sarah  Wilde,  and  a  few  years  later 
Josiah  Heck  was  born.  In  the  early  forties 
John  Heck  and  family  started  for  the  Terri- 
tory of  Illinois,  coming  down  the  Ohio  and 
up  the  Mississippi  River  to  Rock  Island, 
where  he  arrived  May  15,  1844.  In  1894  the 
famih-  of  Josiah  Heck  celebrated  the  fiftieth 
anniversary  of  their  arrival,  four  generations 
]jarticii)ating.  Mr.  Heck's  father  passed  away 
August  6,  1878,  at  the  advanced  age  of  92. 
His  wife  survived  him  until  1881. 

Our  subject  is  an  old  .soldier  who  was  one 
of  the  valiant  sons  who  responded  to  the  call 
of  Abraham  Lincoln  when  the  Civil  War 
broke  out.  As  a  youth  he  had  good  educa- 
tional advantages,  and  was  a  college  student 


when  the  war  was  declared.  On  October  5, 
1864,  he  joined  Company  C,  Sixty-si.xth 
Illinois  \'olunteer  Infantry,  and  served  in  the 
Army  of  the  Tennessee  until  discharged  June 
10.  1865. 

In  ])ublic  life  Mr.  Heck  has  been  prominent. 
P'or  seven  years  he  has  been  justice  of  the 
peace,  and  has  served  as  collector,  overseer 
of  highways,  as  a  member  of  the  school  board, 
and  for  twelve  years  served  as  a  township 
trustee.  As  a  strong  temperance  man  his 
.s\-mpathies  are  with  the  Prohibition  party, 
but  he  often  votes  independent  of  party  ties. 

^Ir.  Heck  was  married  May  11.  1881,  to 
Miss  Lora  E,  Cornwall,  who  was  born  in 
Faj'ette  County,  Iowa,  and  is  the  daughter  of 
George  W,  and  Araminta  (Crawford)  Corn- 
wall, natives  of  Canada.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heck 
have  one  daughter,  Elizabeth  S.  Heck,  Thev 
are  members  of  the  United  Brethern  Church. 
^Ir.  Heck  belongs  to  the  Forum  Lodge  of 
Stewartsville. 

ig  Sg   ie 

JOSEPH  HUNTOON. 

JOSEPH  HIXTOOX.  deceased,  a  native 
of  Hano\er.  Xew  Hampshire,  was  born 
April  17.  1812.  and  came  to  Illinois  in 
1837.  and  settled  at  Andover  Heights. 
.Shortly  afterwards  he  went  to  what  is  now 
called  Richland  (Jrove  Township,  where  he 
was  united  to  Miss  Syhia  Tanneg  in  marriage 
also  a  native  of  Xew  Hampshire,  having  been 
born  at  X'ew  Ipswick  October  22.  1822. 

Josepli  Huntoon  only  had  a  common  school 
education  and  at  an  early  age  learned  the 
shoemaker's  trade.  In  1844  he  and  Mrs. 
Huntoon  took  up  their  residence  in  Moline 
and  he  was  the  first  shoemaker  of  that  place, 
which  was  then  a  mere  "Hamlet."  He 
resided  at  the  corner  of  Second  Avenue  and 
Fourteenth  Street,  the  property  on  which  he 
lived  belonging  to  Spencer  White,  and  after- 
wards was  the  home  of  S,  W.  Wheelock. 

Mr.  Huntoon  later  removed  to  Fourth 
.\ venue    and    Fourteenth    Street,    where    lie 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COU  X  T  Y 


17 


lived  until  the  Chicago  and  Rock  Island 
Railroad  came  west,  and  upon  entering 
Moline,  took  a  portion  of  their  lot.  This 
necessitated  the  removal  of  the  house  further 
hack  on  the  lot  in  order  to  make  room  for  the 
tracks.  The  people  at  that  time  were  so 
anxious  for  the  railroad  that  they  cared  Imt 
little  where  the  tracks  were  laid. 

Some  time  later  Mr.  Himtoon  removed  to 
the  old  Joseph  Jackman  place  where  he 
resided  imtil  his  demise. 

Sirs.  Huntoon  was  a  charter  member  of  tlie 
Congregational  Church  of  Moline,  being  at 
that  time  only  eighteen  years  of  age.  Soon 
afterwards  ilr.  Huntoon  liecame  a  member 
of  the  same  church,  and  both  became  steady 
church  goers.  Jlr.  Huntoon  later  became  a 
deacon  and  also  could  l)e  found  on  eacli 
Wednesday  evening  in  cliarge  of  the  Boj-s' 
Club.  Not  only  was  Mr.  Huntoon  the  first 
shoemaker  of  the  place,  but  he  was  the 
second  brickmaker  as  well.  Finding  that  the 
brick  industry  was  a  profitable  one  he  com- 
menced to  manufacture  that  material,  and 
from  1846  to  1876  he  supplied  Jloline  with 
the  greater  quantity  of  its  brick. 

His  family  consisted  of  Edgar  X..  .Joseph 
C,  George  H..  Mary  L.  and  Fannie  A.  Hun- 
toon. all  of  whom  were  born  in  Moline  with 
the  single  exception  of  Edgar  N..  who  was 
born  in  Mercer  County,  Illinois. 

Through  keen  perseverance  and  business 
enterprise  Mr.  Huntoon  acquired  consider- 
able wealth,  and  after  giving  his  children  a 
good  education,  left  them  well  provided  for. 
He  possessed  the  faculty  of  making  friends 
and  was  held  in  high  regard  by  his  many 
acquaintances. 

«  i«  ?S 

HONORABLE  GEORGE  W.  JOHNSON. 

HONORABLE  GEORGE  W.  JOHNSON, 
of  No.  1440  Twelfth  Street,  Moline,  was 
born  in  Henry  County,  Illinois,  October 
9,  1857.     He  was  raised  on  the  farm  and  the 
training  he  there  acquired  fitted  him  well  for 


the  public  career  he  later  attained.  As  a 
youth  he  was  persevering  and  studious  and 
made  the  most  of  the  public  school  teachings 
he  had  the  advantage  of.  May  31.  1882,  he 
married  Miss  Caroline  F.  Hogg,  of  Andover, 
Illinois.  For  two  years  they  conducted  a 
farm  and  then.  Mr.  Johnson  feeling  himself 
fitted  for  a  Inisiness  career,  moved  to  Orion, 
Illinois,  in  the  Spring  of  1SS4,  where  he 
entered  in  the  general  mercantile  business. 
During  President  Harrison's  administration 
he  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Orion. 

In  1891  he  gave  up  his.  business  in  Orion 
and  moved  to  Moline  where  he  entered  the 
real  estate  field.  He  followed  this  business 
until  1900  when  he  accepted  the  active 
management  of  the  Jloline  Furniture  Co. 

Mr.  Johnson  is  a  staunch  Republican  and 
has  been  identified  with  the  party  since  old 
enough  to  vote.  As  a  Republican  he  has 
always  upheld  the  party  principles  and  taken 
an  active  ])art  in  the  campaigns.  He  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  House  of  Represen- 
tatives from  this,  the  Thirt}--third  Senatorial 
District,  in  1898,  and  served  for  two  terms  in 
the  FortA'-first  and  Forty-second  general 
assembly,  where  he  acquitted  himself  well. 
Mr.  Johnson  is  affiliated  with  the  Lutheran 
Church. 

Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Johnson  have  lipen  the  parents 
of  four  children,  the  oldest  dying  when  six 
years  of  age.  There  are  three  bovs  living, 
^lauritz  Johnson,  aged  twenty-two.  now  with 
his  father  in  the  office;  Esley,  aged  nineteen, 
now  at  college;  and  Franklin,  aged  twelve, 
now  in  the  public  schools. 

M  m  ^ 
CHARLES  BISHOP  KNOX. 

CHARLES  BISHOP  KNOX,  deceased, 
one  of  Rock  Island's  pioneer  citizens 
and  a  Avide  awake  and  conservative 
lousiness  man  and  politician  in  his  days,  was 
born  at  Blandford.  Massachusetts,  June  27, 
1818,  and  died  in  Rock  Island  on  May  28, 
1890. 


172 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


Charles  ]5isli(i]i  Knox  was  tlic  son  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Curtis  11  Knox,  Avho  was  one  of  the 
old  respected  families  of  Blandford.  He 
acquireil  a  coninion  school  education  in  the 
pid)Iic  schools  of  Blandford  and  SiJringfield. 
Massachusetts,  and  in  1841  came  to  the  City 
of  Rock  Island  direct  from  his  native  state. 
Having  arrived  here  at  this  early  day  he  was 
listed  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  the  county 
and  soon  became  widely  acquainted. 

After  devoting  much  time  to  the  study  of 
embalming  he  entered  the  undertaking  busi- 
ness in  Rock  Island  in  1S58  and  continued  in 
this  business  until  May  28,  1890,  which  was 
the  day  of  his  demise. 

During  this  period  of  years  he  held  jniblic 
office,  and  in  the  execution  of  the  duties  of 
these,  which  he  capabl_v  conducted,  naturally 
won  the  esteem  and  admiration  of  all  those 
with  whom  he  dealt.  His  career  in  politics 
lead  him  into  various  offices  of  responsibility 
which  he  occupied  for  a  number  of  years. 
Amcng  the  public  offices  held  by  him  Ijeing 
County  Coroner,  county  supervisor  and  alder- 
man of  the  Citv  of  Rock  Island. 

Mr.  Knox  was  a  staunch  Republican  and 
was  elected  to  office  by  the  Republican  party. 
Aside  from  these  political  duties  Mr.  Knox 
also  served  for  some  time  as  chief  of  the 
vohmteer  fire  department  of  Rock  Ishmd. 

To  fraternal  organization  ]\lr.  Knox  gave 
but  little  of  his  time,  being  onh*  a  member  of 
Rock  Island  I,odge.  No.  18,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  taking  Ijut  a 
small  part  in  its  business  or  social  department. 
While  he  was  affectionate  and  liberal  he  was 
affiliated  with  no  other  charitable  or  ])hilan- 
throjnc  institutio;ns  than  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  of  Rock  Island.  In  this  he  was 
known  as  a  good  church  worker  and  always 
assisted  in  its  advanceuicnt  in  whate^'er  way 
he  could. 

Ill  bS.3!),  shortly  before  Mr.  Kno.x  had 
reached  his  maturity,  or  atjlie  age  of  twent.v 
years,  he  decided  to  nuuTv,  and  this  event 
took    ])lace   at    Blaiulfonl.    wliere   he   resided 


until  he  came  to   Rock   Island  in   1S41,   two 
years  later. 

Four  sons  of  Charles  Bishop  Kno.x  are  his 
oidy  survivors:  Edwin  B.  Knox  of  Moline, 
B.  F.,  C.  B.  and  S.  P.  Knox  of  this  city  are 
the  remaining  members  of  his  family. 

Under  him  two  sons  learned  the  embalming 
and  undertaking  business,  and  to  this  day 
both  are  successfully  engaged  in  carrying  out 
the  work  of  the  father;  E.  B.  Knox  conducting 
his  undertaking  rooms  in  ^loline,  and  B.  F. 
Knox  in  this  city.  Both  have  established 
themselves  in  their  respective  cities  as  well 
as  in  the  surrounding  community  and  are 
enjoying  a  steady  growth  and'  prosperous 
bu.siness.  B.  F.  Knox,  like  his  father, 
aspired  to  political  office  and  was  on  two 
occasions  honored  by  being  elected  mayor  of 
the  City  .of  Rock  Island  on  the  Republican 
ticket. 

The  demise  of  .Charles  Bisho]j  Knox  took 
from  Rock  Island  one  of  its  most  estimable, 
u]iright  and  honorable  citizens. 
5g  m  «? 

WALTER  JUDSON  ENTRIKIN. 

AFTER  sixty-two  years  of  experience  of 
the  most  •v-aried  nature,  Walter  Judson 
Entrikin,  jirominent  attorney,  died  Au- 
gust 3,  1908,  at  his  residence  in  Moline,  at  316 
Sixteenth  Street.  T'nlike  many  of  the  older 
settlers  in  this  county.  Attorney  Entrikin  was 
born  on  American  soil  and  spent  his  entire 
life  in  the  United  States  of  America — in  the 
great  middle  west.  Born  on  February  8. 
1846,  he  spent  his  early  youth  in  Salem 
Townshi]!.  Coluniljiana  County.  Ohio,  but 
later  choose  to  roam  farther  west.  After 
many  years  of  work  in  various  capacities  in 
Rock  Island  Coimty.  Mr.  Entrikin  became 
city  attorney  of  the  City  of  Moline,  1873-4 
and  1881-2;  state's  attorney  of  Rock  Island 
County,  1884-8;  master  in  chancery  of  Rock 
Island  County.  1902-4. 

His  parents  were  Brinton  Entrikin  and 
VMzix  Jane  (McCraken)  Entrikin.   Their  history 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     C  0  U  N  T  Y 


173 


is  of  great  interest  and  it  was  due  to 
tlieir  efforts  and  labor  in  the  ''pioneer  days" 
that  their  descendants  became  influencing 
jKuvers  in  communities  in  which  they  have 
labored  in  later  years.  Brinton  Entrikin  was 
born  on  December  8,  1811,  at  Westchester. 
Chester  County,  Pennsj'lvania,  and  Eliza 
Jane  McCraken  was  born  on  November  19, 
1814,  at  Salem  Township,  Columbiana  County, 
Ohio.  The  father  of  the  local  man  was  a 
schoolmate  with  Bayard  Taylor,  the  author, 
and  his  mother  was  an  important  station 
agent  on  the  "  Underground  Railroad" — that 
railroad  which  passed  thi'ough  Columbiana 
Cotmty,  and  which  meant  so  much  to  fugitive 
shnes  seeking  (^anada,  and  freedom.  The 
luitrikins  came  from  Ireland,  the  McCrakens 
from  Scotland.  John  Entrikin,  the  first 
I'hitrikin  of  whom  a  detailed  record  was  kept, 
settled  in  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania, 
before  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  grand- 
mother of  Walter  Entrikin.  it  is  related,  tied 
u|i  the  finger  of  General  George  AVashington 
when  he  was  woimded  in  the  battle  of  Brandy- 
wine,  at  the  time  she  was  a  little  girl. 

Mr  Entrikin  came  to  Moline,  Illinois,  on 
April  25,  1871,  and  has  since  resided  there. 
Pi-c\-ious  to  that  time  he  received  a  classical 
collegiate  counse  at  Oberlin  College,  the 
gi'owing  Ohio  educational  institution,  graduat- 
ing on  August  4,  1870.  Following  that  he 
read  law  with  Wait  and  Modenvell  of  Geneseo, 
and  with  John  T.  Browning  of  Moline,  Illinois, 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Rock  Island 
County  on  October  12,  1871,  being  the  last 
lawyer  to  take  the  examination  under  the 
late  Judge  George  W.   Pleasants. 

Mr.  Entrikin  was  a  Congregationalist  and 
his  views  were  of  the  bi'oadest  scope.  His 
record  as  a  Re|.)ublican  i)arty  memlier  in  this 
county  is  a  long  and  prominent  one.  He  was 
a   member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of    Pnited 

Workmen    and   of   the   Modern    V\' liiicu   of 

America. 

Walter  Judson  Entrikin  nian'i(>d  Miss  Julia 
Alathea    Chamborlin    on    August     18,     1870. 


His  wife  was  a  native  of  Vermont  and  came 
to  Moline  with  her  ))aronts  in  .^pril  of  1860. 
They  were  William  and  Lydia  P.  Chamherlin, 
well-to-do  anil  peo]3le  who  for  the  uiost  part 
lived  a  quiet  retired  life. 

The  children  are:  E\'a  Mary  Mirgan.  wife 
of  Robert  H.  Morgan,  of  Muline:  \\'illiaui 
Brinton  Entrikin  and  Frederick  ('ha])in  JMilri- 
kin,  who  were  associated  \\ith  their  father  in 
Moline;  Roy  Judson  Entrikin,  connected  with 
Moline  Heating  and  Construction  Comp.my; 
and  Ada  Lucile  Entrikin,  widely  known 
soprano  soloist  and  gradiuite  of  .\inerican 
Conservatory  of  Music. 

5S  Ji  5S 

DOCTOR  JAMES  F.  MYERS. 

DOCTOR  JAMES  F.  MYIORS.  one  of  Rock 
Island  County's  ]irominent  physicians, 
was  liorn  December  29.  1850,  at  Hebron, 
Ohio,  and  was  the  son  of  Henry  A.  and  La\-ina 
Myers,  both  of  whom  are  living  in  their 
eighties  at  Eureka,  Illinois.  Dr.  Meyers' 
father  was  a  Baptist  minister  by  vocation,  but 
at  an  early  age  retired  upon  a  farm  in  McLean 
County.  Illinois.  He  was  a  native  of  Alle- 
ghany County,  Peunsyl\ania. 

Doctor  James  F.  Myers  attended  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  own  neighborhood  vuitil 
he  I'caclied  his  eighteenth  year,  when  he  took 
up  his  studies  at  Westfield  College.  Before 
receiving  his  degree  there  he  entered  the 
business  college  of  Alarquani  and  Raker  at 
Bloomington,  Illinois,  and  after  completing 
his  course  of  study  in  this  college,  entered 
Rush  Medical  College  and  graduated  from 
that  institution  February  20,  1883, 

During  the  time  spent  in  college  he  studied 
art,  and  during  the  hist  three  years  of  his 
studies  he  taught  music,  nanieh-;  piano, 
violin  and  vocal. 

James  F.  Alyers  was  born  on  a  farm  and 
spent  his  boyhood  days  there.  Even  when 
a  mere  boy  he  was  noted  for  his  musical 
inclinations,  if  not  his  ability,  and  at  the  age 
of  fifteen  vears  was  leader  of  a   br.-iss  band' 


174 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


also  leader  of  an  orchestra,  played  the  church 
organ  and  taught  the  old  fashioned  singing 
school  in  the  school  houses  and  churches  and 
in  the  villages  in  his  section  of  the  country. 

After  graduating  in  medicine  from  Rush 
Medical  College  in  1883  he  located  at  Farmer 
City,  Illinois,  for  the  practice  of  his  profession. 
Not  content  with  his  country  practice  and 
the  long  rides  over  countrj'  roads  he  gave  up 
his  practice  there  and  located  in  the  City  of 
Rock  Island  in  the  Fall  of  1901.  and  has 
continued  his  residence  in  Rock  Island  since. 
His  dailj'  life  was  unobtrusive  and  he  was  not 
disturbed  from  following  the  "even  tenor" 
in  his  own  way  until  after  the  second  attempt 
by  the  Modern  Woodmen  to  move  their  head 
offices  from  Fulton,  Illinois,  to  Rock  Island. 
Doctor  Jlyers  was  the  cnh-  phj^sician  in  a 
party  of  five  hundred  who  went  from  Rock 
Island  to  Fultcn  in  a  special  train  for  the 
purpose  of  forcefully  removing  the  books  and 
fixtures  of  the  Modem  Woodmen  of  America, 
and  a  general  riot  followed,  in  which  about 
one  fourth  of  the  participants  were  injiu-ed. 

Doctor  Myers  was  such  a  conspicuous 
figure  in  leading  the  attack  upon  the  people 
of  Fulton — or  the  "Fultonites,"  as  the}-  were 
called — and  in  his  attentions  to  his  wounded 
comrades  after  the  fight  was  over,  though  he 
himself  had  been  shot,  cut  and  bruised,  made 
him  generally  known  and  spoken  of  with 
more  than  ordinary  ccnsideraticn. 

Doctor  Myers  had  not  only  accomplished 
much  in  medicine  and  music,  but  in  politics, 
educaticn  and  fraternal  organization  as  well. 
In  1886  he  was  president  of  the  school  board 
Enl  in  1889  was  president  of  the  McLean 
County  Agricultural  Fair  Association.  In 
1898  he  was  elected  supreme  medical  director 
of  the  Court  of  Honor,  a  position  which  he 
held  for  eight  years. 

In  the  same  year  he  was  also  elected  a 
member  of  the  board  of  supervisors  and  held 
the  pcsitic  n  for  six  years.  He  was  appointed 
in  1902  by  Sheriff  Gordi  n  as  ph\sician  to  the 
Rock  Island  County  jail,  and  he  was  succes- 


sivel_y  appointed  to  the  same  position  by 
SherifT  Hemmenway  and  Sheriff  Cralle.  Dur- 
ing the  year  of  1906  he  was  health  commis- 
sioner for  the  City  of  Rock  Island,  and  it 
might  well  be  added  that  Doctor  Myers  was 
the  organizer  and  first  president  of  the  first 
medical  society  organized  in  Rock  Island 
County  which  was  recognized  by  the  Illinois 
State  Medical  Society. 

Politicalh-  Doctor  Myers  was  a  Republican 
and  is  still  of  that  persuasion. 

He  has  been  and  is  at  the  present  time 
connected  with  many  organizations,  among 
which  are  the  Masons.  Odd  Fellows.  Knights 
of  Pythias,  Court  of  Honor,  Woodmen,  Royal 
Neighbors,  North  Star,  Modern  Brotherhood 
of  America,  Royal  Americans,  American 
Order  of  Foresters  and  others.  He  has  held 
^•a^ious  offices  in  nearly  all  these  orders  and 
has  held  responsible  offices  in  the  supreme 
lodges  of  many  of  them.  He  was  for  years 
chairman  of  the  law  committee  of  the  Fra- 
ternal Army.  For  eight  3'ears  he  was  supreme 
medical  director  of  the  Court  of  Honor.  For 
eight  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of 
directors  of  the  North  Star  and  is  now  in 
possession  of  the  highest  office,  chief  astron- 
omer. 

Doctor  Myers  was  married  March  15,  1882, 
to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Johnson,  of  Heyworth, 
Illinois.  Her  father  was  James  Johnson,  the 
most  influential  farmer  in  the  community  in 
which  he  resided.  Two  children  have  been 
born  to  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Myers:  Dacie.  now 
the  wife  of  a  prominent  drj-  goods  merchant 
of  Erie,  Illinois;  and  Miss  Nettie  E.  Myers  at 
home.  Miss  Nettie  is  editor  of  the  North 
Star,  a  publication  devoted  to  the  organiza- 
tion of  which  Doctor  Myers  is  chief  astronomer. 
&:  Jg  3g 

DOCTOR  F.  H.  GARDNER. 

DOCTOR  F.   H.   GARDNER,  a  physician 
residinsj  at  507  Fifteent'i  Street.  Mjline. 
IlLmis,  is  a  native  of  t'le  state,  having 
been  b.irn  at  Sublette  March  16,  1839.     After 


//  1  ST  ()  R  I  C     R  O  C  K     ISLAND     CO  U  N  T  Y 


175 


aequirin^  a  common  and  high  school  educa- 
tion he  entered  tlie  Chicago  College  of  Phar- 
macy and  Medical  Department  Union  of 
Illinois,  from  which  he  graduated.  He  served 
Ijriefl}'  as  a  military  man  as  a  member  of  the 
Chicago  Zouaves,  this  service  extending  from 
the  year  of  1S86  to  1S.S7.  Politically  he  was 
every  hair  a  Repulilican.  and  in  1897  he 
received  the  appointment  of  United  States 
pension  examinei'.  which  po.^^ition  he  holds  to 
date. 

Fraternally  he  is  affiliated  with  Doric 
Lodge,  No.  319.  of  .Aloline.  .\ncient  Free  anrl 
Accepted  Masons. 

In  1897,  the  same  year  in  which  he  was 
apjiointed  United  States  pension  examiner. 
he  married  Miss  Anna  VanHorn.  of  LaFayette, 
Indiana. 

As  a  physician  he  ranks  high  and  as  a 
citizen  his  pleasing  personality  and  character- 
istics have  stamped  him  among  the  most 
agreeable  and  respected  of  Moline. 

Sg    ig    !g 

MARK  ASHDOWIM. 

MARK  ASHDOWN,  deceased,  for  many 
years  a  resident  of  Port  Byron  and  Coe 
Townships,  was,  during  his  lifetime, 
one  of  the  best  known  and  respected  of  the 
many  long  time  residents  of  this  county. 
He  was  born  in  County  Kent,  in  England. 
on  the  tliird  day  of  .June.  18.51,  and 
died  May  31.  1907.  He  came  to  Amer- 
ica early  and  in  late  years  became  jjrominent 
in  local  public  life  as  an  ardent  Prohibitionist 
and  the  holder  of  varioiis  public  offices  in  this 
coimty  at  various  times.  Not  until  early  in 
1907  dill  death  finally  claim  Mr.  Ashdown. 
after  he  had  suffered  for  six  years  with 
l)aral3-sis. 

The  late  citizen  of  Rock  Island  County, 
here  mentioned,  was  the  son  of  Edward  and 
Ann  Bakurst  Ashdown,  both  of  County 
Sussex,  England.  Edward  Ashflown.  father 
of  Mark,  came  to  America  in  1S42.  .•iccoiu- 
panied  by  hi.s  two  .sons,  Henry  and  Mark,  and 


after  spending  thirteen  months  in  Macedon, 
Wayne  County,  New  York,  they  returned  to 
England,  where  the  elder  .Mr,  Ashdown  died 
soon  afterward. 

In  the  fall  of  18.50  Mark  and  his  brother 
returned  to  New  York  State  and  again  located 
in  Wayne  County.  Until  1855  Mark  re- 
mained there  and  in  that  year  emigrated  to 
Illinois,  spending  one  Summer  in  Port  Byron. 
Then  going  to  Canoe  Creek  Township  of 
Rock  Island  County,  he  remained  until  1863. 
engaging  in  agricultural  pursuits.  Going  into 
Coe  Township  in  1863,  he  remained  tmtil 
1881,  at  which  time  he  .again  moved  to  Port 
Byron,  engaging  in  the  manufacture  of 
lumber  and  acting  as  local  dealer  in  agricid- 
tural  imjilements.  Not  until  1895  did  he  per- 
manently retire  from  active  business  pursuits. 

For  eight  years  Mr.  Ashdown  was  a  justice 
of  the  peace  in  Coe  Township  and  for  thirteen 
years  he  was  a  member  of  the  school  board. 
He  was  also  at  one  time  a  member  of  the 
Port  Byron  town  board.  In  early  years  Mr. 
Ashdown  was  identified  with  the  Democratic 
party,  but  in  late  years,  as  was  stated  abo\'e, 
he  became  a  Prohibitionist. 

Mark  Ashdown  married  in  Wayne  County, 
New  York,  on  December  23.  1852,  the  bride 
being  Miss  Mary  Ann  Beale,  of  County  Kent, 
England.  Miss  Beale  came  to  this  country 
in  1850,  with  her  father,  Henry  E.  Beale. 
The  nearest  descendants  of  Mark  Ashdown 
are  two  sons  and  one  daughter,  namely: 
William  Henry,  born  in  Wayne  County,  New 
York,  and  now  living  in  Coe  Township; 
Charles  Edward,  born  in  Rock  Island  County, 
Illinois,  a  farmer  living  in  Coe  Township;  and 
Ella  E.,  the  wife  of  Luther  S.  Pearsell,  a  Port 
Byron  merchant.      One  son  died   in   infancy. 

>s  m  M 
HARRY  LANDON  CHAPMAN. 

HARRY    LANDOX  CHAPMAN,   a  native 
(if    Illinois,    was   born   at  Jersej'ville,    in 
this    state,    on    October    29,    1875,    and 
was  the  son  of  T.  S.  and  Sarah  E.  Chapman. 


176 


HISTORIC     RO  C  K     ISLAND     COUNTY 


His  mother  was  formerly  Miss  Sarali  E. 
I.andon,  of  German  parentage,  wliilc  his 
father  was  an  Enghshman. 

Mr.  Chapman  is  now  prominent  in  lianking 
circles  in  the  City  of  Moline,  where  he  holds 
the  honorable  position  of  vice-president  of 
the  Peoples  Bank  and  Trust  Company.  He 
took  up  his  residence  in  Jloline  February  1. 
1904,  and  since  that  time  has  made  many 
staunch  friends. 

After  obtaining  a  ])ublic  school  education 
he  entered  the  ^lichigan  law  school  and  upon 
completion  of  his  studies,  graduated  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  Illinois  and  ilichigan 
at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years.  He  prac- 
ticed law  for  some  time,  but  decided  that  his 
interest  in  banking  would  be  of  greater  value, 
and  consequently  turned  his  attentions  to 
that  profession,  to  which  he  still  adheres. 

Mr.  Chapman  is  a  Republican  but  never 
run  for  public  oflice.  He  has  always,  and  is 
still,  ready  to  exert  his  efforts  for  a  fellow 
Republican.  iMr.  Chapman  is  also  a  constant 
church  goer  and  can  be  found  in  the  congre- 
gation of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Moline 
on  most  every  Sunday.  His  people  were  all 
honorable  and  ranked  high  in  their  respect i^•e 
lines  of  business,  and  like  his  ancestry,  Mr. 
Chapman  aspires  to  thesummit  of  his  profession- 

5S  m  ^j 
DOCTOR  A.  H.  ARP. 

THERE  is  no  period  in  the  world's  history 
which  fails  to  demonstrate  that  excep- 
tional ability  and  knowledge  are  invari- 
al)ly    triumphant    and    lasting,    and    live    in 
memory  long  after  the  finite  clay  has  returned 
to  mother  earth. 

In  medicine,  as  in  every  profession  or  busi- 
ness, nothing  succeeds  like  success,  hut  to 
attain  success  requires  a  master  mind,  a 
logical  and  conservative  policy  and  a  thorough 
understanding  of  one's  chosen  calling.  This 
being  true,  what  shall  be  said  of  those  who 
are  inordinately  endowed  with  genius  and 
ability  of  accomplishment? 


Hence,  is  so  much  as  success  is  measured 
b}-  achievement,  and  in  turn,  success  is 
bona  fide  proof  of  exceptional  cajjability.  it 
can  be  perceived  that  the  prolific  mind  if 
not  permitted  to  hide  its  lamp  of  genius 
under  a  bushel.  Personal  adaptation  and 
knowledge  are  recognized  with  a  certainty 
that  passeth  understanding,  and  are  never 
permitted  to  remain  dormant  for  any  great 
length  of  time.  Whether  it  be  found  in 
business,  politics,  art  or  medicine,  the  result 
is  the  the  same — cream  will  not  cease  rising 
until  it  has  reached  the  top. 

A  timely  and  parallel  case  for  illustration 
is  to  be  found  in  Doctor  A.  H.  Arp,  of  Moline. 
Born  December  4,  1861,  in  Davenport,  Iowa, 
and  being  left  fatherless  at  the  age  of  three 
and  a-half  years,  he  was  never  the  less  endued 
with  the  perquisites  which  go  to  make  a 
virile  and  intelligent  being,  antl  siich  he  has 
l^een  during  his  entire  lifetime. 

After  the  death  of  his  father  his  mother 
removed  to  Moline,  where  she  took  abode 
with  her  brother.  Doctor  P.  H.  Wessel.  In 
that  city  he  received  his  education,  and  after 
lieing  graduated  from  the  public  schools  be 
began  to  study  law  under  the  direction  of 
Honorable  William  A.  Meese.  Finding  law 
incompatible  to  his  inclinations,  Mr.  Arp 
took  up  the  science  of  medicine  under  the 
tutorage  of  Doctor  P.  H.  Wessel,  his  uncle, 
and  in  1879  entered  the  Iowa  State  Univer- 
sity, from  which  he  graduated  in  1SS2,  being 
one  of  the  first  class  in  that  college  to  finish 
the  three  years'  medicine  course.  He  re- 
turned to  Moline  and  began  his  profession 
under  auspicious  circumstances,  and  ;\Ioline 
has  since  been  his  home. 

In  1888  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
Doctor  Wessel,  a  consolidation  which  did  not 
terminate  until  1895,  since  which  time 
Doctor  A.  H.  Arp  has  practiced  as  an  indi- 
vidual physician.  How  successful  he  has 
been  is  apparent  by  the  scores  of  patients 
who  daily  visit  his  office,  by  the  remarkable 
cures  he  has  effected,  and  bv  the  fact  that  he 


DR.  A.  H.   AKP 


//  /  N  T  ()  R  I  C     R  0  C  K     I  S  L  A  N  L)     (J  O  U  N  T  Y 


177 


is  the  attending  physician  for  nearly,  if  not 
all,  of  the  manufactories  in  the  Plow  City; 
chief  surgeon  of  the  Tri-City  Railway  and 
Light  Company,  and  surgeon  for  the  Chicago, 
Rock  Island  and  Pacific  Railway  and  Chicago, 
Rock  Islanfl  and  Pacific  Railway  shops.  He 
is  a  nienilior  of  the  Rock  Island  County 
Medical  Society,  Illinois  State  Medical  So- 
ciety, American  Medical  Association,  Asso- 
ciation of  Railway  Surgeons,  Tri-State  Medi- 
cal Society  of  Illinois,  Iowa  and  Missouri;  he 
served  as  City  physician  of  Moline  from  1883 
to  1S87,  and  from  1892  to  1897  in  the  same 
capacity;  he  was  appointed  on  the  first 
hospital  board  under  the  state  law,  and  was 
its  secretary  or  president  for  six  years;  and 
is  a  member  of  its  medical  staff,  and  of  the 
adjunct  staff  of  St.  Anthony's  hospital.  In 
1907  Doctor  A.  H.  Arp  was  ajipointed  com- 
missioner of  health  under  the  administration 
of  j\Iayor  Andrew  Olson,  which  jiosition  he 
still  holds,  and  under  his  management  a  great 
many  needed  reforms  as  to  puljlic  health 
have  been  inaugurated.  As  may  be  sur- 
mised, he  is  a  member  of  numerous  orders, 
among  which  may  be  named  King  Philip 
Tribe,  Improved  Order  of  Red  men,  of  which 
he  is  a  charter  member;  Improved  Order  of 
Forresters;  Modern  Woodmen  of  America, 
No.  38;  Tribe  of  Ben  Hur;  Royal  Neighbors, 
etc.,  and  these  he  re]iresents  as  physician  for 
the  order.  Is  medical  examiner  for  the 
Northwestern  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Comp- 
any, the  Erjuitable  of  New  York,  Massa- 
chusetts Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company  of 
Springfield,  Massachusetts,  etc. 

December  24,  1889,  Doctor  Arj)  was  wed 
in  Rock  Island  to  Miss  Mattie  Hardy,  who 
was  born  in  Wisconsin,  she  is  a  graduate  of 
the  Rock  Island  High  School,  was  graduated 
in  music  under  Professor  Ki'amer  of  Da^'cn- 
port,  and  was  fui-  two  years  a  well  known 
music  teacher  in  <'liicago.  Two  children 
were  born  to  this  union,  namely;  k.  Henry 
and  Louis  C. 


A  volume  larger  than  this  could  be  written 
relative  to  the  ex])eriences  and  cures  wrought 
by  Doctor  Arji.  but  since  his  reputation  as  a 
skilled  hand  and  master  mind  in  medicine 
and  surgery  has  spread  to  limitless  miles,  any 
effort  to  confine  them  to  details  or  define 
them  would  be  futile. 

Coming  from  the  great  middle  class  of 
''men  who  do  things,"  Doctor  Arp  was 
physically  as  well  as  mentally  cpialified  to 
succeed,  as  evidenced  by  the  rapid  strides 
in  metlicine  that  he  can  check  to  his  credit. 
He  is  jovial,  but  never  ungracious:  kindly 
and  gentle,  though  coiirageous  and  stern; 
strong  and  \-irile,  yet  womanly  in  tenderness 
and  sympathy. 

As  a  physician  he  is  ])ar  excellent,  and  his 
re]nitation  throughout  the  middle  west  is 
paramount  to  that  of  any  jjhysician,  regai'd- 
less  of  the  school  which  awardeil  him  a  sheep- 
skin. .Medicine  magnifies  before  him  witli 
the  ease  and  celerity  with  which  the  sun 
disposes  of  the  dew,  and  as  a  diagnostician 
and  surgeon  he  is  an  acknowledged  superior, 
even  by  those  who  would  fain  say  otherwise. 
Socialy  he  is  recognized  in  every  plane  anil 
by  everyone,  and  in  brief,  it  may  be  said  tlml 
aside  from  his  skill  as  a  ])hysician  and  a  gentle 
administrator  to  suffering  mankind,  he  is 
pleasant,  painstaking,  conscientious,  and  of 
sterling  integrity.  What  more  need  be  said, 
for  of  what  avail  are  weak  words  compared 
with  the  lasting  monument  of  service  whicli 
he  has  rendered  to  all  who  came  under  his 
care. 

n  n  "H 
CHARLES  DEERE. 

THE  American  plow  and  I  lie  iianir  uf 
Deere  are  synonymous  in  the  public 
mind.  Neither  widespread  commecial- 
ism  insjiired  by  the  [ilow  nor  its  constant 
dexelopment  toward  jierfection  by  ct'.ei' 
hands  and  minds  has  effaced  the  intiuKicy 
between  th(>  in\-entoi'  ;iiid  liis  iii\entiin. 
There    is    no    such    close    sympathy    between 


178 


HISTORIC     RU  C  K     1  S  L  A  X  1)     C  U  U  A'  T  Y 


Fulton  and  the  steamboat,  Morse  and  the 
telegraph  f)r  others  among  the  pioneers  of 
jiractical  ideas.  The  living  force  of  most 
inventors  has  been  in  the  ideas  they  have 
given  to  the  world,  but  the  perfection  of 
these  ideas  has  been  carried  forw  ard  by  others. 
The  living  force  of  the  Deere  invention  is  the 
Deere  plow  and  the  Deere  industry  and  the 
faithful  association  of  the  inventor  with 
every  phase  of  the  development  of  his  inven- 
tion. The  Deere  plow  was  the  product  of 
the  genius  of  John  Deere,  the  father;  the 
Deere  industrj^  was  the  triumph  of  business 
acumen  akin  to  talent  of  Charles  Henry 
Deere,  the  son.  The  Deere  plow  and  the 
Deere  industry  have  e^•er  been  foremost  in 
setting  a  standard  for  agriculture  and  manu- 
facture, both  in  perfection  of  the  implement 
and  the  magnitude  of  the  industry.  Seldom 
has  history  brought  into  such  close  relation 
such  a  remarkable  combination  of  practical 
genius  and  business  capacity  in  father  and 
son.  They  were  true  pioneers  of  .\merican 
products  in  the  markets  of  the  world  and 
they  made  the  name  of  Deere  a  house  hold 
term  in  every  nation  of  the  globe. 

Charles  H.  Deere  was  a  typical  American 
in  a  day  and  age  conspicuous  for  individual 
achievement.  The  times  called  for  men  to 
develop  the  natural  resources  of  the  j-oung 
undeveloped  nation.  Men  consecrated  their 
lives  to  organizing  vast  industrial  activities. 
Charles  Deere  was  representative  of  the 
highest  type  of  these  producers  of  the  enor- 
mous' wealth  of  the  nation.  His  life  was 
consecrated  to  exploiting  the  utility  of  that 
which  his  father  had  created.  The  plow  not 
only  became  the  most  potent  forerunner  of 
civilization,  but  the  originator  of  the  com- 
mercial wealth  of  the  nation. 

As  a  boy,  when  his  mind  was  forming, 
Charles  Deere  caught  the  all-ab.sorbing  en- 
thusiasm and  zeal  of  the  father.  He  was 
John  Deere's  companion  in  driving  about  the 
country  in  the  vicinity  of  (irand  Detour. 
Illinois,  to  test  the  priniiti\(>  plows  the  father 


had  built  for  the  ]iioneers.  He  held  the  plow 
anil  followed  the  furrow  and  caught  the  first 
faint  realization  of  the  scope  of  agriculture 
as  a  national  resource  and  of  the  bu.siness  of 
farming. 

Charles  Deere  was  Ijrought  a  babe  in  arms 
l)y  his  mother  In  ls:?S  from  the  family  home 
in  Hancock,  .\ddison  Comity.  \'ermont. 
where  Charles  was  born  .March  "JS.  1S.37. 
.lohn  Deere  had  ])receded  the  family  by 
several  months  to  the  west.  In  the  simple 
home  at  (!rand  Detour,  now  a  somewhat 
de.serted  village  near  Dixon,  Hlinois,  the  son 
tasted  the  privations  of  the  pioneer,  lived  the 
humble  life  of  the  settler,  mingled  with  the 
Indians  and  was  given  the  meager  advan- 
tages of  the  coimtry  school.  He  was  brought 
a  boy  of  eleven,  to  the  new  home  in  Moline 
when  John  Deere,  in  1S48,  was  prompted  to 
ino\-e  from  Grand  Detour  by  reason  of  the 
natural  advantages  of  coal,  water  power  and 
transportation  for  his  modest  industry.  His 
common  school  education  was  continued  in 
Moline  and  he  attended  commercial  schools 
at  Davenport  aiul  Oalesburg,  finishing  his 
education  at  Hell's  commercial  school  in 
Chicago. 

When  he  first  became  identified  with  the 
Deere  Plow  Works  in  1853,  the  son  was  ]nit 
at  bookkeeping.  His  marked  ability  at 
mastering  detail  brought  him  more  intimately 
into  the  industry  and  he  turned  to  salesman. 
He  became  proficient  in  every  phase  of  plow- 
making  and  demonstrating,  even  as  a  boy  in 
actual  apprenticeship  as  an  artisan.  Driving 
horses  was  a  natural  talent,  and  he  became 
the  company's  most  expert  representative  in 
handling  the  walking  plow,  being  especially 
successful  in  introducing  it  into  new  territory. 
In  later  years  he  never  swerved  from  his 
devotion  to  his  first  love — the  walking  |)low 
— and  even  to  the  last  year  of  his  life  Mr. 
Deere's  greatest  delight  was  to  spend  often  as 
much  as  a  half  day  in  the  experimental  field 
liolding  a  walking  ]ilow  to  the  furrow. 


KuSoi    /^. 


II  1  S  T  U  R  I  C     Ji  U  C  K     I  S  L  A  N  D     C  O  U  N  T  Y 


179 


Riiildinii  a  factory  in  those  days  before  the 
war  was  a  slow  and  hdiorious  process  with  no 
banks  and  no  railroads.  The  Deere  plows 
were  loft  wilh  llie  merchant  on  commission 
and  were  deliAcred  by  wagon  after  trips  often 
several  hnntlred  miles  long.  Collections  were 
made  on  subsequent  trips,  the  dealer  recei-v- 
ing  a  dollar  as  commission  on  each  sale.  The 
panic  of  1857  caught  the  Deere  industry  in 
the  midst  of  an  outlay  for  additions,  and  the 
l)iirden  of  the  storm  rested  heavily  on  the 
struggling  concern.  Pluck  and  determina- 
tion carried  it  through,  and  every  creditor 
was  paid  in  full. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  civil  war  the  com- 
pany's selling  force  consisted  of  George  W. 
\'inton,  Alvah  Mansur  and  Charles  Deere. 
The  younger  Deere's  adventurous  spirit 
prompted  him  to  follow  a  regiment  organized 
in  Moline  as  far  as  Palmyra,  Missouri',  but  his 
military  ardor  was  cooled  after  a  week  spent 
in  camp  and  his  unsuccessful  effort  to  be 
mustered  in.  He  was  one  of  the  active 
young  men  of  the  town  thereafter  in  securing 
and  forming  new  regiments  of  volunteers  for 
service.  He  was  inspired  by  a  warm  patriot- 
ism, and  in  1898  contributed  with  liberal 
hand  to  the  support  of  those  left  behind 
by  the  volunteers  of  the  Spanish-American 
war. 

Charles  Deere  became  a  partner  with  his 
father  and  his  brother-in-law  in  the  Deere 
factory  in  1858.  Ten  vears  later — in  1868 — 
the  corporation  of  Deere  and  Company  was 
formed  and  Charles  Deere  became  vice-presi- 
dent and  general  manager.  The  practical 
worth  of  the  Deere  plow  had  been  demon- 
strated. The  manufacture  of  the  young 
industry  had  reached  an  annual  output  of 
100,000  plows.  The  problem  before  father 
and  son  was  to  organize  to  meet  the  great 
market  before  them.  There  came  to  the 
son — now  a  mature  business  man — the  awak- 
ening to  the  responsibility  before  him,  and 
thenceforth  his  life  was  consecrated  to  the 
great    work   given    him   to    jiprfortn.      During 


the  eighteen  years  that  intervened  between 
the  organization  of  the  corporation  and  the 
death  of  John  Deere  in  1SS6,  the  individuality 
of  the  son  became  more  and  more  the  individ- 
uality of  the  concern.  He  became  jiresident 
of  Deere  and  Company  and  all  auxiliaries  at 
his  father's  death. 

His  work  ever  beckoned  him  on — on.  He 
could  scarcely  have  fireamed  of  the  ultimate 
fruit  of  his  talent,  but  his  success  lay  in 
building  his  industry  with  such  a  master 
touch  that  it  was  ever  jirepared  to  respond  to 
the  quickening  influence  of  a  larger  market. 
From  selling  directly  to  the  dealer,  a  system 
of  branch  stores — which  later  became  branch 
houses — grew  under  his  direction,  till  at  the 
time  of  his  death  any  one  of  the  fifteen  or 
more  at  Omaha,  St.  I.ouis,  Minneapolis, 
Kansas  City,  Winnepig,  San  Francisco  and 
other  centers  represented  a  volume  of  business 
worthy  of  the  undivided  attention  of  a  busi- 
ness genius.  He  and  his  father  originated 
the  policy  of  making  each  branch  house  the 
center  of  a  diversified  line  of  farm  implements, 
thereby  bringing  the  name  of  Deere  more 
intimately  into  every  phase  of  the  business 
of  farming.  His  great  structure  compre- 
hended the  entire  field  of  agriculture.  Tie 
Deere  and  Mansur  Company  was  startetl  in 
1877  to  manufacture  corn  planters.  The 
John  Deere  Buggy  Company  of  St.  Louis, 
the  Fort  Smith  Wagon  Company,  the  ^"elie 
Saddlery  Company,  the  Union  Malleable  Iron 
Company  all  became  cogs  in  the  almost 
perfect  business  machine  which  he  constructed . 
Mr.  Deere  was  a  profound  believer  in  the 
future  of  his  country;  he  displayed  rare  fore- 
sight in  forecasting  the  possibilities  of  its 
resources  and  he  organized  his  industry  to 
develop  them.  At  the  close  of  the  nine- 
teenth century  he  caught  the  first  glow  of  th.e 
golden  age  in  American  manufacturing  and 
he  set  about  to  rebuild  his  plow  factory  t  i 
meet  it.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  ha  1 
only  just  completed  this  reconstructiim. 
r)eath    allowed    him    no    lime    in    which    to 


180 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND     COUNTY 


journey  along  to  old  age  in  moderate  retire- 
ment. His  three  score  years  and  ten  were 
meted  out  to  him  almost  to  a  <lay. 

There  was  nothing  hap-hazard  about  the 
success  of  the  Deere  industry.  Its  im])le- 
ments  were  built  for  the  specific  work  they 
were  to  perform.  The  temper  of  tlie  iron, 
climatic  conditions,  the  needs  of  the  agri- 
culturist were  met  before  the  implement  was 
sent  from  the  factor3\  A  healthful  invigor- 
ating life  permeated  every  detail.  Every- 
thing which  bore  tlie  name  of  Deere  repre- 
sented real  value  conservatively  estimated. 

I'nder  the  direction  of  such  a  master  mind 
it  was  but  natural  that  a  distinctively  Deere 
sentiment  should  sway  the  industry.  Did 
Mr.  Deere  specialize  it  was  in  his  judgment  of 
men  and  his  mastery  of  detail.  He  possesseil 
an  insight  akin  to  instinct  in  the  selection  of 
men  of  large  calibre  as  his  aities  in  working 
out  his  great  structure.  The}-  carried  on 
do\\-n  through  their  departments  a  spirit  of 
personal  responsil)ility  and  consequence  and 
pride  in  doing  one's  best.  "Deere  stands  by 
Ids  men"  came  to  be  a  sentiment  that 
estabished  a  mutual  bond  of  sympathy, 
inspiring  wonderful  loj-alt.v  to  the  name  of 
Deere.  The  fundamental  principle  was  to 
provide  the  best  and  the  public  would  ]>e 
quick  to  appreciate. 

The  honor  due  his  father  as  inventor  of 
the  plow  was  respected  with  imcommcni 
reverence  and  devotion.  Every  branch  house 
but  two  bore  the  name  of  John  Deere.  The 
bust  of  John  Deere  was  the  distinguishing 
characteristic  of  the  advertising  of  the  parent 
plant  and  its  immediate  auxiliaries.  Was  he 
swayed  by  pride,  it  was  in  the  name  of  Deere 
and  in  the  father  whose  genius  had  given  the 
name  such  immortal  luster.  Personal  glory 
over  his  achievement  was  utterly  foreign  to 
his  nature. 

The  scope  of  his  life  work  made  .Mr.  Deere 
of  necessit}-  a  man  of  large  jniblic  usefulness. 
It  drew  him  into  the  very  vortex  of  the 
industrial    and    politic;d    life    of    tlie    nation. 


The  individuality  of  his  concern  in  large 
ineasui'e  became  the  individuality  of  the 
comnumity  in  which  he  li^■ed.  Deere  and 
Company,  the  Deere  and  Mansur  Companj', 
and  the  I'nion  Malleable  Iron  Company — 
liis  trinity  of  industries — gave  employment  to 
•S..500  men  during  the  latter  years  of  his  life- 
His  capital  at  one  time  or  another  was  invested 
in  ]iractically  every  manufactory  in  Moline. 
He  recognized  the  strategic  advantage  of  the 
locality  as  a  manufacturing  center  and  sub- 
stantiated his  faith  in  its  future  by  liberal 
investment  in  every  phase  of  the  business  life 
of  the  city,  notabh-  erecting  many  of  its  most 
substantial  structures  aside  from  its  factories. 
He  ])opularized  Moline  by  the  success  of  his 
own  enterprises  and  became  its  leader  and 
financial  power  in  establishing  its  commercial 
solidity.  His  capital  was  identified  with  the 
Peo])le's  Power  Company,  the  Moline  Abater 
Power  Company,  and  the  street  car  lines, 
])ublic  utilities  that  have  had  potent  influence  • 
in  the  growth  of  the  community.  His  per- 
sonal influence  was  conspicuous  toward  mak- 
ing Rock  Island  Arsenal  the  chief  workshop 
of  the  government  and  toward  making  the 
Mississippi  River  and  the  Hennepin  Canal 
practical  highwaj's  of  commerce.  He  was 
the  first  to  be  sought  when  a  new  enterprise 
was  projected  and  its  fate  many  times  rested 
on  his  attitude  toward  it.  His  first  question 
was  of  the  men  to  be  identified  with  it. 
Outside  of  Moline  his  investments  aside  from 
his  factories  were  in  everj-  known  avenue  of 
pulilic  enterprise. 

There  is  no  estimating  the  scope  of  Mr. 
Deere's  contribution  to  the  material  pros- 
perity and  progress  of  the  world.  His 
factories  and  allied  industries,  his  distriliuting 
branches,  gave  employment  to  thousands  and 
furnished  means  of  livelihood  to  other 
thousands,  to  say  nothing  of  the  countless 
thousands  who  have  profited  through  the 
utility  of  the  Deere  plow  and  allied  imple- 
ments. The  volume  of  lousiness  of  his  great 
business  structure  in  the  vear  of  his  death  is 


H.    E.   CASTEEL 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


181 


estimated  to  have  been  $25,000,000.  Such 
usefiihiess  to  hmnanity  is  not  generally 
dignified  with  the  name  of  philanthropy,  but 
men  who  have  been  such  factors  in  providing 
the  opportunity  to  others  to  help  themselves 
must  be  real  i)hiIanthropists  in  a  largo 
appreciation  of  the  term. 

His  closest  friends  scarcely  realized  tiie 
extent  of  his  national  prominence  and  in- 
fluence. A  sincere  republican,  he  was  a 
factor  in  the  highest  councils  of  his  party. 
He  stood  consistently  for  those  policies  which 
would  build  up  the  nation.  He  was  a 
counsellor  of  statesmen,  for  had  he  not  inti- 
mate knowledge  of  the  farm  and  factory,  the 
warn-earner  of  national  resources,  all  of  them 
the  most  serious  considerations  of  the 
lawmaker:  He  was  accorded  appointments 
of  honor  as  national  convention  delegate, 
national  elector  in  the  Benjamin  Harrison 
campaigns,  president  of  the  state  board  of 
labor  statistics  under  Governors  Ogelsbj^  and 
CuUom,  trustee  of  DeKalb  Xormal  School, 
commissioner  to  the  Menna  Exposition  in 
1.S73  and  to  the  World's  Columbian  Exposi- 
tion in  1893  in  Chicago.  But. only  once  did 
he  take  up  public  work  for  personal  reason.^, 
and  that  in  the  interest  of  the  development 
f)f  deep  waterways,  a  cause  which  lay  close 
to  the  heart  of  one  with  such  large  conception 
of  the  world's  wealth.  He  was  appointed  by 
(iovernor  Deneen  in  1907  to  be  commissioner 
of  the  Illinois  and  ^lichigan  canal  in  appre- 
ciation of  his  influence  in  ]3romoting  the 
question  of  national  waterways  before  con- 
gress and  (if  drawing  attention  to  the  water- 
ways of  Illinois. 

This  strong  silent  man,  «lio  abounded  in 
action  and  in  s])lendid  achievement  was 
supremely  indifferent  to  jiersonal  prominence 
or  jiower.  A  man  of  the  world  in  its  largest 
sense,  he  was  swayed  by  the  simplest  tastes. 
He  found  his  recreation  and  delight  in  things 
which  money  cannot  buy — in  his  home,  in 
the  woods  and  hills  and  water,  in  flowers,  in 
tlie  progress  of  the  crops,  in  reverencing  the 


memories  of  the  stm-dy  i)ioneei"s,  especially 
of  the  middle  west.  Did  he  have  a  weakness 
it  was  for  fine  horses.  He  was  a  plain  man 
of  the  people  wherever  he  went,  democratic 
in  nature,  dignified,  reserved — a  gentleman  of 
the  old  school,  courtly  considerate,  deferen- 
tial, who  shunned  ostentation  to  the  degree 
of  abhorrence.  His  benevolences  were  wholly 
im])ersonal,  offhand,  from  the  pocket,  his 
identity  often  being  completely  hidden.  He 
was  quickly  responsive  to  children  and  he 
would  strike  up  a  sort  of  (piiet  good  fellow- 
ship with  them  as  he  passed  them  from  day 
to  day  along  the  street.  He  gave  most 
liberally  to  encourage  talent  and  ambition 
of  children  in  limited  circumstances,  and 
when  once  his  sympathies  were  enlisted  he 
never  forgot.  He  idolized  his  own  grand- 
children. 

Mr.  Deere  was  married  September  16,  1862, 
to  Mary  L.  Dickinson  of  Chicago.  To  them 
were  born  two  children:  Anna  C.  Deere, 
August  20,  1864,  who  became  the  wife  of 
A^'illiam  Dwight  Wiman  and  who  died  June 
1,  1906,  in  Santa  Barbara,  California;  Kath- 
arine M.  Deere,  born  in  October,  1866,  wife  of 
William  Bntterworth.  Mr.  Deere  died  Oc- 
tober 29,  1907. 

ii   SI8  SS 

HERBERT  E.  CASTEEL. 

HERBERT  E.  CASTEEL,  one  of  Rock 
Island  County's  most  enterprising  and 
highly  regarded  citizens,  prominent  in 
banking  and  business  circles  and  a  self  made 
man,  was  born  in  Davenport,  Scott  County, 
Iowa,  March  1.5,  1860.  and  was  the  son  of 
Appleton  and  Elizabeth  (iardner  Cast  eel. 

Mr.  Casteel's  strides  to  prominence  are  the 
result  of  hard  toiling  antl  struggle  in  his 
early  days  and  his  keen  business  methods  and 
perseverance  in  later  years. 

Terminating  his  studies  in  the  public 
schools  of  Davenport,  he  was  not  anj-  too 
well  ]irovidetl  with  education  with  which  to 
enter  the  great  field  of  business  struggle,  but 


182 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


Willi  iiploiiiistif  iilcas  he  (juielly  workecl  ihciii 
to  a  point  of  value  and  with  each  chaiifio  of 
position  came  a  promotion  and  hifiiicr  salary. 
To  this  end  he  directed  his  ardent  amliition 
until  he  reached  the  estimaiile  position  of 
liank  president. 

Mr.  ("asteel's  business  career  dates  back 
many  years,  owing  to  the  fact  that  he  started 
out  for  his  own  livelihood  at  an  early  age. 
When  only  thirteen  3'ears  of  age  he  w-ent  to 
Port  Byron,  Illinois,  and  two  years  later,  in 
1875,  he  entered  the  employe  of  the  Port 
Byron  ]>umber  Company  as  bookkeeper, 
which  position  he  held  for  two  and  a  half 
years.  In  1875  he  went  to  Rapids  City, 
Illinois,  where  he  entered  the  employe  of 
Taylor  Williams  at  the  same  occupation  and, 
for  two  and  a  half  years  more  he  followed 
this  special  work.  As  a  departure  from  the 
lumber  liusiness  Mr.  Casteel  became  asso- 
ciated with  John  Schafer  in  the  mercantile 
business,  and  after  some  years  in  this,  and 
upon  dissolution  of  partnership  he,  took  the 
position  of  assistant  superintencLint  of  the 
Chicago,  Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul  Railroad 
company's  coal  mines  at  Perry,  Iowa,  until 
1884,  when  he  resigned  his  position  and 
again  took  up  merchandising. 

Prior  to  his  departure  from  Illinois  for 
Perry.  Iowa,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years,  he  decided  to  take  a  wife,  and  on 
December  22,  1881,  was  married  to  Miss 
Emma  S.  Lowry.  Tt)  this  union  two  children 
were  born,  a  son,  Lowry  M.,  and  a  daughter, 
Evangeline  Gardner  Casteel.  The  sou  is  at 
jiresent  engaged  as  assistant  tellei-  in  the 
Rock  Island  National  Rank,  while  the 
daughter  attends  college. 

When  John  Schafer  was  elected  treasurer 
of  Hock  Lsland  County,  Mr.  Casteel  was 
appointed  deputy  comity  treasurer,  which 
jiosition  he  held  for  the  full  term.  At  the 
expiration  of  this  he  accompanied  Major  ('. 
W.  Hawes  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 
ica to  Fulton,  Illinois,  as  assistant  head 
clerk,     which     position    he    held     until     IS!).'!. 


when  he  decided  to  shake  the  dust  of  Illinois 
from  his  feet  and  locate  in  South  Dakota. 
In  the  aliove  year  he  located  at  Parkston, 
and  occupied  the  position  of  cashier  of  the 
Parkston  State  Bank  of  Parkston,  this  change 
taking  place  just  prior  to  the  panic  of  the 
same  year.  He  continued  his  services  with 
that  institution  until  1898,  and  after  a  few- 
months  of  retirement  and  in  August  of  1899 
he  accepted  the  jjosition  of  cashier  of  the 
Rock  Island  National  Bank  and  located  his 
family  here. 

In  the  Fall  of  1899  he  floated  the  stock  of 
and  incorporated  the  Central  Trust  and 
Savings  Bank  of  Rock  Island,  this  taking 
place  in  December  of  1899,  and  was  elected 
himself  as  cashier. 

In  J\Iay,  1902,  ui)on  the  death  of  J.  F. 
Robinson,  Mr.  Casteel  was  elected  president 
of  the  Rock  Island  National  and  of  the 
Central  Trust  and  Savings  Banks,  and  to  the 
present  day  is  the  head  of  both  institutions. 

In  addition  to  the  above  responsible  posi- 
tions, Mr  Casteel  has  the  business  manage- 
ment of  the  Robinson  estate  and  is  interested 
in  several  of  the  flourishing  manufacturing 
institutions  of  the  tri-cities. 

Aside  from  deputy  county  treasurer  he 
never  held  a  pul)lic  office  except  that  of 
treasurer  of  the  Bethany  Home  Protective 
Association  of  Rock  Island,  which  is  a  home 
conducted  for  poverty  stricken  and  destitute 
children.  He  w-as  a  democrat,  but  believe  J 
in  the  Republican  platforms  under  McKinle}- 
and  Roosevelt,  and  in  accordance  with  his 
political  opinions  voted  the  Republican  ticket. 

Mr.  Casteel  is  a  Mason  of  the  thirty-second 
degree  and  has  membership  in  several  of  the 
Masonic  lodges  aside  from  the  Consistory. 
Among  the  lodges  of  which  he  is  a  member 
are  Philo  Lodge,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons;  Rock  Island  Chapter,  Royal  Arch 
Masons;  Rock  Island  Commandery,  Knights 
Templar  and  Oriental  Consistory.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America.  In  his  fratornal  and  social  alliliations. 


WILLIAM  A.  MEESE. 


HISTORIC    ROCK    ISLAND    COUNTY 


183 


as  well  as  in  business,  he  has  surruunded 
himself  \\  ith  numerous  acquaintances  through- 
out the  city,  county  and  state,  and  in  honest 
opinion  of  so  honorable  a  man  to  the  com- 
munity, it  can  be  stated  without  contradic- 
tion that  his  loss  would  be  a  severe  blow  to 
the  business  interests  of  the  city  and  to  liis 
scores  of  friends. 

^  ^  ^ 

WILLIAM  A.  MEESE. 

A"\  T^AHI-'X  that  evil  day  shall  come  whereon 
y^  William  A.  Meese  exchanges  his  7's 
derby  of  commerce  for  the  starry 
crown  of  heavenly  reward,  doffs  his  con- 
ventional haberdashery  of  the  Mississijipi 
Valley  for  the  celestial  cerements  of  eternal 
bliss,  Molina  will  pause  in  its  onward  march 
to  industrial  eminence,  consider  well  this 
life-time  of  de^■otion  to  the  city's  interests, 
drop  a  tear  of  affection  for  a  departed  com- 
rade and  wonder  with  apprehension  where 
the  half-dozen  men  are  to  spring  from  to  take 
his  place  in  the  struggle  for  civic  improve- 
ment. He  has  been  for  a  half-century  the 
loyal  friend  of  his  town,  the  unwavering 
champion  of  iloline's  claims  to  consideration. 
her  press  agent,  advocate  and  guardian  spirit. 
This  esteem  is  mutual  and  reciprocal  and  tlie 
constant  plea  of  Moline  i.-^  that  William  .\. 
Meese  may  long  be  s])ared  to  serve  as  her 
envoy  extraordinary  and  minister  plenipo- 
tentiary. His  list  of  activities  for  the  gootl 
of  his  city  before  deliberative  and  legislative 
bodies  and  as  a  member  of  organizations 
which  have  built  the  city  into  its  jiresent 
jiroud  condition,  sjiiritually,  morally,  educa- 
tionally and  industrially  has  not  been  written. 
The  record  is  long,  honorable  and  foitunatpl\- 
incomplete. 

William  A.  Meese  was  burn  in  Sheboygan. 
Wisconsin.  February  1.  1S.5(5.  It  has  ijeen  a 
subject  of  regret  that  he  was  not  a  native  of 
Moline.  but  this  error,  not  his  own.  he  re])aire<l 
as  speedily  as  possible  by  bringing  his  family 
to  the  \illage  of  promise  in  the  garden  spot 


of  the  Mississippi  Valley  at  the  age  of  two. 
His  father,  Henry  Bruno  Meese,  and  mother, 
.Tohanna  (von  Thielde)  Meese,  were  natives 
of  Hanover,  Germany,  and  came  to  this 
country  in  1S52. 

A  small  and  sturdy  specimen  of  the  tow- 
headed  Gernian-.^merican  he  entered  upon 
his  education  in  the  Moline  public  schools, 
graduating  therefrom  in  due  time;  thence  to 
the  preparatory  course  of  Griswold  College  in 
J)avenport,  and  completed  the  Freshman 
year  in  that  institution.  From  Griswold  to 
Rock  River  Seminary  (now  Mt.  Morris  Col- 
lege) and  graduation  in  1876.  In  one  sub- 
sequent year  at  the  State  University  of  Iowa 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  T^aws  was  secured 
The  next  year  was  spent  in  advanced  studies. 
In  187S  after  preparation  adequate  and 
admirable,  the  law  student  was  transformed 
into  a  practicing  attorney  by  admission  to  the 
Ijar  of  Illinois. 

He  entered  upon  the  practice  of  law  in  his 
home  city  and  soon  attracted  a  volume  of 
business  flattering  to  the  native  product, 
who,  unlike  the  biljlical  prophet,  found  honor 
in  his  own  country.  By  utilizing  a  natural 
talent  for  concentration  which  l)rings  a  margin 
of  leisure,  Mr.  Meese  has  found  time  to  serve 
his  City  and  State  in  many  ways.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  the  lil:)rary  board,  a  member 
of  the  ceuietery  board,  has  served  as  City 
.Attorney  ior  six  years  and  for  four  years  was 
a  trustee  of  the  Northern  Illinois  State 
Xornud  School.  His  profession  l)ronght  him 
into  jjolitics  and  he  has  been  allitv'  with  the 
Re]niljlican   Party  in  his  State. 

Mr.  Meese  admits  a  natural  iiu-jination 
toward  allying  himself  with  other  men  in 
(U-ganizations  for  mutual  iielpfulness  and  the 
advancement  of  soiiety.  He  is  a  memljer  of 
the  Modern  AAoodmen.  the  Odd  Fellows,  the 
Elks,  the  Red  ^len.  the  Turners  and  a  few- 
other  fraternal  lx)dies.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Moline  Club,  the  Tri-City  Press  Club, 
the  Chicago  Press  Club  aiul  a  half-dozen 
historical  societies. 


184 


HISTORIC     ROCK     ISLAND     COUNTY 


It  would  lie  easy  for  a  l)ioiirai>li('r  to  write 
a  chaiitei'  coiiceruiiiji  .Mr.  Mee.se'.s  love  for 
histcry,  his  work  aloiip:  that  line  and  hi.s 
really  valuable  eoiitriliutions  to  the  records 
of  this  resrioii.  .\  number  of  luonosr'Tphs 
\\  hich  he  has  ]iublished  show  original  research 
of  vast  industry  and  commensurate  result. 
He  has  been  the  inspiration  of  the  Rock- 
Island  County  Historical  society  and  has  been 
called  upon  for  historical  addresses  on  many 
important  occasions  in  western  cities.  His 
historical  library  is  admirable  in  its  rapge 
and  has  many  exceptional  books  of  rarity 
and  jireat  value.  Mr.  ileese's  friends  are 
hopeful  that  there  may  come  from  his  pen 
some  day  the  yet  unwritten  history  of  Illinois, 
for  which  he  has  ample  original  material  at 
hand. 

Mr.  Meese'.s  research  into  kical  events  of 
bygone  days  led  to  his  appearance  before  the 
Illinois  General  Assembly  and  an  appropria- 
tion to  mark  the  battle-site  of  the  ^^'ar  of 
1812  on  Campbell's  Island  near  Holme.  The 
dedication  of  that  memorial  in  the  Summer  of 
1908  was  the  occasion  of  such  a  patriotic 
demonstration  as  the  City  of  Moline  had 
never  previoush-  entered  upon.  Iniidentally 
the  scholarl}'  historian  was  so  glorified  by 
orators  and  jjress  that  his  natural  modesty 
has  suffered  an  inordinate  increase.  His 
subsequent  life  has  been  one  continuous 
un.spoken  apology  for  !)eiiig  unable  to  feel  as 
great  as  his  friends  have  jjainted  him. 

The  work  which  at  present  engrosses  the 
spare  mint:tes  of  Mr.  Meese  concerns  a  wider 
area  than  his  beloved  Citv  of  Moline  or  his 
home  state.  It  is  the  splendid  endeavor  to 
which  the  Upjier  Mississippi  River  Improve- 


()f     that 
\-ice-i)resi- 


nicnt  .Association  is  ]iledge(J. 
organization  ^Ir.  Meese  is  first 
dent. 

While  president  of  the  Moline  Business 
Men's  Association  IMr.  Meese  made  several 
trips  to.  Wjishington,  and  as  the  result 
secured  an  ap]iro])riation  of  .?386.{)()0  for  the 
construction  of  a  lock  in  the  ilississippi 
River  at  his  home  city,  thus  making  Moline 
a  river  town,  a  privilege  it  had  been  dejirived 
of  for  over  thirty  3'ears.  As  first  \-ice-presi- 
dent  of  the  River  Association  Mr.  Meese 
assimied  charge  of  and  personally  conducted 
the  campaign  before  Congress  for  a  six-foot 
channel  for  the  Mississippi  Iviver  from  St. 
Paul  to  the  mouth  of  the  ]\Tissouri  River. 
The  work  was  successful  and  in  March  1908, 
Congress  adopted  the  plan,  the  largest  before 
that  session,  carr3'ing  an  expenditure  of  over 
twenty  million  dollars. 

The  solid  foundation  of  success  in  life  is  a 
happv  home.  A\  hether  this  was  appreciated 
by  the  yotmg  attorney  and  his  marriage  made 
a  part  of  his  plan  for  advancement,  or  xvhet her 
Fortune  so  ordered  affairs  in  the  distribution 
of  her  favors,  in  any  event  the  best  Niece  of 
good  luck  that  ever  befell  ^Ir.  Meese  was  his 
marriage  in  1878  to  Miss  Kittie  Buxton, 
daughter  of  Daniel  Buxton  and  .\nna  S. 
(Kane)  Buxton,  of .]\Iare:igo,  Illinois.  Their 
home  has  been  brightened  and  blessed  by 
four  daughters — Maude,  the  wife  of  Harry 
E.  Newton;  Kittie,  wife  of  Benjamin  S.  Bell. 
also  Lillian,  Gertrude  and  Helen  Meese.  In 
his  life  of  professional  activit,v  and  public 
tisefulness,  William  A.  Meese  has  had  the 
unswer%ing  and  symjiathetic  encouragement 
of  his  familv  circle. 


.<    '^SSCW 


-^*^^r^' 


UNlVERSin  ur 


C001 


,.  ,.  ^-  ,     "^^RoIk  .SLANO  CO^u"NTy  ROCK  ISUNO 


'3  0112025390490 


